I just bought a 2008 Mazda 3i Touring sedan...love it!! Anyway, I really wanted a retractable key but got a regular key instead. I asked the salesman if I could get the r.k. and he had this blank look on his face. So I was wondering if I am able to get the retractable key for my car.

 

you mean a flip key??
and do you already have a key fob for your car?
(the button pad with lock/unlock/panic)

if so, then hells yea!
a bunch of guys on the other forum i frequent have done it.

 

oh, and there is no such thing as a dumb question

 

Yea I have the lock/unlock pad but wanted the flip key cause it looks cooler, vain i know do you know where i can get one and how much will i drop for it? and thanks for not making feel dumb lol

 

anywhere between $80 and $140ish.
i think your only bet would be the dealer.
also, the flip keys have a button for a trunk release, which you'll never use, because our cars dont have remote trunk release mechanisms.

and i'd kill for a flip key, excepti dont have power locks, so it would be kinda pointless. altho it would give me something to play with when im bored lol

here is wat is looks like, but this one is just detached from the remote... http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...9/IMG_0492.jpg

 

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forums. Unfortunately the keyless entry unit in the US 3 was changed in 2007 and to date we've not been able to find a flip remote that will program to the 3's computer. The key would program just fine, but the remote fob wouldn't. The KEU change also managed to make the regular key fobs almost twice as expensive. We thought for a while that if you replaced the KEU with that of a Canadian 3 that you could use the Canadian flip key but that ended up not working. Rest assured though that once we figure out a workable option I'll be posting it to all the forums.

Oh and while you're thinking about it get a spare key. You can program in up to as many as 8 keys, and you can input them yourself as long as you have two working keys. If you lose one of your two keys then the dealer will have to program them in for you and they will of course charge you money. So spend $18 now and then if you lose a key you can just spend another $18 and get another spare instead of $18 for the key and $50+ for programming.

 

^
So the guys with 06's and up can get their trip computer to work but no flip key. But us 05ers and down can get a flip key but no trip computer.Evens out somewhat. Where would i be able to purchase a flip key for my 05? i asked a dealer about getting a flip key for my 3, and he said it was only available on the 6 and cx-7 (cx-9 was not out at the time.)

 

'04-'06 owners can program a flip key, '06+ owners can activate the DIS........ really it seems like the '06 guys are getting the best of both worlds. <sigh> The KEU change was in '07.

To order a key go to www.onlinemazdaparts.com. Jason used to have them as a single catalog item (with both p/n's included) but the last I checked the link was broken. In any case you can e-mail Jason at mazdapart@gmail.com with questions or to order things. I usually actually just e-mail him when I need something and don't even bother with the website. :P Tell him I sent you and he'll take care of you. Actually he'll take care of you anyway but that way I get brownie points. :P

The parts you need are :
-Flip-style key blank w/ chip ('04-'08): Part number G2YA762GXA MSRP-$47.45, Website-$37.96
-Flip-style remote fob ('04-'06): Part number GP7A675RY MSPR-$46.35, Website-$37.08

Those are Jason's prices, and I believe they include shipping. If you give him your VIN (and your info. matches that in the Mazda database) then he'll precut the key blade for you. If not then your dealer should cut it for free.... mine did. Programming is easy and you can do it yourself (as long as you have two working keys). Look HERE for links to walkthroughs on programming both the key and the remote.

Actually I recommend all owners get a spare regular transponder key (~$18). If you have two keys you can program in a spare yourself, however if you lose one of your two keys then the dealer has to plug into the computer and do it and that costs $$.