My purse/car keys were stolen for my 2007 Honda Accord 4D (American model with touch screen navigational system). Instead of bringing it to Honda, like I have done in the past at high cost, a technician/mechanic who specializes in making keys made me the key at my house with a machine he plugged into an outdoor outlet.

This is where things get a little complicated. The key he had brought with him to cut didn't work so he made it from my old key, which I found after the fact the time Honda made me a key.

So when Honda originally cut me a new key, I found my old one. It no longer started the vehicle, it only worked electronically to lock/unlock it. Said old key was the key he cut. It was very sticky and hard to start and I was told the ignition would have to be rebuilt and that once that was done, he could reprogram the (new) key he had brought with him (the one that wasn't working).

Fast forward a month later and multiple technicians/mechanics as the Honda dealership can't seem to understand why the vehicle won't start after having the ignition rebuilt. I was initially told it was the starter but that was quickly ruled out. It's had two different ignitions (both used but in working condition) put in with the same results. The key will go into first position before getting locked, all the lights and everything else will turn on. The Honda dealership have spent 3 hours testing it for possible problems and now want to charge an extra $1000+ dollars to have a new ignition put in - not only do they not seem confident that will fix it, if it doesn't it will still cost the same and I will be in the same position just even more broke.

I'm wondering If anyone has any experience with the USA touchscreen model? A while back the car battery died and I needed a code to get back into the navigational system and another one for the radio. Honda spent multiple hours trying to figure out the radio code but were unfamiliar with the American model (I live in Canada) and it was me who finally uncovered it between youtube videos and the user manual... so I don't really have much trust that they would know what to do if the system locked itself out, which to me is what seems to be the case. The car worked perfectly fine beforehand and now simply won't start after having the ignition rebuilt. Could this be because it needs an ignition that matches with this particular model? Note: other 2007 models don't have touchscreen technology, they have way more buttons and generally if the system is locked out you can hold down multiple buttons at the same time to unlock the system... this does not work the same way for a touchscreen.

Any help or information would be so much appreciated!! I have been out a vehicle a month now and rely on it for work plus I paid upfront and had other work done on it this summer, so I am out a lot of money and am trying to decide if I need to replace my vehicle or if it's something silly like that radio code.

 

Did the new programmed key ever work, was the immobilizer programmed into the new key? Some generic blanks have thicker key blades that need to be filed down a bit to fit in the ignition.
How does the car behave? does it crank but doesn't start?