Replacement keys? (not an exciting question, but important!)

[ghosts_cloak]

Hi guys :-)
I just bought a Focus MP3 (2003, 1.8 petrol, 3 door) and it only came with one key. Now, I get the impression from looking at the manual that I can only get a spare key by taking the car to a dealer, and that for security reasons I should have it "recoded". Can anyone shed any light on this please, where is best to go and.... how much is it going to cost *cringes*. Thanks a lot!
Gareth

[BigMansZetec]

I think you may have to go to Ford, because due to the immobiliser they will be the only ones that can program a key to work with your car.

If that is the case, it may be expensive, when I did a bit of work experience in an MG Rover dealership, I think they may have been quite a lot, maybe over £100 and beyind.

Correct me if I'm wrong (which is possible) but thats how I understand it.

[DJ_AS]

I think my Mondeo ('03 TDCi) cost me £130 or so for a spare from a main dealer. They did it 'while you wait' and took a couple of hours (though I bet only a few mins was spent on the car!).

I was considering getting a third cut cos - with the Ka at least - you could program keys yourself as long as you already had two working keys. The key itself isn't that expensive IIRC, its the programming you really pay for.

Don't forget to ring around for quotes - I spoke to a couple of main dealers and each offered a different price.

[ghosts_cloak]

Thanks guys,
I will ring around today and see what can be done :-) Yes, I read that if you have two keys you can program a third also, and you can buy them for < £50, so that is something worth doing I think. I will let you know how I get on!
Cheers,
Gareth