I Bought a $500 Chinese Car Key Cutting Machine on Facebook Marketplace 

Before I made my own keys I would Play Mech Arena in the dealer waiting lounge. Install Mech Arena for FREE here on Mobile and PC ✅ clik.cc/RDK4A and get a special starter pack to help kickstart your game!

Dude I need like 10 keys made. Might be cheaper for me to fly you in to Chicago, put you in an $8 a night motel on the Southside and have you make me keys for a day. Let me know how that sounds.

The Lock Picking Lawyer revealing his identity finally…😏

The probe and cutting bit need to be calibrated. Poke around in the settings menu and see if there is an option to calibrate or zero the probe to the bit. An adjustment might be in one of the holders of the probe or the cutting bit.

I am posting this about halfway through the video. It seems that the machine needs to be calibrated. The fact that all of the keys are off by the same amount tells me this. What's great is that due to the way they were cut, you can reuse almost all of the badly cut keys. All except the one which the cut is in the center of the key. Pay attention to the binning and notice that it cuts them according to how it how they are displayed. I'm pretty sure that it is an extremely easy fix.

I love how Sam had a lockpickinglawyer moment

Looking forward to part 2 when you try the machine again after re-calibrating. It is significant that the same problem arose when cutting from settings rather than a master - must be the mill that is set too far from any blank.

As a manufacturing maintenance manager and former technician. You probably need to baseline the equipment because it is out of calibration. You do that by writing down the distance it should cut to and the actual cut and then input the reference offset into the reference screen…..older machines not ran by servo or stepper drives have mechanical offset usually a set screw or shoulder bolt on the home reference sensor.

Professional automotive locksmith here: Calibrate the key machine.🙈😂 The escalade did NOT require that programmer, if there is 1 set...turn door key 6 times, screen will pop up "ready for key #.." (Discontinued 2016+) Picking the lock is one thing...originating a NEW key to work properly is another.

Make sure the endmill (cutter) is new and the right size. Your cutting steel without coolant. There will be wear rather quick on the cutter.

#1 make sure that the machine is calibrated. #2 make sure that the cuts the machine is displaying on the screen match your key before cutting. None of the cuts were correct. #3 make sure you are on wifi and also check if the machine needs an app to update.

machine needs calibration -- I'll give you $200 for it

You gotta adjust the cutting axis depth or use a larger bit. Looks like it’s a setup issue, not an electronics problem.

In my experience when a CNC is acting like that it’s because the 0 point is not set properly. See if you can recalibrate the coordinate system for the cutter. Also like other ppl said- get a new bit. Smaller bit size than what it is calibrated for would cause that issue too

As many have pointed out already the machine needs calibration done first before you cut. I have used similar machines before and they come with a blank specifically for calibration. Also it does look like on the Ram key at least like the cuts are in the right spots just not deep enough. This could be caused by the pit end mill not being the right size or type. Also most keys are identical on both sides so it only needs to measure one side and just cut it the same on both.

I am not familiar with that machine, but I have cut many keys manually and this machine is not even cutting them close. I like the idea of buying a newer cutter like this that will do newer models. Now you know what to ask for you next purchase. (Must do whatever newer vehicles you might own) Sam, I am shocked you gave up on cutting your own. It must be doable! We always learn from you not being scared to try something new.

Lost my second keyfob for an AUDI TT last week, here in brazil I got quote almost 1.5k for a replacement fob, ordered it from europe directly (from another dealer) for $500, still its a month+ wait. Great video.

It only scans one side of the key because both sides on that style key are identical. That's why you can insert the key into the lock either way and it will work.

Sam is the chicken farmer version of The Lock Picking Lawyer.

i think your best bet is the manual key cutting machine. they will just take the codes or do a copy if you have the original. You will find the original keys get very warn and the ignition also gets warn with the key. Sometimes attempting to make a new key with the original code will not work due to the wear.

Sam, thank you so much for this. I am definetly going to invest in tools like these.

9:31, you need to be using that "calibrate" button, or something like it, on the left side of the tablet screen. You have an offset issue on the cutting tool. The machine is behaving as if it thinks the cutting tool is larger than it actually is physically. Somewhere there should be an option to set the cutting tool diameter. Set the tool diameter smaller by 1/2 the amount that the key is oversize. Alternatively it could be an issue where the machine thinks the measuring probe is larger than it actually is. It's quite possible the probe and the cutter are supposed to be the same diameter, but you can see that your probe is smaller than the cutting tool. Perhaps someone replaced the probe or cutter with one of a different size, or the probe diameter is set incorrectly in the machine settings. Hopefully it's possible to change them., Or with marginal Chinese manufacturing, they simply supplied it with the wrong size tool or probe. If it's any of the above issues, it's a very easy fix once you find the way to adjust the setting.

