802Projects
| Purchase a Key Cover | Background | My Solution | Installation Instructions | FAQ |
When Subaru released the 2004 STI in the US, it came with a very cool Titanium key. The Titanium portion was stamped with the STI logo and at the base of the key was a blue plastic piece. I always wanted one, but my motor swap is from a 2006 WRX. In 2005 Subaru started using their Immobilizer system. There is an Immobilizer control box under the dash, an antenna on the key ring, and a special chipped key (see boring looking key on right) that all works in conjunction with the ECU. Meaning it is not enough to have a key cut for your car, it must have the digital thumbprint inside it that matches everything. If it doesn't, the car will start and immediately shut off.
Some people would find a way to use the 2004 key. They would get it cut and then zip tie the chipped key behind the plastic steering column cover. Doing this negates the purpose of the security feature. I also wonder if it could leave the car in a "wake up state" (potentially increasing battery drain) because the key is in range of the ignition at all times. Another thing people would experiment with is cutting the chip out of the OEM key and gluing it inside the key fob. This seemed to have mixed results because depending on the ring used on the key, the fob could swing in and out of range. I wasn't happy with either of these options.
If you are not keen on reading, I have a few videos that outline my solution. The first is a 1 minute short if you don't have a lot of time. The second is my original video which goes into it in more detail. Now that I've revised my prints to use a Resin printer instead of a ABS filament, I now have a 3rd video explaining the differences.
My original idea was to carefully remove the blue plastic on the 04 Titanium key. Once removed I could mill out some metal material behind it, slide the chip in, and add the plastic back. I soon realized that this is IMPOSSIBLE. The blue plastic cannot be removed without ruining it. After learning this the hard way, I decided my only option was to develop my own plastic piece. I opted to design one that could house the entire immobilizer chip without any milling needed. I spent a few weeks developing it and tested 25 iterations before I was happy with it.
Here you can see the chip slid inside the key. It's a 4D62 chip. The chip in this picture came from a $10 replica key I bought and cut open. I have now sourced the chips in bulk if anyone needs one.
My original covers (which I'm referring to as "V1 covers") were made with my filament printer out of ABS plastic. These would each take 35 minutes to print and the finish on them was not pretty. To get rid of the print lines, I had to hand sand each one and dip it in acetone. The acetone would soften/smooth the outer layer of plastic and leave it with a glossy finish when it dried/hardened back up. It was not a perfect process. Maybe 4 out of 10 I was happy with and could sell. The other 6 would have minor fitment/gap issues and I would trash them or toss them into packages as freebies.
Then I begain making covers out of Resin (which I'm referring to as "V2 covers"). Resin has it's own hurdles you have to overcome, but the end product can be more reliably reproduced. These have a 99% success rate. I can also print a batch of 18 of them in a little over an hour. When these are printed, washed and cured... they start out much smoother than the raw ABS prints. Despite this, I still hand sand them for an even smoother finish. Then I wet sand them lightly with a scotch-brite pad and coat them with satin clear coat.
Later on I revised the covers. I started adding a flex additive to the resin mixture to make them more durable. I'm referring to these as "V3 covers"). This is what the finished product looks like. The resin color that I am using is not an "off the shelf" color. I had to add my own resin dye to get the shade as close as possible. I also made some with black resin.
Edit: 07/24/2026 - I am out of finished covers right now and I have not done the best job of keeping up with emails. It is summer in Vermont. I'm swamped with real work, and I have a bunch of other car projects that need my attention right now. When I have free time... I'd rather be golfing than sanding these key covers. You can still contact me and I'll add you to a list. Currently it has 8 people on it. I may not contact you back right away, but I will. When we have some rainy days I'll sand/clear a small batch and slowly chew through it. I have 15 sti keys on order as of last night, and I have 5 blue covers sanded but not clear coated yet. My clear coat jig holds 8, so I like to wait until I have a full batch.
