Is there anyway to get replacement keys for my 91 Camaro? Will GM be able to help me if I send them the VIN #? I dont want to change the locks or ignition.

 

usually a decent locksmith can figure out just about anything.....and may i suggest MORE THAN ONE set of keys?

 

Its a long story....anyway, ive heard (whether or not it is true), that GM can make me a plastic and I take it to a locksmith to make a real key out of. I just wanted to hear what other people may know.

 

I'd suggest the locksmith as well. GM charges $27 (list) for a replacement VATS key, and locksmisths around here get $5-$7 a copy. For the difference, you can install a new lock cylinder and have the correct VATS key cut to that pattern. The locksmith should have all the VATS values as well - I do.

 

If you have no keys at all your kinda screwed. Even the factory which may still have your key codes on record don't know what vat's code you have. Choice is pretty simple. Write a prom with the vat's eliminated or find some place ( usually the dealer ) who has a vat's interigator to find what that code would be. It can be a fairly drawn out process. There are many diffrent values. Need that value before anything else matters.

 

For anyone who has lost their keys. Just take your proof of ownership of the car and picture id. GM dealer made me a set right there while I waited. Cost of door and ignition key = $38.

 

make sure you get some spare keys made...may i suggest put a key to the door under the car but not in an obvious place...locked my keys in once,learned my lesson to have a spare under the car thank *** i did that cuz i locked them in once after that!!!

 

am i the only person who has 4 keys for their car? One for ignition, one for doors, one for trunk, and one for that little compartment in the trunk. WTH happened? i got the car over a year ago and now i finding that the 4 key think isn't normal. This is gay. I can't fix this either can i?

 

I had that little "Hide-a-Key" magnetic box on one of my cars before. I am not too proud to say the it came in handy on more than one occasion.

 

Traxion showed me a funny way to get into our cars at thirdgen nationals. I cant break into anyones thirdgen now if I wanted. Lets just say it involves a ruler...not a slim jim.

If you have 4 different keys them someone has switched the lock cyclinders out. You should have an ignition key then a door/hatch/compartment key.

 

anyones, or just someone with Ttops?



btw, nows a great time to take a multimeter and record your vats resistance...


i currently dont have a copy of my keys..


i really need to find someone who will make me a VATS key for less then $30

 

Would it work to solder the correct value of resistor in, bypassing the vats, and then just have a standard key made? Not as secure (maybe an inline switch hidden somewhere to turn the vats thing on and off?). Just thinking out loud...

 

that would work.


it would also be how i "fix" my car until i get a vats key made, if i ever lost my keys..

 

hey i'm the d00d with the 4 keys.... ok how do i get it back to 2 keys again or is it possible at all?

and what are VATS?

 

I had a replacement VATS (vehicle anti theft sys) made for me at Ace Hardware. I cost me about $10 I think. VATS is a system which reads resistance from your key (the little black thing on ign key). If you take that resistor out, the car will not start. I installed a remote starter and had to bypass the VATS with a relay, so the system is only disengaged when the remote is used. I simply measured the resistance of the key, then, using some old knowledge, found two resistors that I wired together. Voila!

Dave

 

so your saying theres a magnet in my key or the device that reads the indentations on the key you mean. If not either than i dont have VATS.

 

the lock cyl is nothing more then a way to turn a switch. the switch wont turn until the lock tumblers are lined up. once they line up (from the proper key being installed) you can turn it.



VATS is a seperate thing.

it is a resistor (not a magnet) in the key.

it completes a electrical connection and if the resistance is correct ( not too high, not too low) it lets the car start and run. when you insert the key, to electrical contacts in the lock cyl touch the sides of the key on the pellet....

 

those hide-a-key or whatevers always fall off my wheel wells.

door key in the wallet...dont know what i'd do without it. actually today, i left my keys in my car at work with the key turned back and the radio on. (hey don't blame me, it's hard to remember my own name at 3:00am). i didnt' realize what i'd done till 6am when i went out to my car for break, pulled out my wallet, opened the door, and saved my battery from dying

 

Posts discussing how to break into a vehicle are tantamount to posts about circumventing the VATS system. Those posts have been banned on ThirdGen.org. There are plenty of other sites that provide information on breaking in and bypassing the VATS system, but this isn't one of them...

If there are questions regarding that policy, please feel free to contact Dirk or Brad about the issue. I'm sure they'll offer a reasonable explanation, and won't hesitate to tell me if I'm mistaken.