Great stuff. Anything that helps car owners save time and avoid huge costs has got to be good.

Protip: if you buy a replacement key with a keypad and the plastic has a rough textured feel to it, take it apart and wet sand the plastic with a high grit sand paper like 2000. Makes a huge difference to how it feels. I’ve also bought cheap keyless entry kits before that have cheap plastic feeling remotes. I smooth them then add some weight inside. A nickle or some other coin works really well.

Topdon is sweet. I got a scanner with your code and it worked a treat on my Camaro and my wife's Infiniti.

Sam is the Lock Picking Lawyer! 😮 Face reveal!

I finally stole my first car today, this video really gave me that confidence. Thanks Sam, keep up the good work

Don't give up on the Chinese key cutter, it just needs to be calibrated. And maybe a new cutter bit.

When I was a parts guy at Dodge Chrysler I could just look at the key and tell you the key code. You had 7 notches along the key and each notch could be 1-4 deep. We punched out the keys by hand though, no machines.

Cool. Now finish other projects first. 😂

Ypu forgot about an important part of the "set it and forget it", the setting it. It likely requires setting up, it could also be damaged, but I would say it is more likely either the wrong size cutter, or it needs to be calibrated.

For ford you might be prompted for a security code, which is the door pass code on the pillar, if the card is not in the glove box with the owners manual, you can also find the security code on the backside of the fuse box inside the cabin.

The machine is out of origin as others stated. A work around for this is to run your blank twice but flip it over. On the very first key cut in the video, you can clearly see the centering of the cut is off.

I would think the cutting die is worn and needs replaced. But that was a informative video..thanks Sam

Apart from what's been mentioned by other replies I would add . use the right diameter cutter for specific applications. Also a sharp /new cutter would improve things a lot. Great and informative video Sam😊

Absolutely love this type of video. Please do more. 👍

Many years ago I had a key replication done on my father's BMW M5, was supposed to be only a dealership ability, it worked perfectly, meant I could borrow the M5 whenever I wanted to, damn that car was quick, Rj in Oz

Sam does his Lockpicking Lawyer impression flawlessly

im a locksmith and I own that exact key cutter it works flawlessly. you just gotta know how to use it correctly. you gotta search the key blank name and place it correctly. I've had it for 3 years no problems.

You should have brought a key blank for whatever vehicle you drove to pick up key machine with and had the seller demo the key cutter and try the newly cut key right there before purchasing.

That towing of that red car was really satisfying, I once went to the mall on Black Friday and a lady driving a brand new Mini Cooper decided it was fine to cut me off and take my parking spot, mind you I was already signaling and waiting for the spot, this lady blew in and walked away. I had a present for her tho, I had a box of nails and screws from my job, and the rest is history lol.

The best key cutters are the manual ones. I have a pantograph one that has a little mill like yours on a sprung arm that holds it up, so you just pull gently down on it and follow around the original around with a feeler, and the mill follows exactly the same path. You can do those key blades with it as well as long as you set it up with the end mill set to the same depth as the feeler. Only thing to consider is that if the feeler and end mill are exactly the same size, duplicating an old key will duplicate the wear as well.

For the key cutting you're better off going to a key cutter with a pantograph(old fashioned) machine which will repeat the profile of your existing key. It's programing the fob which is the (usually) expensive part.

yup, +1 for the get new bit and check your zero calibration for that cutter. its wayyyy off. there's a like, $15 calibration block of a piece of aluminum thats a specific size, and you run some mode in the tablet and it should in theory fix it. kukai-cblock-part the machine is the kukai sec-e9 (in theory). with that and a new cutter, it should be squared away. bonus points if you already have the block and didn't realize it.

I have an 05 Durango Limited with the full security system and I broke the chip part of the only key I had. The dealer wanted it towed in to make a new key. A mobile locksmith used that same tool to read the code from the lock cylinder to double check my key was right, then used his key cutting machine in the van, and "lost all keys" to make a new one. Worked great, but cost $300... Still cheaper than getting a new Volvo key from the dealer lol.

Lock picking lawyer does a great job explaining how to use tools like this, sells them, and shows how locks with so called secure ratings are not so great. It's a great resource of knowledge.

