Rip off car keys!!!!!!!

[gasmansteve]

So I try the key in me Vivaro van this morning and red light flashing on the dash but no ignition. Called AA out who said the key seems faulty and maybe the chip is knackered. So after playing with the key he managed to get it to work and I limped into the Vauxhall dealer and they said yes the chip was faulty and key needs replacing sir and that will be £268 + vat thank you very much WHAT?? @@*&£!! £300+ for a van key ?? surely someone is seriously taking the pi$$?. Think I`m in the wrong job :shock: :shock: Glad I`m not paying.
Steve

 

[Steve Maskery]

Mine has just packed up, too. It will unlock but not lock. Fortunately I have a spare, but I dread to think what it will cost if I get it replaced
S

 

[MickCheese]

They can be obtained from a non Vauxhall locksmith just do a search on Google. I did that for my daughters Ford KA and saved a fortune.

Did need the master red key though.

Mick

 

[Dibs-h]

Mine has just packed up, too. It will unlock but not lock. Fortunately I have a spare, but I dread to think what it will cost if I get it replaced
S

http://www.rapidlocksmith.com/vauxhall_ ... t_119.html

might be of some help. Not the usual pull you pants off and have a grope (dealers) - but at least you'll get to keep your pants. :lol: :lol:

Dibs

 

[powertools]

I think that it is the recoding of the new key that costs the money. If you still have the master key that came with the van it should be no problem.

 

[gasmansteve]

I think that it is the recoding of the new key that costs the money. If you still have the master key that came with the van it should be no problem.

I still have all the relevant codes for programming the key in the manual but still same price, god only knows how that price can be justified.??
Steve

 

[gwaithcoed]

I've just bought a Ford Cmax. It came with one remote and one normal key. Problem was when using the normal key you had to unlock the door and get the key in the ignition and turned on in 20 seconds or else the alarm went off.
Went back to the garage and asked if I could purchse a second remote key. I could but it would cost about £70 and they would want the car for a day to programme it. Fine I said let me know when the key comes in.
After a day or two got a call to bring the car in at my convenience and a courtesy car would be waiting for me. I took it in and after about 4 hours got a call to say it was ready.
They took me to the car to show me that all was Ok. I then asked "How much" and he replied "No charge Sir glad to be of service". My car was not a new one but 3 years old.

Alan.

 

[Digit]

The key barrel packed up on my Fiat.
'No problem sir, £125 plus....' I left.
Visted the breaker's and came away with a barrel and key.
'Won't work,' I was told on a forum, my son took the chip out of the old key, removed same from new key and installed old chip!
Bingo!

Roy.

 

[Dusty]

I bought my van with just one key , It is a vivaro too ... I just went in and got a copy , it cost me £128 inc vat , that was programming and all that techy stuff , they had the van for about 2 hours . That was getting renault to do it , not vauxhaul as they wanted my yearly income for one key !!

Kind regards Sam

 

[Dibs-h]

For a lot of cars - you can programme a new key\fob to the car as long as you have one working fob\key. The VW\Audi\Skoda range it works like that and similar for BMW's (for these it's door open, window down, i.e. a weird sequence.)

Dibs

 

[mailee]

Isn't technology wonderful. :roll:

 

[Mark A]

Isn't technology wonderful. :roll:

It's going to fast even for me!

 

[studders]

As Dibs said you can programme a new key if you have an already programmed one. The cost to the programmer used to be in the region of £35 , don't know what it is now though.

 

[devonwoody]

My car a Mazda has a special barrel to unlock the wheel nuts, bl oody useless really, I have to carry it in the car all the time incase I have a puncture, so every criminal must know this otherwise how could the wheel ever be taken off.

Of course a replacement is very expensive.

 

[Boatfixer]

I see the OP is in N Yorkshire - Newcastle Lock and Safe on the West Road, Newcastle set up coded keys for about £60 for most cars and vans if he ever gets up this way.
My Mazda also had one of those barrel keys until it sheared trying to get a wheel off.... It doesn't now after seeing the garage just hammer an old socket on to remove the wheel anyway in a matter of minutes

 

[gasmansteve]

Thanks for all the replies guys and if the van was my own I would happily take it to the places you suggest. I mentioned it to my boss but he said as the van is on lease we have to do what the lease company say and go with Vauxhall, I guess as they are paying fair enough but still seems a scandalous waste of money to me. :?
Steve

 

[Benchwayze]

Same story with my Volvo remote locking fob.

It's gone and died. Whilst not quite three figures, it is going to cost over £80.00 to have a new one registered to my car. The fob is about a tenner, but the car has to go into the shop to have it all fixed and fitted. So I am into labour charges.

Hence, I now use the key for it's intended use; opening and locking the doors. It just means if it's pineappling down, I can't lock the car from inside my front-porch! :roll: Big deal! :lol:

Mind you, when I bought the car there were four used fobs on the ring, so i should have expected it really! :mrgreen:

John

 

[bugbear]

For a lot of cars - you can programme a new key\fob to the car as long as you have one working fob\key. The VW\Audi\Skoda range it works like that and similar for BMW's (for these it's door open, window down, i.e. a weird sequence.)

Dibs

There a section (a section, not a page!) in my Ford manual about the various permutations of what you can do with the various keys.

BugBear

 

[Benchwayze]

My car is 13 years old! The key doesn't have a built-in remote. There is just a fob attached to the key-ring. So I doubt that would work. But thanks anyway BB.
regards
John