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We have a 2011 Chevrolet Orlando.

A few weeks ago one of the keys snapped off:

snapped key

Today, exactly the same thing has happened to our other key so the car is now stuck on the drive.

The fobs themselves still work to lock the car. My question is can I simply get a new key cut and swap over the internal electronics, or will it have to be reprogrammed?

I'm based in the UK, so I was hoping I could pop to somewhere like Timpson to have one cut for much cheaper rather than buy new paired keys.

Edit: photo showing the circuit board which looks like it can be swapped out to another key:

circuit board within key fob

Update: Timpson were able to sort both keys for a fraction of the cost, £75 for the pair. They couldn't just replace the blade, it was a whole new shell. But they transferred the internals without any reprogramming being necessary.

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  • Forgive my ignorance, but is the key a flip key with the fob built into it?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:10
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 pretty sure it is for these
    – motosubatsu
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:13
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 The key does flip out, but you can take apart the shell to expose the internals. I had to fix one of them once when the key was in the ignition and I sat on a lanyard attached to the key, breaking that flip out mechanism.
    – DJH
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:18
  • Just added a better picture of the internals, @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
    – DJH
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:26
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    @Criggie I don't know. I wasn't sure how the 'pairing' worked exactly, which is why I wasn't sure if there was anything special about the blade itself.
    – DJH
    Commented Apr 29 at 10:09

1 Answer 1

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Yes you should be able to do this - you mentioned Timpsons, and it is probably worth visiting them before purchasing anything since they may be able to replace the blade itself or potentially replace the blade and enclosure and re-use your existing internals.

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  • Thanks, I guess my question stems from not knowing what exactly is being 'paired', if it's purely the electronics or something special about the blade itself. The blade can be swapped out on the same fob, too. So potentially that's all is needed.
    – DJH
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:55
  • The blade is just cut to your lock barrel - which Timpsons should be able to do using your existing blade as it appears the break is well clear of the actual "key" part of the blade.
    – motosubatsu
    Commented Apr 25 at 12:57
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    Yes, the blade hasn't snapped, but it's housing fractured. In my case the blade didn't fit Timpson's fob, so they cut a new one.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Apr 25 at 19:35

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