Also I'm no longer offering a key cutting service. It's just too much risk vs reward as I cannot test the keys after I cut them and if it doesn't work, it ends up costing me ~ $40 for a key and shipping send out a replacement. You will need to have them cut locally. I am still offering the chip copy service, but I'm making that only available to US customers right now. See FAQ more more details. Finally I'm bumping US shipping from $5 to $6 as that is more accurate. For anyone that has contacted me before July 9th, I'll still honor the $5 costs.
If you are interested in buying one, please CONFIRM FITMENT by checking the FAQ. Then you can CLICK HERE to email me. Sometimes I get behind on orders, so if that happens I'll add you to a list and contact you when they are ready. I don't accept payment until they are ready to ship. I can take Paypal or Venmo. Please make sure your address in Paypal is correct. If you need it shipped somewhere other than your confirmed Paypal address, you will need to add a message in Paypal with the correct address.
I created this video that goes over the installation. I highly recommend watching it, but I'll list out the instructions as well.
I will not be releasing the design (.STL) file. I had shared my cabin filter file to the community and now realize that was a mistake. I didn't mind if someone printed one for themselves or their friends. But other people (including a big corporation) began selling them on eBay. On top of that, I had people contacting me with install questions about a bracket I never sold them.
I have spent countless hours perfecting this. I went through 30 versions of design changes when I was printing them in ABS, and then another 17 when switching to resin to get it to fit as perfect as possible. I purchased expensive blue resin from all the major vendors to try and find the perfect color. Even then I was not happy and did trial/error with different resin dye. I bought the chips, bought the programmer, disected the titanium key, did the work... If I could have instead spent $25 to get one of my covers, I would have done that. Yet I still get people who ask me to send them the design file and get mad when I take the time to respond to something that is the FIRST question of the FAQ. It drives me nuts when I hear "I'll just make one myself". Anyways the answer is NO, absolutely Not.
It's tough to build out an exact list of makes/models the key works with as I am finding conflicting information online... But here is my attempt at it for USDM cars. If your car is not on this list, it's possible it could still work. Please keep reading and I'll go into more details on how to check.
There are two things we need to consider when it comes to fitment. Does the key physically fit in the ignition? And what kind of chip does my car need?
Physical Fitment: If you have an 05-07 STI/WRX it definitely fits. I know it works in many Foresters as well, including the 2008 Forester. Likely other year Subarus too. Basically look at the blade of your key and compare it to the titanium sti key carefully. If it looks the same, it should physically fit in your ignition. If you have the newer style lasercut key (see pic below); it will not work. The blade is different.
Other newer subarus also have an edge cut key with a groove in the same spot. At first glance looks the same as the Titanium key. However if you look closer, they are different. Check out the two keys in this picture on the left and focus on the area where the pencil is pointing. See how on the non Titanium Subaru key it is recessed? Now look at the middle picture. See how on the the slots cut into the key are at a 90 degree angle whereas the Titanium key they are slanted. Then look at my crude MS Paint mockup on the right. The orange area is where the cutouts are. The older subarus are cut half way through on one edge per side. The newer subaru keys are cut 25% of the way through on both edges for all sides. So these keys are not the same.
Chip Compatibility:Does my car have a 4D62 Chip inside it? If you have a 2005 to 2011 Subaru; it should. Even some of the laser cut keys still used a 4D62 chip. Then it gets complicated. Subaru switched to a 4D82 chip sometimes referred to as a G chip. Then around 2017 they switched again to an 8A chip. The physical dimensions of the 4D62, 4D82 and 8A chips are the same. The technology inside them is different. The 4D62 chip uses a 40-bit key. The 4D82 chip uses an 80-bit key and the 8A chip uses a 128-bit key. My programmer is not advanced enough (and expensive enough) to copy 4D82 and 8A chips. I think the only programmers that can cost around $1000 and they also require plugging into your cards ODBII port. Obviously this is why I can't offer any kind of 4D82 or 8A chip copy service. If you have a newer Subaru and the Titanium key physically fits your car, you'll have to steal the chip from one of your keys (unsure if/how they can be removed) or talk to your local locksmith.
