You don't have to have your key "programmed" but you will need to know your VATS resistance number. There are 15 different values. You can take a digital volt meter and measure the resistance and look your number up on a chart for these. I ordered my new keys from ebay for $5 each and took them to my local hardware shop to have them cut. The guy there nearly fell over when I told him how much I paid for them. They're around $30 each at the dealer. My generics work perfect.