Lost my Key

[The_Beast]

Okay, so I lost my ignition key at work the other day. Since then I've had nothing but problems. I went to the dealer to have another key made. I told the guy that it was a 94 Camaro v6 5-speed with the chip thing in the key. He cut me the key and it looked like it would work. So I drive back up to my car, and of course the key doesn't work. I go back to the dealer and they say to jiggle the wheel a little bit. So I go back and still no dice. So I go back again, and I'm starting to get annoyed. The guy says that the cylinder might have been replaced (I'm sure it wasn't) and he can't give me a refund for the key that doesn't work. So I decide that this guy has no idea what he's talking about and I go to a service guy. He says that I have to have the car towed in and the computer flashed to match the computer to the new key. NO ONE said ANYTHING about this before I got the key. Also, the flashing/programming costs $90.

So I decide to go to Napa and buy a lock cylinder from them. Its not in stock, so its on special order. I did a bit of research on here later, and some people were saying that a new cylinder won't do anything because the code won't match in the BCM. So now I'm completely lost and have no idea what to do. However, there are some things that I'd like more info on:

The key fits in and dings, but the cylinder doesn't turn at all. I would have thought that the chip being unprogrammed or whatever would still allow the cylinder to turn and just not turn the car on, but it doesn't move at all. Could this mean the key was cut wrong?

How can they deny me a refund when they pretty much lied to me about their product? I asked if the key was all I needed and the guy said yes, and now they're telling me the car needs to be reprogrammed (along with the towing costs). This is not fair. Anyone have any tips on this?

Will the new lock cylinder from Napa (it has no chip, its a new, generic cylinder) work? I've read something about a module, but I don't know too much about it. Any info will be very helpful.

[turbohead2332]

Re: Lost my Key

If it doesn't turn, then no. The key doesn't fit. There are 15 or 16 different resistance values that the key could be. I'm not sure what determines what the value must be. To put a new cylinder in that doesn't work with vats or pass, you have to bypass the system first. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[greasemonkey]

Re: Lost my Key

Okay, so I lost my ignition key at work the other day. Since then I've had nothing but problems. I went to the dealer to have another key made. I told the guy that it was a 94 Camaro v6 5-speed with the chip thing in the key. He cut me the key and it looked like it would work. So I drive back up to my car, and of course the key doesn't work. I go back to the dealer and they say to jiggle the wheel a little bit. So I go back and still no dice. So I go back again, and I'm starting to get annoyed. The guy says that the cylinder might have been replaced (I'm sure it wasn't) and he can't give me a refund for the key that doesn't work. So I decide that this guy has no idea what he's talking about and I go to a service guy. He says that I have to have the car towed in and the computer flashed to match the computer to the new key. NO ONE said ANYTHING about this before I got the key. Also, the flashing/programming costs $90.

So I decide to go to Napa and buy a lock cylinder from them. Its not in stock, so its on special order. I did a bit of research on here later, and some people were saying that a new cylinder won't do anything because the code won't match in the BCM. So now I'm completely lost and have no idea what to do. However, there are some things that I'd like more info on:

The key fits in and dings, but the cylinder doesn't turn at all. I would have thought that the chip being unprogrammed or whatever would still allow the cylinder to turn and just not turn the car on, but it doesn't move at all. Could this mean the key was cut wrong?

How can they deny me a refund when they pretty much lied to me about their product? I asked if the key was all I needed and the guy said yes, and now they're telling me the car needs to be reprogrammed (along with the towing costs). This is not fair. Anyone have any tips on this?

Will the new lock cylinder from Napa (it has no chip, its a new, generic cylinder) work? I've read something about a module, but I don't know too much about it. Any info will be very helpful.

You can take it to the Better Business Bureau :) The dealer would be happy about that.

As far as a new lock cylinder you would have to bypass the part of the ignition that detects the keys resistance. Go on LS1tech.com and search, there is a writeup and how to do this.

[GinsuGuy585]

Re: Lost my Key

Ya if the key doesn't turn, it is the wrong cut and the dealer should do it again (for free). As far as the 'chip' you could mess around with a potentiometer to find the right resistance and tell the dealer which 'chip' to put in your key, or buy a bypass device, or make your own bypass device.

[turbohead2332]

Re: Lost my Key

You can take the old key and use a resistance meter to find the resistance value and go with that. Put a lead on each side of the little chip.

[David8399]

Re: Lost my Key

i work for a dealer and this happens every once and while. best thing to do is remove your ign cylinder go to a lock smith and make the key that the dealer gave you work. we are not liable for the previous actions taken on your car and we have no way of noing if the cylinder was ever changed, generally the major sign of this is that the door key will work and not the ign. there is no flashing, on newer cars that have a pk3 system you would have to get the car towed to a dealer and have it flashed but you have vats.

[David8399]

Re: Lost my Key

also the jiggle it thing does work from time to time too. if you look at your key and see the copper color, that is wear and your tumblers have just as much.

[bigbrian442]

Re: Lost my Key

You could buy "chips" on eBay awhile back that would plug into the two wire harness under the dash that goes to the chip reader in the ignition switch. You would get all 15 ohm values and have to try each one until the car started. Each one was marked so you then know number of the key blank you needed or you could just leave the cheat plugged in under the dash and not use the chip in the key. Dealers used to have a vats tool that did the same thing, but only told you the key number you needed. The BCM is not programmable, It takes the value of the first key put in the ignition and then can not be changed.

Another option is to turn VATS off in the PCM with HPtuners.

Brian

[The_Beast]

Re: Lost my Key

Thanks for the replies. I've found out that the key was cut wrong, for reasons unknown. I had them make another key without a chip just to see if a new one would make the cylinder turn. The new key wouldn't even fit in the cylinder! According to them, this means the key machine isn't working probably, although I really think that the guy has no idea what he's doing (and he's the only guy who knows how to do it!) This is turning into a huge headache. They say I have to wait till Monday now just to get a new key, which might not even work. I have a new cylinder and I know the resistance of the chip, but I wanna save that for a last resort because I don't want to pull the airbag and steering wheel unless I have to. If I do, does anyone have any tips on doing that?

[bigbrian442]

Re: Lost my Key

Unhook the battery! You will need a tool to compress the lock ring, you can get those at advance or other parts stores. Remember the chip in the key MUST match what the BCM wants, with out being tested or having the original key there are 15 guesses to make.

Brian

[KillerCam94]

Re: Lost my Key

Screw all that, just get it to a locksmith and they'll fix everything. I had this problem when I had to change my lock cylinder, they cut a new key and chipped to match my computer cheaper than any stealership will, and they'll do it right the first time. Also As long as the key fits it will "ding" but it will not turn the cylinder unless it's the right chip and programmed to match your computer. I do this everytime I get in one of my camaros with the wrong key.

[HeadyFirebird'00]

Re: Lost my Key

WHat happened to your spaer key? i got 2 keys. maybe im just lucky, but should definately have a spare