A 2007 Renault Clio 2 in Nottingham with a key situation nobody wants: one key that started the car but didn't open it remotely, another remote that opened the car but didn't start it, and a third blade snapped. The customer called for an add-key to get a properly working set. Two visits later - one mobile, one drop-off - he left with two fully programmed keys and a repaired ignition barrel.
The call
Starting position was unusual enough to spell out. The customer had two existing keys, both only partially working: one would turn the ignition and start the car but wouldn't talk to the central locking; the other would open the doors remotely but wouldn't start the engine. A third blade had snapped. He'd been juggling two keys every time he got in and out of the car.
Job brief: mobile callout to add one new key, properly cut and programmed, so he'd have one fully working set rather than the running mismatch.
Our pre-job checklist flagged something else worth knowing before we set off. On the phone the customer mentioned that sometimes when he put the key in the ignition it didn't come back out - small detail, potentially a serious fault in the barrel. Jake loaded the van with new blanks, the NE72 Lishi, the Autel IM608, and a mental note to test the ignition once on site.
First visit - on site
Jake's first step on arrival is the same on every job: full diagnostic scan, clear any stored codes, see what comes back. Nothing interesting - scan was clean, no stored codes, immobiliser happy on paper.
Testing the ignition itself was where the real fault showed up. The barrel was seized at a specific point in the rotation, right where the wafer catches and the key won't pull out. Customer confirmed the back story: he'd lent the car to a friend, the friend had got a key stuck, yanked it out hard several times, and one of the wafers had been driven into a seized position. Nothing obvious from the outside, everything wrong from the inside.
Barrel replacement would be a longer, separate job - and the customer was going away the next day. First priority was getting him onto his trip with a working key. Barrel could wait.
Programming didn't cooperate on the first run. Jake plugged the Autel in, started the session, and found the tool couldn't access the immobiliser. Tried a couple of times - Autel sometimes plays up and comes good on a second attempt - but this time it wouldn't write. Switched to our ZedFull programmer, which went through on the first pass. Blade cut to the decoded NE72 bitting, new transponder written in, remote paired to the central locking.
Customer left for his trip with a working key.
Second visit - drop-off for the barrel
A week later he brought the Clio in to us. We had ordered a replacement ignition barrel in advance, but once the old one was out and stripped the fault turned out to be repairable - the seized wafer came out clean, the barrel came back together properly, and the replacement unit never had to go in.
While the ignition was apart we programmed the second of his two new keys. This time the Autel worked first time - no drama, new transponder into the approved list, remote paired, done.
Why we carry several programmers
The programmer side of this job is worth calling out. Autel IM608 PRO II is our primary across most makes. TrueCode handles some Ford and GM work where it has better coverage. ZedFull was the one that saved the session when Autel wouldn't write on this Clio. Between the van and the workshop we carry around half a dozen programmers in total - the specific coverage of each varies by manufacturer and model year.
The honest truth is cars have moods. The same tool will programme five of the same vehicle back-to-back and then balk on the sixth for no obvious reason. Diagnostics don't always tell you why the handshake didn't take. Having overlapping tool coverage means that when one tool won't do the job on the day, another usually will.
Outcome
Two fully working keys for the Clio, both programmed to the immobiliser, both paired to the central locking. A repaired ignition barrel that turns cleanly and lets the key back out. Customer on his way.
Clio, Kangoo, Megane, Modus, or any other older Renault with add-key trouble or an ignition that's starting to stick? We come to you - Nottingham and the East Midlands, mobile callout or drop-off. Year, model, and what the car is doing when you call, and we'll load the van with the right kit and the right tools for a Renault on the day.
Published: 20th April, 2026 | Updated: 22nd April, 2026