I use the JMD KING blue chip from odbshop: MORE INFO This chip comes from overseas and from my research it is quite common. It's used by a lot of aftermarket remote start installers. It is compatible with the Handy Baby 3 programmer, but may not be compatible with all programmers out there. I test that I can communicate with every blank chip before I send them out. If you plan on having a local locksmith copy it for you; you may want to check with them first to see if it will work. Your locksmith may want to use their own brand and refuse to use your chip. Check with them to see what it will cost. One person said their locksmith charged them $40 for a chip. It may be more affordable to send me your key. I buy the JMD KING blue chips in bulk and they cost me around $3.xx each. I don't think you can find anything else for cheaper. If you take a chance on the chips and your locksmith cannot copy them, I'll refund the $4 cost if you mail them back to me (scotch tape them to a piece of paper, tri-fold it up and stuff it in an envelope). You'd only be out the cost of a return stamp/envelope.
Also to help others, I would like to compile a list of which programmers are compatible. When your locksmith tries to flash them, ask what programmer they use and report back and I'll add it here.
I had the Subaru OEM Service Tool and XToolD7 listed as not compatible. But maybe they are. I need someone to test them again. When I receive these chips I read each one to test that I can communicate with them using my HB3 programmer. So far, no bad chips. And my HB3 programmer always is able to copy to them. However someone mentioned that I sold them a 4D63 chip and not a 4D62 chip. I thought that was a strange statement. So I read some of my blank chips and they were right. They say "Ford/Lincoln/Mercury DST40 4D63" on my HB3 programmer. After I copy a Subaru key to them, they say "Subaru/Suzuki DST40 4D62". I think these JDM King chips I use are unniversal and are meant to wear different hats based on what programs them. Maybe the Subaru OEM Service Tool and XTool D7 programmers can't program a JMD King blue chip that thinks it is a 4D63 chip. But if I were to program them to a random Subaru Key using my HB3 first so that they reflect as "Subaru/Suzukie DST40 4D62"... Would they? I'm going to start doing that from now on. Hopefully they can.
I bought mine from SubaruPartsDirect (I believe they now go by SubaruPartsOnline) on eBay. I've also bought directly from the dealership. Knockoff keys do exist, and should be avoided. If you search on Amazon for "sti titanium key" you will see some made by Rldym or Gztoyu. This shows the difference between the OEM key and Rldym key. Notice the cylinder area is not even present on the knockoff key. The blade portion is also just a straight piece. It doesnt T out where it goes into the titanium handle. The hump area is also a slightly different shape and if you were to slide my cover on, it would show gaps. The difference in price between the OEM key and the Rldym key is around $6. Don't be cheap!
If you are already sending your oem key in to be programmed and want to include your already cut titanium key... I can cut the plastic off it and install everything for you. Just make sure it is a real key and not a knockoff. I can't identify if your key is real or fake until I damage the plastic on it.
I do ship overseas if you pay for it. I ship everything in a padded envelope USPS First Class mail. Just let me know where you are from and what you want, and I'll get you an exact quote. Just to give you some rough prices from past shipments... $17 to Canada, $17 to Singapore, $22 to Australia, $20 to Germany. Also I have to fill out a custom form when shipping and it will ask for quantity and value. Depending on your country, you may be subject to taxes. I have no control over this. In just about every package I ship, I also toss in a few defect ones or raw ones for fun. So if you buy 2 covers for $50 + 22 shipping to Australia and I toss in 3 extra defect covers... on your customs form I'll just say I'm shipping you 5 key covers at $10 each vs 2 at $25 each. Also keep in mind that international shipping can be slow. It may take 3-4 weeks for packages to show progress when tracking.
