Hello s2ki community!

I don't know about you guys, but I really dislike the look of the original s2000 key and remote FOB. They were designed in the 90s (30 years ago! Can you believe it?!?) and most of the original keys and remotes that came with the s2000 are probably pretty worn out and beat up at the time of me writing this DIY guide.




The s2000 featured one of the "cutting-edge" technologies of a PUSH START button, except that it required the driver to insert and turn the key, so unless you pay for a smart start system, theres no way around that. That being said, this guide is for those enthusiasts that are interested in enhancing the look of their old key and remote FOB into a more modern looking design.

Things Needed:
- Red Badge Emblem for Remote
- Flip Key Honda FOB
- Small Phillips head screwdriver
- A dremel or something to cut the black rubber of the key with (I used sharp pliers)
- Patience

Total Time: 30-60minutes

This is what the Flip Key Honda FOB looks like:




Step 1: The first step is to completely remove the hard, black rubber around the key. This is so that you can remove the transponder inside the key. For those of you that do not know, many automobile manufacturers embedded a transponder inside their keys as a means to prevent theft. I would suggest that you go duplicate your OEM key so that you don't accidentally mess it up during the process and get left with a useless key. I duplicated my key at Home Depot for about $40. While you are duplicating your OEM key, also ask the key guy at Home Depot to carve the key that is attached to the empty Flip Key Honda FOB that you purchased. The guy at my local Home Depot carved the key attached to my FOB for free.

Before:


After (the black piece in the center is the transponder):




Step 2: Next, open up your original remote FOB and remove the actual circuitboard inside the key. The battery isn't glued or attached to the circuitboard and is held in place by the plastic housing of the FOB, so it should fall out accordingly.





Step 3: Disassemble your brand new, empty Flip Key Honda FOB that you just purchased by removing 3 tiny Philips head screws in the back.

Screwdriver I used:


The disassembled Flip Key FOB:




Step 4: Place the contents of the original key fob into the new flip key FOB. It's pretty much plug and play.





Step 5: Place the transponder from the original key into the designated slot in the new flip key FOB. I have circled the area in white. I suggest that you use some adhesive or tape to hold it in place so that it does not shake and fall out of place.





Step 6: Finally, place the Flip Key Honda FOB assembly back together by using the same Philips head screwdriver and tightening the three screws that you removed earlier. This is relatively easy to do, but be patient. You will need to mess around with the spring so that the key actually flips open when you click the button.





Step 7: Get the red Honda key badge that you ordered from eBay and place it over the empty square space in the back.

The red badge:


The remote FOB with the red badge on it:




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And VOILA!!! That's all there is to it!

Here is your new, modern looking flip-key FOB with a red badge!


Feel free to leave your comments on any tips or advice that you may have! I personally like the look of this key FOB, especially with the red badge since it matches the red badges on my Berlina Black AP1.

 

Love the key Fob idea but I must have missed it where/when did you get the blank fob cut to match the s2k original key? Good work though this is cool.

 

Thanks! The step for cutting the key fob is in step 1.

 

just curious, but what year is your s2k? I know that for 04-08 acura TL's, the '06-'08 could have flip keys but the 04-05 couldn't

 

So, if you have an aftermarket ECU, you really don't need the transponder. It seems that all that you must do is to reuse the paired FOB circuit or pair a new circuit for remote opening.

 

Looks like this may only be applicable to '99-'03 - my '05 has a laser cut key. Nonetheless, I'll try to see if HD or a locksmith can at least do a laser cut with a slightly different fob...

 

Anyone know if this will work for 06+ cars? Great stuff!

 

I am using this on my 05 key that requires a lasercut key. I took apart my spare key and remove the transponder. I removed the older style key from the flip key pivot holder and put my key in its place. A bit of Dremel to get in place, however the key was too short and it would not turn in the ignition, I had to graph an extension on the key to get it to work. I am happy that it does work but me graphing in an extension made it look a bit rough so I am waiting for a longer blank key that I can have laser cut to use instead.

 

Great DIY and will definitely be doing this mod. A one-piece key is one of the modern amenities that seems to be a must for me. Saves room and clutter in the pants pockets.

 

Here is the one for the laser cut blade 2004-2005. Just have to bring your key and this one and have it cut at any good hardware store like Ace hardware. They did it for 25 bucks down here in South Florida. (Might work for 2006-2009 not sure)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/271554486460