Keys,transponders & programming (dont ever have less than three keys)

[skyblueII]

Mitsubishi got me good. I recently lost a transponder chip out of my key fob (should have listened to foama), while getting my keys out of my pocket the key fob had separated because the small screw that holds the fob together had sheared in two, this led to the door clicker to fall out of the fob onto the ground which i had picked up, however i had not noticed that the small transponder chip had also fallen out of the fob (because it's only held in by friction fit when it really should have been glued) and two days later when I went to start the car I could not do so, because it had been so long between losing the chip I was unable to find it on the ground which left me stranded 2 hours from home. I had to drive home in another car and get my only other key and then drive back! Down to one functional key and with the possibility of losing the other one I really wanted to get back to two and then definitely three keys but didn't really want to pay hundreds of dollars to mitsubishi or a locksmith.



*this thread only applies to the following keys, I have no knowledge of fast keys or other keys, and my car is australian.


From my experience messing around with other cars, I knew that being down to one key was not great, it's usually much easier to program new keys with two than one. Wanting to eliminate the chance of losing the other key in the interim I superglued the remaining transponder chip to the key barrel out of sight, this was not a great long term solution because it means anyone with a screwdriver can steal the car as the immobilizer is not functional.

Wishing to return to normal I then ordered myself a new chip from ebay(1) when it arrived I began the lengthy process of trying to return to a state where two separate keys were programmed to the car.

I did try to borrow a snap on scan tool to achieve this but it turned out to be not helpful, and at that stage I didn't understand that I was inputting the wrong immo passcode/password. Which for my car a 2015 mirage LA ES was "0A11" < take note of this for others who have this issue. I'm not sure if other markets have different codes, I suspect they might, check this very useful site for others, https://www.mri-auto-diagnostics.com...ic/mitsubishi/

I proceeded to attempting to make MUT Multi User Tester III SE >*"Second Edition"*< work for me on a laptop running Windows 10 64bit. This was not easy haha. If you have trouble installing MUT, I tried different versions, also having the installation files in C:/ and running in administrator may help. Database installation is a common failure point, so don't panic if this happens to you, also instillation necessitates ample patience aka it takes a very long time. I sourced MUT from here https://forum.kolyandex.su/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19

Having messed around a bit before with Etacs from when I installed a DAOX cruise kit ect I already had a mini VCI cable. I already had the MVCI driver for etacs decoder installed and this seemed to work for the mini VCI I had. Although there is an xhorse driver on the computer also. The details are rather bad as it was years ago that I got this cable to work and don't remember how I did it.

These driver might also help. https://cloud.kolyandex.su/index.php/s/egHeO7yJgZIogZx https://forum.kolyandex.su/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=21

MVCI driver for etacs decoder https://drive.google.com/file/d/13jE...gkdQH6AB00Ej74 https://etacsdecoder.com/software/

I also vaguely remember having to find a 64 bit fix because I was running 64 bit but I can't seem to locate that fix any longer.




While the cable was functional, MUT III SE didn't want to cooperate, constantly giving me errors and it wasn't "seeing" the car. It was not until I came across some files on the internet that it finally started working for me.

http://blog.obdii365.com/2023/12/14/...j2534-drivers/

The following webpage was crucial to proceeding. Once you have MUT III on your system you need to download this archive https://mega.nz/file/g3ZxHTJb#YSLyh_...W-w4G0bScp9t-c, unzip it and place the two files into the MUT directory which should be on C:/, the files should be placed in C:/MUTSW_SE/MUT3_SE/System/Common, it'll ask if you want to overwrite and you do. This enables you to make MUT see your adapter and use it, something it's unwilling to do otherwise.

Evidently Mini VCI is one of the bad adapters to attempt to use but I didn't want to spend anymore money and it did work in the end. The better adapters are Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 / ScanDoc Compact (J2534) / Scanmatik 2/2 Pro

Anyway, moving on, you need to plug your adapter into the cars OBD2 port, then into your computer and then turn the car to the second ignition point, the one before starting it for this to work. You then open MUT III SE, press STV and then select the right "driver" for your VCI adapter. Then it may ask you if you want to use either VCI lite or VCI which you just press the tick, I don't understand it and neither will you.




Then you're IN, it should automatically identify your car and then all you have to do is scroll down on the left hand side to where it says KOS/OSS/IMMO/Keyless and double click.



Once you do it will open a new window



Go special function



Then key registration



Then enter the password 0A11 or whatever password for your market/car, see what I wrote on this earlier, then hit execute, then you take your first key out and put in your second, at this point I had replaced my missing transponder chip in my second key, I was a bit worried about turning the car off and putting the second key in but if you do it quick enough it doesn't cause any issues.



