I went to the dealer and had a duplicate VATS key made for my RS and was shocked to see they charged $26 + tax.

To top that off, the key doesn't fit. The guy that normally does the keys was out and I was given the choice of getting a refund or having another one made when he returned.

My questions for the collective wisdom:

Can any GM dealership make these keys (Cadillac, Buick, etc.)?

Is $26 a typical price? What did you pay? Should I shop around a bit?

My wife and I had the door/t-top/hatch key done at Home Depot for about $1.25.

Thanks for your input!

Kevin

 

26 is better than the 65 I paid. And yes any dealer Gm dealer can make them. Caddies, vettes and F-bodies were the first but not the last to get VATs.

 

Thats cause its just a normal key. I paid $26 for mine. Get a spare made, its well worth it. If you lose your key, it costs $125 or something to re-key your column.

 

Wow! $65! [And how many shares of GM did that come with, again?]

Ok, I'll stick with the Chevy dealer but I have to say it is still a lot of money for a simple resistor insert. Maybe the supply cost jumps up about $.05 over the regular blank.

I had the dealer make a replacement door/t-top/hatch/glove-box key and it didn't fit either. I was told that the original key was worn and the locks would have to have their pins replaced.

That was the key that Home Depot made for $1.25 and which fit perfectly.

 

had to buy one the other day for $32..not to bad compared to $65. Got it at my local GM dealer

 

I think that it was $25-27 for my VATS key at the dealer.

 

I think that someon got fuct

 

When I got my car I only had one key.So I
went to Jerrys Chevy and it cost me 26+tax
also.:rockon: :rockon:

 

I work at a GM dealer and $26 is the going rate. If any more the dealer is working off a price escalator!

 

$26?? Thats nothing. The guy I bought my '92 RS from said he went to the Chevy Dealer to get another one made and he said it was in the ballpark of about a $100!!

Jeremy
92 RS

 

Damn all ya'll are payin a lot. I got mine done for 18 and i thought i was gettin fukt..guess i got a deal eh?

 

Oh yeah, you know what sucks is when you finally go out and get a spare made and then this happens.....

<img src = "http://@home.twcny.rr.com/gta88/Vatsgonebad.jpg">

 

I got screwed by my dealer! When I had another one made for my 92 camaro, they charged me something like $110.00 w/tax! That was the new key, and then to have it programed the same as my other key. I aways seem to get screwed!

 

$32 + tax is what i had to pay.....

 

$32 + tax is what i had to pay.....

 

Got my key for $25 at GM. And new ignition with new wires for the vats for $150. And it cost $100 to install. I'm sure glad my new car (94 beretta z-26) doesnt have that VATS crap.

 

I got mine for FREE, today in fact, i got it cut at ace hardware, we have a buisness account through them with the company i work for, we get keys cut for free, so i just gave them my car key instead of the work keys (who can tell the diffrence, not a 16 year old dorky kid) so he cut it and the car door key and i was off, damn im happy !!! Oh the going rate there was 25 $

 

Well, today the car is to be picked up at the paint shop and then my wife and I will run over to the dealer and have them fix the miscut key.

I appreciate everyone's responses!

I retitled the post to ask a different sort of question:

What types of security measures can you do fairly easily to prevent someone stealing the car (yes, locking it is assumed)? This is actually my wife's daily driver driver now (I am stuck with the Metro ). The police at the university have handed out free "Club" type steering wheel locks.

Is it fairly easy to install a delayed kill switch, etc.?

I used to have a 5.0 Mustang convertible with an alarm and I think that 90% of the protection came from the little red blinking light installed on the dash.

Kevin

 

Heads up!

Just took the car in for insurance (State Farm) and having the VATS system knocked about $100 off every six months. Not bad, but if we hadn't mentioned it we would not have received the discount.

 

yeah same here, when i switched over to my new car i said i had an air bag and vats (vehicle anti theft system), and i saved a ton.

i now pay about 109 dollars a month (liability only), i am almost 20 and with 3 points from the accident i had in my first car).

oh yeah i bought a new key also, cost about 34 dollars.

 

Um, I did not know that. Allstate better give me a discount, thanks for the tip.

 

i lost my keys and my spare broke while i was helping a friend who wrecked his car, with my car in the middle of the road during rush hour (bad experience).
cost:$90 for car tow
$35:lock cylinder, which i returned because of:
$60:getting chevy to get the numbers for my key faxed to them, after telling me they probably cant get it because my RS is an 89 and their database usually only held back to 1990, and getting the key made
priceless:having hot girls drive by when you and a cop are looking for half your key that literally dropped off the rest of the key in the middle of the road

 

I paid like $17 at ACE hardware about a year or so ago (for my 90 Riv). They have a thing that tests the resistance on the chip to match it up, grind a new key, I was done...

John

 

Ace certainly sounds like the best deal. I called Lowe's and Home Depot prior to seeing the dealer but they didn't have that equipment. Seems like Ace has franchisee owners -- it might be that they don't all invest in that equipment (?).

The dealer didn't take back the earlier key that didn't fit. When I got the new one, I compared it and took a needle file and took off the offending area. I guess that's serendipitously two keys for $26 but having four is a bit of unintended overkill.

 

this may be off-topic, but what's the purpose of the VATS system? what does the resisitor in the key really do?

 

The resistor in the key won't let you start the car without getting the proper resistance settings. It is a Vehivle Anti-Theft System, hence VATS. Basically it makes it harder to steal the car. On non vats cars if you break the lock mechanism all you have to do is turn the key hole with a screwdirver and bam the car starts. But with vats the car won't start without the resistance in the Chip.