A key at hondapartsnow costs 60$, it is a blank so id have to have it cut but pairing it to the car is super easy. Its kind of tempting to have oem keys instead of one that doesnt have the driver 1 or 2 tag on it, and maybe more than 8ft of range Also wtf were you playing that robot game with clint stevens

i wonder if the lockpicking lawyer has a fancy machine like this? i bet he would love it as a xmas gift.

Your best video for a long time. Yes more of the same please but include links for ALL featured items.

I bought an older completely manual key cutting machine off marketplace for like $50 and have used it to cut keys for my cars successfully. I love the idea of that computer controlled machine but it definitely needs some work to be useful.

I bought a key fob from Amazon, I don't have the tools to program a key but these fobs come without any electronics, so, if the only problem is the plastic/rubber parts are worn out, then you remove your key and electronics and simply put them into the new fob. It worked, I love it and I know the dealer would of charged me hundreds of dollars.

Jack Meyers has a video talking about the calibration setup of the key cutter. November of 2017. Probe tips need to be installed in the probe and cutter position then run the calibration. Probable best to watch his video.

Bless you Sam. We are so thankful here for you at Ark Autosales and all the wonderful information you provide. You continue to grow our thirst for knowledge. Have a happy thanksgiving and keep doing what you are doing!

I would think that the diameter of the endmill is set wrong in the machine or something.

Wonder if the end mill needs to be replaced. It only scans one side because both sides are identical, lock cylinder only has 1 set of pins, dual sided keys just allow you to put the key in either way. It should cut and scan at the same time like most others do. Normal keys you can buy cutters pretty cheap. The "laser" cut keys are where that would be highly valuable.

Hardware stores here (home depot and lowe's) will not cut blanks not purchased from them and my local lock smith charged $20 per key to cut and programming was extra $200. Your machine probably need a calibration.

If ever i get a key problem ,this video is really educational ,will save me cash , brilliant video ,thanks Sam .

They do need calibrating for cutting bit wear. Leaving the key too big does indicate cutting bit wear. Most of the machines only measure one side, because most keys are symmetrical.

When I cut keys (in a hardware store), it was very important to run them back and forth on the wire wheel. Not only for removing burs, but also for rounding the edges to make them the same as the originals.

I'm working in road side assistance, I use the Lishi Tools almost every day. They are Gold.

Topdon programmer 👍 Chinese cutting machine 💩

Regardless if it's a good key making machine or not, I think it has amazing potential as a desktop CNC machine. I'd buy one if it had an open source API.

I have an automated machine and they all need to be calibrated... specially after an end-mill change (which it looks like yours had had). You might quiz the manufacturer on how to do the calibration after a mill change.

2017 Yukon 80$ oem key fob the truck actually programs it if you have an original spare fob and 5$ to cut the key at ace hardware

I don't quite understand why you need this very expensive automatic key cutter, where I dupe my keys they use a manual tool that you just have to slide over your key while the new one gets cutted on the other end. BTW, we don't really need the key code for your Rover, you just gave us high quality pictures of the keyblades of all of your cars, we can even 3D print them...

I know on our gen 1 Volt I got a 3rd key cut at the dealer for $20, a key fob for $33, and programmed it in the driveway. My brother's used Cruze only came with 1 key. He did a complete key relearn that took 30 min to add the 2nd key in the driveway.

I wonder if the key cutter has options for the diameter of the cutting bit, or a calibration. I looks like it simply is off a tick or so, like if the software thought it had a 4mm cutter in it and it actually had a 3mm cutter, it would cut too shallow, which it looked like it was doing.

I've been a sub for a while now. I think that's awesome that you posted a locksport type video. I have a channel we're I've picked over 250 challenge locks from around the world. And I have to say it's a very satisfying sport.

If anyone can find a way to make things cheaper that is the Sam”s way.

So every other machine ive seen has different sized cutting bits. That would make sense you’re using the small cutting tool you probably need different sizes as well as they come with different sized probes.

I would check if the cutters diameter in your machine is the same as the actual cutter diameter. From past experiences setting up / operating a CNC, If CNC thinks the cutter is bigger than actual, less material will be removed. If cnc thinks cutter is thinner, more material would be removed. A couple of the keys have very little material removed. Hope this helps.

Ran across the opposite deal today. Guy's 2009 Caravan wouldn't shut off. It's one of those that just uses an electronic fob, no metal key for the ignition. I had to pull a relay to turn the engine off. Then magically the key worked again, he was able to turn off the ignition, then restart, then turn it off normally. From what I could gather on an internet search whatever electronics the fob communicates with probably needs to be cleaned, they didn't communicate for some reason. Or maybe the fob needs a battery.