This is the replacement chip I purchased for around 15 dollars.

[Mark]

As has been mentioned previously on the forum and which I have now become all too familiar with in the past few weeks, it's a really good idea to buy a third key and program it while you still have two intact functional keys.

And then you make sure you're never down to less than two keys, absolutely always 3.

This is the replacement chip I purchased for around 15 dollars.

I know this doesn't apply to the Mirages in Canada, but making a third key in the States is cheap & easy.

A blank key with a chip may cost you about $15 on eBay.

Walmart or a local hardware store will charge you a few bucks to cut it, & that's it for total costs. The rest is done by you for free (no tools required). I simplified what I did below, & I can attest it worked.

This was my post about it back in 2020 -

==================================================
Ironically, two-years later I can answer my own question with a "yes".

My blank key with chip cost $11.55 with tax (free shipping). My local ACE Hardware charges $2.29 to cut a double-sided key ($2.42 with tax). An extra chip coded key for $13.97 is not bad. If I lose one now, I will have two keys to make a new replacement.

No tools were necessary to code a third key for my 2017 Mirage.

1. Turn your ignition on with the first key (for about 5 seconds), & then turn off and remove.

2. After removing the 1st key, turn on the ignition with your 2nd key. In less than 10 seconds, the immobilizer indicator (multi-information display) will start to blink. Now turn off & remove your 2nd key.

3. You have 30 seconds to insert your new blank key. Turn on the ignition with the new blank key, & it will be automatically programmed to the car. It took less than 5 seconds to program itself, & the new third key starts the car without issue!
================================================== ===

If you own a Mirage that uses a key, I would also recommend having a third key. It takes two keys to program another one. I'd rather have a key than push button start. A key is cheap to replace.

Let's say multiple driving instructors share a car. I could have 3-4 keys made (one for each instructor) for very little cost. That's not happening with a push button start vehicle. I would pay extra to not have some extra features on vehicles, and this is one of them. Auto climate controls would be number one, however. I would also pay extra for manual climate controls.

Edit: Manual transmission trumps everything. Today's Mirage doesn't exist in my mind.

[Fummins]

I tried programming a key using an autel scanner going through the same menus as above, then entering the same
Password. It didn’t work. I was using a previously used transponder and tried an Amazon key as Well. One dealer was able to program an Amazon key to start a car but couldn’t get the keyless entry to work, and a different dealer couldn’t get anything to work with the same key. In the end we had to buy new keys from Mitsubishi.

The program a third key yourself method doesn’t work up here. Looks like a US only thing perhaps?
The Aussie key above looks like foama’s key. They’re nothing like the Mirage keys we have in North America.

[skyblueII]

I tried programming a key using an autel scanner going through the same menus as above, then entering the same
Password. It didn’t work. I was using a previously used transponder and tried an Amazon key as Well. One dealer was able to program an Amazon key to start a car but couldn’t get the keyless entry to work, and a different dealer couldn’t get anything to work with the same key. In the end we had to buy new keys from Mitsubishi.

The program a third key yourself method doesn’t work up here. Looks like a US only thing perhaps?
The Aussie key above looks like foama’s key. They’re nothing like the Mirage keys we have in North America.

Fummins is correct, I've jumped the gun assuming the two key method would work for my car and I just checked it doesn't, which is a shame.

At least I have one way to program keys now.

I just tried it again with the supposedly decent snap on scan tool with the correct password and it says the ECU doesn't support it or that the conditions are not met.

[Morphector]

I'm in the kind of same boat.

Can't find my second key for the last couple of weeks, don't want to get screwed by local mitsu dealer.

I tought about gluing the transponder on the side of the ignition than getting 2 other cheap keys cut.
as fas as keyless I always hated the stock key, I would just buy and install a cheap 30$ remote door lock unlock from ebay...

Have you seen any option to program the stock keyless lock/unlock in the mut3 ?

[Mark]

Fummins is correct, I've jumped the gun assuming the two key method would work for my car and I just checked it doesn't, which is a shame.

At least I have one way to program keys now.

I just tried it again with the supposedly decent snap on scan tool with the correct password and it says the ECU doesn't support it or that the conditions are not met.

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage Owner's Manual (page 5-5) -

To add a key, you must already have 2 registered keys. You need to register the ID code
to the vehicle.

Registering the ID code can be done by yourself (except for vehicles sold in Canada), or
by your authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer.

For you to register the ID code yourself, follow the “Customer key programming” procedure below.
If you choose to have your authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer register the ID code, take your vehicle and all remaining keys to your authorized Mitsubishi Motors dealer.