There are two reasons for this. Shipping prices have increased. Similar to how some programmers are not compatible with the chips I use, I have received keys in the past that I have not been able to copy. Most of them have been non-oem keys. In these situations I've re-imbursed buyers cost to ship the key to me and obviously refunded the chip copy service. With US keys sent to me that is only $5-6. With internation keys that could be $20+ and it is not worth the risk. On top of this, I recently did copy a key for someone. I shipped it back. 3-4 weeks later I received a Tariff bill saying I owed a percentage against the declared value on the package (the key) they sent to me. There was also a $10 tariff processing fee. Obviously I was not buying their key. It was simply sent to me to copy and return with the product I'm selling. There probably is some paperwork/process to get around the tariff, but none that I could easily find. I ended up just paying the fee to put it behind me. I don't want to deal with it anymore.
Everything gets shipped out in a 6x9 padded envelope. I get these in 30 packs for around $10. By default I ship USPS Ground Advantage in the US and USPS first class overseas. A package is typically 2-3 ounces. I live about 15 minutes from the post office (meaning its a 30 minute round trip for me), so I try to make as few of trips as possible. Usually this is 1-2 times per week, but there are exceptions. If someone sends me their only key to copy for them; I'll make a special trip to get it out as fast as possible.
Very carefully:) Keep in mind there is no way to remove it without destroying the plastic. Originally I would remove them with a fresh razor blade and many small/light cuts. This was time consuming and there was risk of cutting yourself or scratching the key. Recently I started using them with a dremel. I secure the key with a piece of fuel hose in a vice. Then I dremel away the cylinder area on the narrow edges of the key. Then I use my fingernail to catch the plastic wings and bend them down. Then I take a the dremel and cut one side of the folded wings and the plastic can just unwrap. Occasionally when you remove the oem cover, the key blade will be loose. You'll be able to slide it out of the titanium end. If this happens you can add a few drops of crazy glue and slide it back in.
Any locksmith can cut the key. Most hardware stores can as well and will likely be cheaper. My local Aubuchon Hardware has cut two keys for me for free. I would not mention anything about a "titanium" key. The only part that is titanium is the part you grip. The actual blade part they cut is normal metal. If you throw the word "titanium" around they may thing the part you cut is made of titanium and refuse to do it.
You can pull the chip from one of your OEM keys if you do not want to deal with copying the chip. Assuming you have an OEM key, if you look under your key you will see a little rectangular area. That is the edge of a tiny tray that holds the chip. If you use a small pick and heat gun, it is possible to slide it out without "destroying" the key. You may end up with a few pick prying marks. Thanks @blingstrom for the picture. If you have an aftermarket key where everything is moulded together, you can't remove the chip without destroying it. The chip is going to be towards the keyblade area, so whatever method you use (squeeze it in a vice, pliers, hacksaw etc...); Stay on the far end of the handle to avoid damaging the chip.
You could try your local locksmith or even Ace Hardware. They advertise online they sell chipped keys. Unsure if they can program them too. You could also try your Subaru Dealer. You could also buy the Handy Baby III programmer ($140), use it, and then resell it to someone else who needs it. Even if you lost $10-20 doing this, it's likely a locksmith would charge you more.
I will not be doing custom colors. However over time, I will likely buy different colors of resin for other projects. If I have a different color resin already in the VAT for something else, I may print a few key covers in that color and post them up as specials. Trying to offer every color under the sun is just not realistic. Resin is expensive and has a shelf life. They are paintable. So that is one option if you want to stand out.
While it is technically possible, this is not something I will be doing. Learn to appreciate the STI logo that is stamped on the titanium portion:)
There are a few reasons. I think the finished product looks better. Another big reason is for consistency. With the filament prints, I would have to hand sand and acetone dip each one. In a batch of 10, about 4 would end up being sellable. The other 6 would have minor fitment issues. They also took 35 minutes each to print. Meaning to print 10 would take about 6 hours. Then I would spend about an hour and a half sanding them all. After dipping and test fitting, I'd end up with ~4 good covers. With the resin printer I can print 18 of them in just over an hour. I still need to sand them, but in raw form they start off much smoother than the ABS filament prints. Plus every one I finish comes out successful.
There are some drawbacks to Resin that I had to overcome...