 

JohnnyFormula,
How it works is kind of like this...

First you have a key, there is virtually thousands of combinations of keys you can make. Unfortunately someone with a Screwdriver a pair of Visegrips can break your ignition tumblers to get your car started.

What the VATS system does is when the tumbler is turned there is a signal for starting that goes to a unit that is matched to one of the 18 or so possible resistor Keys. This unit sends a signal to the ECM...

If you have the incorrect resistance, there is several things that might happen depending on the model of your car. In the end the objective is the same, the car will not start.

My 90 Riv would not turn over period. Some of the other cars will turn over but not start.

Bypassing this is quite simple actually, if you plug in a custom Chip that has the VATS turned off then the car will start because the VATS signal is ignored.

hope that helps..

John

 

91Z4me is right, I started my article a few hours ago and just now got it done...

John

 

matched to one of the 18 or so possible resistor Keys.

John [/B][/QUOTE] Only15 possible resistors, really 14. The #1 was used in 86' on the corvette and never used again.

 

I thought I was close, I could not remember but I knew it was in the teens...

John

 

Not busting on you okfoz. Just i knew the right answer to something for once.

 

If you pay more than $25.00 for a vats key ,well to put it politley , you are getting bent. Transponder keys don't even run that much and they are way more complex. As always....Shop around...$ 15.00 TO $25 is resonable.

 

They are correct, only 15 possible resistor chips. If the vehicle has a starter enable relay wich is controlled be the ECM it will not let the vehicle crank such as in the case of the 90 Riv by not letting the crank signal reach the starter. This is found in W Body vehicles such as the Lumina. On other models such as the F body, the VATS module recieves the resistor code from the chip wich is preprogrammed into the VATS module and if the values match the VATS module sends an enable signal to the ECM. In F bodys the car will crank but not start due to the ECM inhibbiting fuel injector function / pulse. If the ECM recieves the enable signal from the VATS module it will allow injector pulse and the engine will run.

P.S.----- I have a tip for those who have to replace ignition cylinders with VATS. When your removing the old cylinder do not pull the orange wire out from the column. Instead, cut the wire close to the ignition cylinder and remove old unit. Then, feed wire of new cylinder through the ign cylinder hole and install cylinder. Here is the part with the TIP.... Tape the end of the new VATS wire to the end of the old wire still running though the column. Then gently pull the old wire out of the column from the bottom {underneath the dash} and it will run the new wire in for you in the same place as the old one was run! Hope it saves someone some headaches if it ever needs to be done, and if you have VATS, you will sooner or later.

 

Does getting a new key made solve the vats problem?

 

I guess that would depend on your problem...

if you have the wrong resistor in your key then there is no easy solution.

John

 

what is a vats?

 

read the thread and you'll find out

 

oh yeah, sorry im an idiot

 

Ok probably know one cares but i will put my 2 cents in on this. I work at a dealership and at my cost for a Vats Key it is $15 and i think retail it is around $25.

 

hey guys i switched to carb and ripped out my computer and i had to hotwire my starter so it didn;t run with i think it was vats?? now if i have no computer do i stll need to get the keys made with the vats chip in it??

 

no you do not have to. the VATS is controled threw the ecm. so what i would do if i was you is locate under the steering colum your ignition switch and it should be a big yellow wire. ok take a test light and double check it and see when you go to start if it lights and goes off. and also if you have a manual trans then you might want to use the clutch safty switch there might be a few wire's you will have to run. hope this helps some

 

I paid $30 for mine at the dealer.I've had the car about 5 years and have just had the one key,so I finally broke down and got one.I tried it out before I left and it worked fine but now when I try to use it,it gets stuck in the ignition and I have to wiggle the crap out of it to get it out.I believe it is the chip and not the key because when I compared the two the keys,they are identical except the chip in the new key is a lot thicker from being new and not worn.

 

If your having trouble rotating your cylinder from run to off or off to run, it has nothing to do with the size of the contacts on the chip. The contacts do wear over time. Anyway, if rotation is your problem the key may have been cut slightly off. Closely hold both keys up to one another and see if its off at all, even the distance from the handle {biggest part of the key}to the notches in the key. The reason why I'm suggesting this is if they traced your old key in the machine to cut your new one, they could have chucked the key in the cutter slightly off causing yout key to work at times and not to work at others, it all depends on how it interacts with tumblers in the cylinder. If you paid $30.00 for a key I'd like to think you got one thats cut correctly and if not they will cut you a new one at their cost.

To sum it up, my point is if your problem is having to wiggle the key to rotate the cylinder, it has nothing to do with the chip, the problem lies in the cut of the key or worn tumblers.

Jay

 

When did they start using vats?
I have an 82 z28, and the guy i bought it from gave me copies of the keys with the car.I asked him if i could have the originals and he said he had no idea where they were.
The car sat up for awhile before i got it so naturally when i got it i started changing fluids,belts, etc. I found the original key wired under the front bumper,lol.

 

The switch turns nice and smooth to start the car,the key just dont want to come out.

 

they started using VATS in 1988 on the GTA only, and in 1989 on all of our cars if I remember right.

John

 

First VATS key was used in 86' on the corvette ....... 89 RS in Cali.....I'll sell them to you for $12.00 a blank, by the truckloads.

 

correct, the 86 Vette was the first, I was thinking on the F-body line...

John

 

once i got a vats key made for 7 bucks
then i went again to make another and this time it was the son charging me 35
so i just left lol

 

10 year old thread?!?