Thanks, but you don't know what your talking about...

[stepho]

Originally Posted by CamaroRS92

My old keys were still useable too... I compared them to the new one and figured out that the new key had deeper cuts than the old keys and i just had them re-cut to match the new ones cost a whole whopping $2.50 to have those done and they worked like a champ

Unfortunatly the key with the chip was deeper than my dumby key. I work at a hardware store, I could have done it myself for free.

I just thought of a question. Is it possible to repin a key tumbler?

Originally Posted by Midnyte-Sun

Lesson learned: Your better off buying a brand-new car, then dealing with a dealership!

How do you buy a new car without going to the dealership? lol

[Midnyte-Sun]

Originally Posted by stepho

How do you buy a new car without going to the dealership? lol

lol!!
Hmmm... that is a problem isn't it? Guess I'll have to settle for stealing cars (honestly officer, the dealership made me do it!!) or... stop being so lazy and learn how to do it all myself!

[Rally Sport]

Originally Posted by Midnyte-Sun

or... stop being so lazy and learn how to do it all myself!

And this is how you save money in the end.. or you can just keep throwing money away.

[Midnyte-Sun]

well, it's not so much as being lazy... it's just the lack of a good teacher... or any teacher for that matter. I've tought myself to change my tires... oil & filter... altenator, fuel pump, fuel filter, brakes (I don't trust myself with that one tho :S)simple stuff but thats about all I know... The whole VATS thing was new to me... and so is almost everything else...

[Rally Sport]

Hey, I didnt call you lazy you did.. so yeah, anyway im the same way.. I dont know how to do alot of stuff other than simple crap.. if I knew how to and had all the tools I need for the job i'd be able to do it..

[Midnyte-Sun]

lol. ya. I know I called me lazy. So what do you do when you need to fix something then?? Cuz anyone who says that shops don't treat you differently based on your sex, hasn't been thru what I have.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by Midnyte-Sun

There all like that?! Whoa. so this is my first time dealing with a dealership! And I never want to do it again... unfortunatly, they have my baby.

Yes it is a VATS problem. Jim, our genius GM guy says that a bypass won't work because, "how can you bypass something if it doesn't work to begin with?! You could bypass it, but your car would only do as much as it does then as it does now" I think the $30 solution compaired to his discount deal at $415 is a little hard for his GM brain to process. But I'm not sure he knows what the problem is because, he goes from saying that it's caused by having too many keys on the key ring, to saying that this happens often in Alberta because it's dirtier there!! Then he says it's just wear... and then he says it happens all the time" (or maybe that makes sense!?) He's also 100% sure that replacing this all will fix everything... Of course, that key with the new chip that cost me $50--which they cannot refund even tho it doesn't work and most likely will not work with it once they replace everything, was 100% the solution too! ( *breathes* ...I'm a little stressed right now...)



Is this one of those "she's a female, she'll believe anything I say" things??



(I feel a bit better)

The "too many key thing" is correct but not for the VATS system. On newer cars with the Passlock systems, a heavy keychain really screws them up in a hurry. Not so with VATS. VATS usually fails from the tiny wires that go inside the cyl. lock fray and break apart.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by stepho

You mean the key tumbler? Someone replaced the tumbler on my Camaro and when I bought the car it didn't come with keys, so when I got the keys made, they didnt work. I went back to the dealer they quoted me $215 for a new tumbler plus they are going to have to cut another key at $30.

To hell with that. I went to the auto parts store and picked up a tumbler for $24. It didn't come with the chip though, just a dumby key... So I use the old tumbler with the key I had made at the Dealer (it just hangs from the dash for now), and the new tumbler to turn the ignition.

Bam dealer wanted $245, I fixed the problem for $24.

Eventually I am going to get around to hiding the old tumbler but I have bigger fish to fry right now.

Remember guys GM mechanics are just that, mechanics. They aren't electronics techs, although GM would be smart to have at least one in each dealer that is!

[Midnyte-Sun]

Originally Posted by ponchonutty

The "too many key thing" is correct but not for the VATS system. On newer cars with the Passlock systems, a heavy keychain really screws them up in a hurry. Not so with VATS. VATS usually fails from the tiny wires that go inside the cyl. lock fray and break apart.

Thank you! I've heard of a heavy key chain causing problems, but with the 5 or so times I made him repeat everything to me (you'd be amazed how often the story changes...) I failed to understand what a heavy key chain and "wires crossing and telling your car it's being stolen" had in common. Same general area i suppose... but I wasn't shoving my keys in random cracks and holes... (?!? dont ususally do that anywhere...)

Either way, it's over with, and I still have the feeling that a new ignition cylinder was a bit extreme for two tiny wires. But then again maybe that's what you gotta do! Oh well.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by Midnyte-Sun

Thank you! I've heard of a heavy key chain causing problems, but with the 5 or so times I made him repeat everything to me (you'd be amazed how often the story changes...) I failed to understand what a heavy key chain and "wires crossing and telling your car it's being stolen" had in common. Same general area i suppose... but I wasn't shoving my keys in random cracks and holes... (?!? dont ususally do that anywhere...)

Either way, it's over with, and I still have the feeling that a new ignition cylinder was a bit extreme for two tiny wires. But then again maybe that's what you gotta do! Oh well.

Here, take a look at this. http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/vats.html

They shouldn't be changing out the whole ignition switch but just the key cyl. itself. You'll see the tiny wires in the picture.

[Midnyte-Sun]

Hmm... Alright, I have another question. When I asked my "service representative" why I wouldnt be able to use my old keys that I just paid for once they were done, he told me it was because they would have a different code. So I assume he means different value then?? He said there's a tiny tiny chance that they might have the same code, in which case he'd save me another $60 for the keys... Now I was under the impression that there were only 15 values, but when I asked him, he said yes there are15 codes, but 15 variations within each one--meaning there would be like... 225 "codes". That article however (http://www.fieros.de/en/articles/vats.html), goes back to saying 15 values.
Which one is it?!

[philly rs]

if i doesnt work it wont work after u bypass it....lmao, all the vats does is lock up the car so u cant "hotwire" it. nothing more..without the chip in the key for the mech to read when starting the car it wont do shit, thats why a copy key is only good for unlocking your doors. bypassing the system is keeping the system inactive all together so u wont be using it anymore so to hell if its working right or not it wont be working at all anymore