That programmer is really tempting, I have 2 keys that need to be made and most of the other ones I've seen require a subscription.

Honestly get a normal key decoder like a handheld one, works every time, then enter that code into the machine and see if that works

This was a great video Sam. Ive spent $1200 getting a key replaced for a 2016 LR4 after being told only the dealer could program the fob without a key. May have to look into this if it happens again. Hard to stomach that cost for what is obviously 20min worth of work.

I would wrap the fob part of that key with painter’s tape before risking small conductive chips getting where they can cause damage.

Yeah with the machine I have, I just "decode" the key myself, each key "code" is just the depth of cut in each position, you can actually get an "analog" key decoder and just manually input the cut numbers yourself :) EDIT: well looks like you did do that near the end of the video lol.

your issue is that the cutter is worn and not the same diameter as the sensor probe. simply get a new cutting bit and run any calibration if its an option

I like this direction towards the DIYers. This was a very informative video. There only so many broken cars you can fix on RU-vid to be original. Your style will always be special tough.

Home depot cut a ford focus key for me for free. Couldn't charge me because I didn't purchase the key blank from them.

You should look into this type of key cutter it more manual yet it works ILCO FLASH 008 PORTABLE MANUAL KEY CUTTING MACHINE - DUPLICATE EDGE CUT KEY

Please do more videos like this, very helpful. I had to pay $800 to have my Lexus key fobs made and it is highway robbery. Anything we can do to break the strangle hold the dealers have on us fixing cars, the better.

You could be getting tool deflection. Re run the key twice , don't out the 1 ford key back in. Just start with a new one. Then run the tracing /cutting program process twice without removing the key. If that cutter is dull , it will deflect. Also you may have to re home the probe so it knows its XYZ position.

I'm celebrating a $30k stock portfolio today. I started this journey with 4k. have invested on time and also with the right tearn now I have time for my family and the life ahead of me

I bought an Xtool D8 Scan tool and it is also supposed to be able to program keys...I think there's a function to wipe out all the previous keys in case someone were to try to come back and try to steal a car you bought from them using an old fob.

I was a locksmith for a while, we actually did key programing for $200 a car plus the price of the keys if we bought them. the reason we had a $200 price point is because a lot of the companies like Ford, GM and many exports made us pay $100 to get a code to use their software to program a vehicle every time. each vehicle was $100.

Good info Sam. Just ordered one of those TopDon key fob programmers. That’s going to come in handy I buy a lot of vehicles auction places with no keys. That’s going to save me a ton of money

A very interesting video. I certainly wasn't aware that so many manufacturers have remotes that are so similar in construction to each other.

My tninja 1000 works perfectly no issues other than when I tried to program the challenger keys with dead batteries

Sam possibly try a new key cutting but as they wear down over time and won’t cut to the point they are meant to

You have to do a calibration on the tool to insure it measures correctly

Dealers reprogram the ecu to take the new key which has a unique id in them. The device you showcased copies the unique id and clones it therefore it is no longer a save key.

Looks like a cutting bit calibration or alignment problem. The probe establishes the X and Y positions. Don't give up on it yet Sam.

I know that on GM cars with push button start, you can program a new key yourself without going to the dealer as long as you have one working key. It involves putting your working fob in the transmitter slot, then turning the mechanical key in the driver's door to the unlock position three times in rapid succession. You'll get a "ready for remote 3" in the instrument cluster. You then just put the new key in the transmitter slot and press and hold the start button.

*Sam, please do continue reviewing tools and trinkets relating to DIY projects.* *Also, perhaps an occasional cameo with your "Step-Mom" would be appreciated* 😉 *Keep them vlogs coming, as I look forward to viewing your next.* *For those not subscribed to this Channel, try it for a week to discover what you may learn and be entertained at the same time.* *Just my 2¢ worth*

That’s a good video. Keep going with special tools videos Sam

Another plus for calibrating the machine. Other thing is you are reading some worn keys in hopes of duplicating them.

Sam keep up the great 😊 videos you make for the people 😊.

Check for slop in the measuring and cutting mechanism of that Key Cutting Machine.

I'm all set on keys at the moment, but I would love to get the thing that unlocked your door incase someone is totally 🔒 locked out. Very intrigued about that & why don't more tow companies offer this service? I would hate to screw up on vacation.