rustie Posted June 14, 2010 Posted June 14, 2010 Long story short. Son away on holiday. Left his car with me. It's an Astra and he only has one key. I thought i'd get him a spare, well actually he suggested it. So I innocently went looking..... Tried the local main dealer and a couple of key cutters and I'm f**ing astonished at the prices they charge. The cheapest fully functioning remote key I can find locally is £125. For a f***ing key! I know I'm getting old and bad tempered and wrinkly but that's daylight robbery. Or am I just older and grumpier than I thought........ Quote
windy Posted June 14, 2010 Posted June 14, 2010 Problem is the key transponder has to be married to the car's immobiliser system using tech2 or GDS which means you ideally have to take the car to the dealer, about 10 mins technician time + the cost of the key. If you can find a friendly vauxhall specialist who has the right tools you might get it cheaper. It is car theives that are to blame for this + dealers for their high labour rates & need to invest in the equipment for the car. Quote
MGF255 Posted June 15, 2010 Posted June 15, 2010 All modern cars have to have engine immobilisation built in (it`s not just vauxhall) , as windy says it`s programming the transponder at a dealer that pushes the cost up , some independent lock smiths have the equipment to "clone" the original key so you can have a working second key slightly cheaper but there`s not much in it price wise . Quote
groucher Posted June 15, 2010 Posted June 15, 2010 replacement vauxhall keys are available on ebay... But you will still need it programming to your car...could say you a few quid though. scott Quote
Kevin Wood Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 The key blades (on their own) aren't too expensive to purchase from a main dealer or you could get one cut from a blank, of course. If you're just worried about getting locked out, that's probably all you need. For a fully functioning key the key has to contain a transponder chip paired with the car which disables the immobiliser and also the fob transmitter needs to be paired with the alarm / central locking ECU. To get both of these done you need a Tech 2, as stated. You will also need a "car pass" which is a little credit card supplied with the vehicle which contains the PIN for accessing the security devices on the vehicle. If you don't have this a dealer can obtain one (at a cost). Beware of buying on Ebay. There are several different types of fob transmitter and you need to take care to buy exactly the same type as you already have for it to be compatible with your car. The "other" car enthusiast site I frequent Here operate a couple of Tech 2s dotted around the country and can provide these services at (or probably less than, TBH) the cost of operating the devices. Ironically, we're going to be camping not too far from you in Keswick this weekend so if you can get hold of a key and fob by then you'd be welcome to drop in... Kevin Quote
cliveboy8 Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Sorry but I cannot understand why people moan at the price of a replacement key for modern cars. People have said what a key does and why they are not cheap. Its a fact of life that security has had to be improved because of skummy people who cannot afford their own cars so they steal other peoples. I remember cars, particularly Fords in the '70s when your key would fit numerous others. If the OP's son only had one key when he bought the car I would want to know where the other one is. If it is still with the previous owner the car may mystriously disappear one night! Quote
pistonbroke Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Sorry but I cannot understand why people moan at the price of a replacement key for modern cars. People have said what a key does and why they are not cheap. Its a fact of life that security has had to be improved because of skummy people who cannot afford their own cars so they steal other peoples. I remember cars, particularly Fords in the '70s when your key would fit numerous others. If the OP's son only had one key when he bought the car I would want to know where the other one is. If it is still with the previous owner the car may mystriously disappear one night! Have these new fangled and expensive keys cut down car theft ? seems to me its "business as usual" for the T leaves and joy riders Quote
windy Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 I suspect burglaries are up because the only way of driving off in a car these days is to steal the keys from the house Quote
cliveboy8 Posted June 16, 2010 Posted June 16, 2010 Have these new fangled and expensive keys cut down car theft ? seems to me its "business as usual" for the T leaves and joy riders Probably not - and the reason....................... Police cars not fitted with missile launchers No death penalty for thieving robbing barstewards Quote
Kevin Wood Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Sorry but I cannot understand why people moan at the price of a replacement key for modern cars. People have said what a key does and why they are not cheap. Its a fact of life that security has had to be improved because of skummy people who cannot afford their own cars so they steal other peoples. True, but £50 of that cost is paying for a 10 minute diagnostic procedure. A pretty high hourly rate IMHO. If the OP's son only had one key when he bought the car I would want to know where the other one is. If it is still with the previous owner the car may mystriously disappear one night! All the more reason to get a new set paired with the car. A diligent technician will ensure that the old keys are deleted from the cars' systems so that, whilst the old key blade might physically open the door it won't avoid the alarm sounding nor allow the engine to be started. If getting keys programmed do make sure they remove the old one(s) first, though, rather than just adding the new one(s). Kevin Quote
lippydave Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Sorry but I cannot understand why people moan at the price of a replacement key for modern cars. Probably because most people have a natural dislike of being fleeced by a cartel of shysters? If man can make it, man can break it....So any security system will be flawed anyhow... Shooting car thieves in the head at roadside would be a far more effective deterrent (to car theft) than allowing greedy twatting dealers to charge obscene amounts of wedge for 5 minutes of key coding on their manufacturer subsidised machinery... Grrrrrrrr...... Quote
lippydave Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Oh, forgot to mention. On an associated note, apparently a fair few folk get their second key deactivated to help counter theft. (ie the transponder chip disabled). The 2nd key for my secondhand Beemer was/is a case in point. There's an independent locally (In Brum) who has the hardware necessary to reactivate it...Note to self...Must remember to get this done soon actually Quote
Norman Verona Posted June 17, 2010 Posted June 17, 2010 Taking no sides but I had a friends Renault Espace which was in my workshop for a few weeks. The battaery was off the car and the backup battery for the ECU went flat. I found that owners on the Renault forum advised scrapping the car as the cost of reprogramming the ecu to the key was so high. I took the car to the local Renault dealer and hey-presto connected to their diagnostic machine, 30 seconds spent button pressing and job done. Price 15€ I asked one of our Renault dealer customers what they charged and was told that Renault UK advise 1.5 hours. At £100 per hour...... Quote
rustie Posted June 18, 2010 Author Posted June 18, 2010 Thanks for all the info and comments guys. Son back from America next week so I'll pass the decision making back to him. Quote
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