I'm basing my response on the BW post. I've pretty heavily researched the DAS system on the 97 R129 / W210 / W202

My point is real orders matter more than " I want to get something ( but when it comes down to it I won't pay the $ . ) " I've seen this with enough group buys where many say they want something but when it comes time to pay they don't.

If MB sees actual sales of keys decline, they are not going to risk making another batch that may never sell in significant numbers. If there are actual orders, MB will have more made since they can make $ on the sale.

In any event, can the clipped headed " pocket " key still be gotten? This does not have remote functions but will open and start the car. These were $ 45 in 2012 .

The IR portion of the key will work from car to car, pull the remote battery, wait, then put it back in. With the remote facing the car, click twice then insert key into ignition and turn on. The car now should recognize the remote.

Check E bay, you can get a reader ( $ 75 last I checked, I have one and it works ) that will pull data from the DAS box and program the RFID chip. ( PCF7931 or PCF7935 , about $ 3 - 5 last I checked ) The RFID chip is separate from the IR remote and does not need a working remote to start the car.

Lastly, the biggest killer of keys is a weak car battery that disrupts the read / write cycle when system voltage drops too low during cranking. These keys send a code to the DAS box, if the DAS box expects this specific code, the car is released to run. The DAS box then sends a new code to the key and updates it's internal table. Interrupt this cycle and you are out of sync with the code table.