Quick rehash: Picked up an '09 Legacy 2.5, only came with a valet key. Dealer tried to get me to pay $160 for a master key, I got them to give me one for free. The big delay between placing the order and actually getting the key in my greedy little fingers was because "the key has to be laser cut, in Japan."

 

I get it, I had a VW GTI with a laser cut key, so I wait. This morning I bring the car in, and after waiting nearly 2 hours, they hand me my newly programmed key...

 

Unless they're cutting keys with lasers in a way that make them look just like any other mechanically cut key - I'm ready to call shenanigans on this. It's not that far off of the valet key. Can someone confirm whether or not these keys are in fact laser cut?

 

My biggest gripe in all of this is that I can get the keys for $52 a piece and sync them up with the car myself, so I don't see the point in handing over an additional $110 so that some service tech with a laptop can cut it and sync it up to my car.

 

Can someone confirm whether the keys are in fact laser cut (thus making it impossible to duplicate mechanically)?

Quick rehash: Picked up an '09 Legacy 2.5, only came with a valet key. Dealer tried to get me to pay $160 for a master key, I got them to give me one for free. The big delay between placing the order and actually getting the key in my greedy little fingers was because "the key has to be laser cut, in Japan."

 

I get it, I had a VW GTI with a laser cut key, so I wait. This morning I bring the car in, and after waiting nearly 2 hours, they hand me my newly programmed key...

 

Unless they're cutting keys with lasers in a way that make them look just like any other mechanically cut key - I'm ready to call shenanigans on this. It's not that far off of the valet key. Can someone confirm whether or not these keys are in fact laser cut?

 

My biggest gripe in all of this is that I can get the keys for $52 a piece and sync them up with the car myself, so I don't see the point in handing over an additional $110 so that some service tech with a laptop can cut it and sync it up to my car.

 

Can someone confirm whether the keys are in fact laser cut (thus making it impossible to duplicate mechanically)?

 

 

I had a dealer pull that crap on me when I had my 03 Forester XS.. it was missing the remote for the door locks and the 2nd set of keys and they wanted me to pay extra.. I was like you install this and give me the other set or I'm not doing the deal.

 

They installed it.

Subaru keys aren't anything special AFAIK. It's not a Fob key like BMW or Mercedes that has a transponder for push button start. I know our Subaru dealer cuts keys in-house. Though whether they can do that for an 09, I don't know.

$160 sounds like they're trying to get you.