I have a 2004 Accord Sedan V6. I have 3 keys for it, and two of them were bending where the metal meets the plastic shell. The keys were still functional, but the plastic shell was breaking.

So I ordered 2 new plastic shells from Amazon and put the guts of the two broken keys into new plastic shells.

The two new keys open/close the doors just fine with the buttons on the key. You put the key into the ignition and turn it, the car cranks, but no ignition, with either of the keys!

The one old key still works fine, so I know it's not a problem with the car.

Is there some security feature on the plastic shell that I'm missing?

 

There's an RFID chip in there somewhere, that you have to transfer into the new plastic shell along with the circuit board with buttons for remote locking.

 

Yeah I already threw away the old shells... so at this point just go to an automotive locksmith and have him fix it I guess? Or is this RFID chip something that's inside the shell, and I can program it from the old working key to the new key by pressing some key combination on the remote?

 

I'm not sure if the new shells have the rfid chip in them. Your car's PCM needs to be programmed to accept the RFID number on the key to allow the car to start. A locksmith may be able to do this, or it could be a dealership only service. You would have to call the locksmith to find out.

 

It won't work if you haven't transferred the RFID chip into the new plastic shell. In other words, I bet the new plastic shell doesn't have a chip at all - you have to transfer your old chip into the new shell. Seems like the chip would have been noticeable when you transferred the remote-locking circuit board.

 

The chip is enclosed under a plastic lid by itself in the corner of the remote case; the lid needs to be pried or cut off to remove the chip. The circuit board module is separate.