Keys ruined, or so I thought. Sharing my most recent drama.

[Berlina&Jag guy]

There are loads of threads here about the vz key I thought I'd add my story.

Last night my main key went into the washing machine duh. This key was actually an after market blank into which I had put my good circuit board but I had gently prized the spot welds from the old battery and jammed in a new battery. Then a ton of super glue. Not elegant but it did work and a new battery meant I could open it from 50 metres rather than two metres. All good for a while.
Then I decided to wash it in the pocket of my jeans!
It looked like a goner but after a while began working again- all good. Then it didn't work this morning and I was late for work so I stupidly decided to prise it open with a kitchen knife. A little too vigorously. Sliced the button off the circuit board so now definitely dead.
Caught a taxi to work then remembered I had a real worn out old key- just the body but doesn't matter as you just swap in your good blade (the cut metal part of the key). This old key was rough. The buttons were exposed and the unlock one had the top of tiny push down switch missing. And the battery was dead. Changed the battery and taped it closed with electrical tape real tight. Problem was the unlock button wasn't working and the security system was in lock down mode but at least I was inside the car.
Strangely, after maybe twenty turnovers with the bloody red padlock light blinking I thought to disconnect the battery and then reconnect. Several more not firing turn overs then hey presto it worked out of the blue and red padlock light obviously gone.
It even stopped and started as I drove around doing some errands but I didn't dare lock it with the unlock button essentially missing.
Then stupidly I had to lock it to go into the supermarket and I had become a little complacent.
In the shopping centre I showed my weird taped up key to Mr minute and they said they could do a new fob with my good blade all programmed up for $100 but it was already 8 o'lock so they said tomorrow.
I went back to my locked car and sure enough I couldnt get in. I couldn't even pop the lock through the gap (we all know how easy that is but it seemed to be held down with a super solenoid).
Getting more angry and frustrated I went back to the mall and got a $10 hammer from Big W and did in the small rear window (its a wagon). Reaching through I still couldn't lift the lock button- like it was glued down. A broken window all for nothing aaargh!
There was no nearby pub which was plan A so I just sat and fiddled with the opened fob circuitry. Rubbing the visible metal inside parts of the lower unlock button which I had already decided was dead.
Then it just opened, turned in the ignition and fired first go. Un-effing-believable
I got home.
Tomorrow is a trip to Repco to get the key with the programming module dongle $98 I think. I had actually intended to do this earlier but repco close at 5PM even on late shopping nights and Supercheap who stay open till 8pm on a Thursday in Sydney don't do keys any more.
Lesson is simple. Get three good keys (after market are OK if you can't pay Holden prices). Use one. Tape or secure another to the chassis somewhere secret and have the third one at home.

So after last month's flywheel ring gear disaster (yes Dr Fu I paid a mechanic $800 not to kill myself under a collapsed axle stand) I'm hoping bad luck doesn't come in threes like they say.

Thanks for reading as you may have had a crappy day but mine was even crappier.
I'm my own worst enemy but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel.

As much as my 16 year old Berlina plays up and shows its age strangely the more I love it. I wouldn't have a new car if you gave me one.

 

[trel]

That was actually a good story to read.

 

[Lex]

Tomorrow is a trip to Repco to get the key with the programming module dongle $98

I wouldn't bother with this.
Go back to Mr. minute. He'll program the fob & cut you a key!

 

[Fu Manchu]

I’ll second how much grief those MAP keys will be. I have a bag of faulty ones from various VY’s and VZ’s.

It is these situations that buying a decent scan tool like the Topdon ArtiDiag800BT will pay for itself, allowing you to programme your own keys using a proper blank key.

The doors didn’t open because they would have been deadlocked (not just locked). That is two presses of the lock and indicators remain on for a prolonged period to signal deadlock. That’s why the button would not pull up.

The key itself is still able to unlock the door though. That is unless it’s been replaced with an ignition barrel and the pins not done to the old key specs.

There is sometimes a small business card with the vehicle log book that has the various vehicle codes required to reproduce a key so corrupted data is not copied across.

 

[Berlina&Jag guy]

Final update- fixed!
Big kudos to Repco on the Map key $98 and programmer $74 (cant say which branch) for let's just say forgetting to take payment off me after sliding the items across the counter with a wink.

I was suspicious and worried after seeing all the bad reviews, Supercheap getting out off the key trade and Repco themselves having strange recall type info on their computer screens (hence probably explaining the above mentioned.

Mr Minute had looked at my patched together original key with no working unlock button and a battery swap, told me I was a bad boy, spent five minutes patching it into their machine then told me I had fried it and it was toast. Duh, I drove away 5 minutes later on this patchwork key so the car eventually recognises it (after about 20 seconds with decent pressure on the contact ring the padlock light goes out and it fires.

So I went ahead with the Map business.
Ran the car then pulled the old key knowing I had 18 seconds before the padlock light would show up on the dash, quickly put new map key to 'ON', pushed the dongle into the obd port and about ten seconds later the yellow flashing light turned green.

The key works perfectly in every way.
Maybe I lucked in but still very happy and relieved.

 

[Fu Manchu]

… for now.

 

[Freddy1333]

I wouldn't have a new car if you gave me one.

You're mad!

 

[Immortality]

Fixed the thread title, it was driving my OCD bad!

 

[chrisp]

Fixed the thread title, it was driving my OCD bad!

I‘d be very attempted to fix any typos, spelling and grammars errors around the forum too. But apparently that crosses the line of social decorum.

 

[Immortality]

I don't do it a lot but occasionally I'll sneak in a correction here and there. Mostly just thread titles though.