Duplicating a 90 Civic key

[Xist]

My friend had me drive her to the airport and I asked to borrow her car while she was gone. She was stranded last week and I want to make sure her car will be reliable when she returns.

She just told me that she only has one key. She explained that she went to Ace, Home Depot, and even Honda, the first two told her that her key was too worn out to make a duplicate, and the dealership said they did not carry the blanks anymore. This seems like a good project for me, but have any of you heard of problems like this?

As always, I appreciate any feedback you gentlemen may have.

[Baltothewolf]

Take it to a locksmith, I'm sure he can make a new key no problem.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

Take it to a locksmith, I'm sure he can make a new key no problem.

This.

Even if the key is beyond duplication, a smith can make a key from the lock itself.

[user removed]

Most of the wear is on the uncut shoulder and it lets the key go in too far so it's hard to work. Lube the key and stick it in the cylinder to make it work easier.

+1 on a locksmith for a duplicate. He can probably look at it and know the cuts and cut it to eliminate the wear, or just cut a dupe for a little less.

Clean under the seats, you might find another key.

regards
mech

[mort]

My friend had a similar issue. Perhaps a different year Honda - '93 I think, and that probably makes a difference. If it is an original key it could have the "combination" stamped into it. It looks like a (tiny) string of numbers. A better locksmith can make a new key from those numbers.
-mort

[PaleMelanesian]

This is why I immediately made copies for my '96 Civic and then only used the copies. The original was still shiny!

Unfortunately, that's a pricy proposition these days.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

Take it to a locksmith, I'm sure he can make a new key no problem.

This is why I require adult supervision!

I am going to be lazy and put it off. I am American! I make excuses!

I rode my bike 2.9 miles to Big 5 to purchase weight lifting gloves that I did not need.
Rode my bike 2.6 miles to a gym that I did not need--I pay taxes for streets and sidewalks!
Did a total of 62 push-ups and the same number of flutterkicks (alternating sets with varying repetitions)
Did bench press for a while (60-pound dumbells x 7, 55 x 8, and 50 x 12)
Ran one mile at 1% incline in 8.83 minutes (Slow!)
Walked half a mile in 7.5 minutes.
Ran another 1% mile in 8.83 minutes.
And finally, rode 1.9 miles home.

I ride my bike as hard as I can, which may impede the running, but I want to pretend that I am not lazy!

I will go back out after lunch and some apple juice.

[elhigh]

This is why I wrote the original key cutting code on the inside of the owner's manual for my truck. I got a brand-new, first generation key made for it last summer.

It may be possible to have the original cylinder rebuilt with new tumblers back to the original pattern, and then you can make a couple of new, first-generation keys for it.

[Xist]

Anyone familiar with the term "Me thinketh the lady doth protest too much" from "Much Ado about Nothing?"

Maybe the girl at Ace was too young and naïve to know that she could not, but she went ahead and duplicated the key, she just wanted to make sure that it worked. Google showed a locksmith that did not seem to exist, so I went down the street to Ace. With limited parking where I live, I parked my friend's car at the back of my space, and I put my Civic up against hers. Then some random woman parked her Excursion in our driveway and started gawking at me. As I tested the key in a car between a house and a larger car, she asked if I was trying to leave.

Yes, I was going to drive the smaller Civic over the larger one.

Then a neighbor needed to park in the street and another had difficulty maneuvering around a much larger vehicle that did not belong there.

Am I the only person who does not park in other people's driveways?

On topic: Yes, the Ace copy worked, but hopefully a locksmith could have made a duplicate better than the current condition of the original.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Xist

On topic: Yes, the Ace copy worked, but hopefully a locksmith could have made a duplicate better than the current condition of the original.

Not in my experience. Just walking distance from my office we have the area's most highly-regarded locksmiths, and when they make copies, they're never better quality. To their credit they guarantee that if your old key worked, the new one will too, and have made good a few times for me. And they can produce a first-generation key if they have the cylinder in hand.