Longtime lurker, 1st time poster here. I just got a ‘17 GLE 63S after having 3 different W211/212 and a GLE350. It only had one key. I got sticker shock from the local dealer for a replacement, $436 for key and $185 to program. Are there any alternatives at a more reasonable price?

 

I just took a quick look and I see your problem. It looks like it has to be done at a Mercedes dealer. What you can do is get a wallet key as a second key. This is cheaper then a regular key. I will after researching this keep track of my two keys. Let us know if you find any alternatives other then going to the dealer...

 

Yes it’s extortion and abuse as usual from MB dealers. I paid close to $400 three years ago in a medium size Midwest city. Prices vary so shop around.

 

No, but you could've bought a cheaper car.

 

I don't whine about the $1,100 price of a key plus $200 programming for my Aston Martin...

It's Mercedes with lots of technology... what do you think should be fair price?

 

Keyless go retails at $550 (when some dealers mark it up 30%) and really require in-car programming.
If regural key require in-car programming, that would be the 1st time I hear about it.
I did keys for W210, W211, W163 and they were ready to use straight from shipping box.
1st smart knob cost me $130, before the whole issue went highwire.

 

A fair price would be one reflective of the technology. Unless the technology argument should be used on cell phones and that perhaps the new ones based on "lots of technology should be more like $10,000 instead of $1000.

I still don't believe that buying luxury anything means or translates to "not smart enough to not buy it." All the do-it-yourself articles suggest, to the contrary, that money at some level does matter and saving some to do something else with matters too.

For example, the money I've saved on oil changes and a brake job, and skipping the A & B "check this and check that" for hundreds of dollars (just because), lets me spend that on gas to tow our travel trailer with.

 

For comparison, I just had root canal done.
Had 1 done years ago, with the old-fashioned x-rays, what made it 4 hr on the chair.
Today with instant and safe x-rays I was in and out of cabinet in less than 1 hr, so doctor spend 30 minutes with me.
The price was $1120. What that makes per hr?

 

Some technology gets cheaper because mass production... same effort to develop an iPhone but spread out over 10M units is different from 10,000 units...

who touches the remote and programs and checks it? Someone is paid to take the order, ship it, process it, program it, verify it works, etc.

The remote is designed, manufactured, stored, shipped, tested etc...

 

Few years back I was in touch with locksmith in Poland talking about W210 knobs..
If you deliver him your ignition switch (few minutes removal job on W210) and gave him any knob, who sold on ebay for about $20, for about $50 he would reprogram the knob to work with your ignition.
Multi key discounts apply.
Not sure if newer models have technology harder to copy.