The covers are made of resin which is a hardened plastic epoxy. Technically they are not as durable as the original v1 ABS plastic covers I sold, but they do look and fit 10x better. Prior to adding any flex additive, the v2 covers still had a tiny amount of give to them. I had tested dropping the covers by themselves from above my head onto a cement floor and they were fine. However, over time I had several people contact me about their covers cracking after dropping their keys. I imagine the extra weight from the key (the titanium handle does have some heft to it) and it contacting the ground just right caused it to break. My key has held up fine going on 2 years now. However I am also careful with it. I don't have it on a keychain with 5 other keys clanking around. I would never chance tossing it to a friend.
When I made my cabin filter brackets I did an oven test to make sure they would hold up in a hot car. Resin prints do not have melting issues like ABS prints. I've tested scratching them with my fingernail (which is possible on raw prints, but doesn't leave any marks once clear coated). I've read that UV exposure can make UV prints more brittle over time which is why UV protection is needed. I have 3 raw prints that have been sitting in my bay window for nearly a year now that seem just as flexible. Since I clearcoat them and can't imagine people leave their keys directly in the sun 24/7; they should be fine. I also have a few in my freezer. I went through multiple prints to get the "tightness" perfect. Too loose and the covers could want to slide off. Too tight they could want to break when sliding them on. I'm able to take one directly from my freezer and slide it onto a room temperature key without any issues.
Now that I started adding a flex additive, the covers do have some give. I add 33% flex to them. The inside corners on the chip side of the cover I can almost squeeze completely together. I did a 12' drop test onto a cement floor in my garage. It took 35 times before one broke. With the v2 resin covers covers the highest count I got up to was 5 and that was kind of abnormal. Some broke on the first few drops. Are they indestructable? No... But they should hold up better. Here are some pictures of me squeezing them in both directions. This would not be possible without the flex.
There is no official warranty. That being said, let me know what happened and I'll try to help out the best I can. I've had several people reach out to me as they dropped their keys and it broke. If they had a v2 cover, I sent them a v3 cover at a steep discount. I may ask you to pay for shipping depending on where you are and what your original order was. It's one thing to for me to pay $5 out of pocket to ship in the US. It's another to pay $22 to ship to Australia when your original v2 order was for a single cover that I made $24 off of. Not counting the printing/packaging/supplies/clearcoating/communication... each finished cover I sell takes me about 15 minutes to hand sand. That is the part I hate most and why they take so long to reproduce. Even though the v3 covers are more durable, please be careful with them! I'm still using a v2 cover on my key.
The raw prints are more geared towards the DIY person. Maybe you don't mind hand sanding them yourself and using your own clearcoat to save some money. Or maybe you want to paint them or use a semi-gloss/gloss clearcoat vs satin. When I hand sand them I use 400 grit. I focus on just the flat surfaces first, ignoring the edges. There are 13 flat areas. Then I scuff up everything (including the edges) with a 3M yellow scotch brite pad. Then I rinse. I use two finish nails driven into a piece of wood to support them while spraying the clearcoat. Technically you can use them as-is in the raw form, but I recommend clear coating them. It will help prevent scratches and provide some UV protection. Here is a video that goes over the exact process I use.
With the new V3 flex covers, please refer to the installation video up above. Before the flex additive, I offered two different size covers (standard and oversized). The cylinder area on the majority of STI keys is 8.93mm (see left photo). Occasionally I would get some larger ones from Subaru with a cylinder area greater than 9mm (usually around 9.08-9.14mm). Before I started adding the flex additive, if you tried to slide a standard size cover onto an oversized key it would not work. If you tried to force it; the cover WOULD break. I required customers to measure their keys and order the right cover. With the v3 covers and flex additive, the covers should not break sliding them onto an oversized cover. However if they get tight and you cannot slide them on with one hand (put your thumb behind the key and 2 fingers around the neck of the key and squeeze), I recommend rolling up a small piece of sandpaper (any grit 100-400 would work) and twisting it inside the cover a few times until the snugness is just right. The installation video goes over this.
