I have a 2010 Toyota Corolla. It came with 3 keys. They are all original keys from the car that was purchased new 10 years ago. Two look like this:
And one, the "valet" key, looks like this:
I was under the impression that the first two keys were expensive and came with a chip that needs to be programmed to work. They also don't look very waterproof. But I like to go in water. Saltwater, to be precise. For hours at a time. So I carry my valet key with me, thinking it's just a dumb key with no technology whatsoever in it. So far so good. This setup works.
Here is my question: why can I not copy the valet key to get another "waterproof" key? I've now tried two different stores and even though the valet copies look absolutely identical to my untrained eye, I just cannot open the driver door with them. It goes in, but I cannot turn it in either direction.
Please explain. Is there some sort of technology in the valet key that will eventually die when it's been exposed to just enough saltwater?
If that makes a difference, the car also has an alarm, but I have no idea how it works. I only know about it because a red light glows in the interior with "alarm" written next to it.