My buddy has a mint condition '96 Purple C4 with chromed saw blades, mild cam work and Borla exhaust done by Doug Rippie. Beautiful car. Recently his house was burglarized while he was at work.

They broke in a rear patio door window, went through the house and came out the front door. He found the front door slightly ajar when he came home from work.

The only thing apparently missing so far was his safe. It was the size of a small refrigerator and they carried it out!!! Problem is his keys-titles-among other valuables were all in the home safe.

Now he has the fun of replacing the docs, keys&fobs for all the vehicles and bikes-choppers etc.

So far it has been relatively straight forward, except for the Vette.

Apparently the dealer is telling him they do not have info on the VATS code just by the VIN number of the car. So would anyone know of any way to tell what the VATS code could be without having to try 15 different keys?

 

there Is no quick cheap way I know of other than replace the cylinder or have a lock smith if possible cut a key. than if the locksmith has the VATS code generator to test each code until success, and have key cut with correct chip.

the first thing is to get the key to turn. find the code generator dealer should have one.

 

I would be more inclined to replace the cylinder and get a whole new key since the others were stolen. No telling if they might come back for other things they didn't get the first time....the Vette.

 

It's very likely that whatever your friend needs to do to secure vehicles etc aren't going to be covered by insurance, they didn't get the cars etc. - only maybe documents etc.

If he's really concerned and wants to re-key the Corvette he's got a challenge. You mentioned "apparently" regarding availability of information. '96 might be a gray area for GM releasing VATS information. I'd check for sure with a dealer.

You could do different things. If the VATS is available (and he has his current keys), change cylinders retaining the same VATS and just doing cylinders. You could of course do the CCM (required for VATS change) and do the cylinders also. A final choice might be just do the CCM to change VATS and retain the same mechanical for the cylinders. It would depend on I guess his concern of the security and I would think the coverage of his insurance in regards to reimbursement. The insurance would still cover the theft of the vehicles in case of theft but there would likely be deductibles etc. because it's another claim.

Lots to consider. Whose paying for the required work if he elects to go to extremes.

If his only set of keys was in the safe which would be silly/foolish then maybe the game changes with insurance liability. I can't imagine locking the only working set of keys in the safe, house catches fire how do you evacuate belongings or the car was needed for an immediate emergency.

The CCM would require a rebuild or an exchange of a rebuild to change the VATS. If the dealer couldn't supply the VATS he should have the keys so you just choose a code "other than" the current.

You can't beat a thief.

 

I lost the only set of keys to my 91 a few years back and unfortunately I was in the same boat with no key info on file (cut or Vats value). I first installed a new ignition cylinder that includes a "test" key with no Vats pellet. Once I installed that the ignition would turn, but obviously not start due to the proper Vats resistance not being supplied. I then used a Potentiometer to supply each of the possible 15 resistances. When I finally got the car to fire I took the deciphered code and the test key to the dealer and had them cut me a key with the right Vats pellet.

If I knew what I was doing from the start, I probably could have done it less than a day. I, however, learned by trial and error and it probably took me a week of messing around.

 

CHeapest, fastest way to sort it out. I bought my Pot from radio shack for <$4.00 IIRC. Hit the right value on the second try.

 

Most Radio Shack are closed or closing. I did notice when I stopped by one on Monday that the small parts section had the steepest discounts in the store that was still open here. 50% off would make the grab of one now maybe the right thing to do. RS was a "go to place" for many of us for a lot of years.

I had a friend that when he borrowed my VATS Interrogator always started at 7 and then 1 UP 8, then 1 down 6 etc. I generally just smiled when he mentioned the procedure used. I recall selling him some 13's and 3's but never a 2 or 15. Unless you have an '86 you can forget the #1 value, that was a single year value.

 

 

i dont know what gm dealer you went to, but i work at a gm dealer and i can get key cut and vat chip info from the vin. its a $30 charge to look it up and then the cost of the key which is probably around $15. tell him to try another chevy dealer.

 

You may find this interesting.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...aper-clip.html

You must get the CCM into manual diagnostic mode. Not sure at the moment what pins must be jumped and the 96 is OBD II and a 16 pin connector.

Hope this is of some help.

 

For these type of bypasses you need your key to figure out the resistance. He doesn't have the key so this won't help him.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-the-keys.html

 

It's an Easy fix. Thats a Dinosaur of a system.
Go to youtube. You'll find kids showing you how to do it

 

I bought my car with one ignition key, that's it. First stop was the local locksmith who measured the VATS value and cut another ignition key. $25. Then he pulled the console lock and deciphered the code and cut me two door keys, $60. Took an hour.

 

Years ago the pellet fell out of my key.
AAA came and had me on the road in no time since I remembered the resistor value.
He had a switching key. It takes 5 minutes for a reset after a wrong key.
Almost any roadside assistance will make a key.
Only trouble I can think of is if the lock cylinder was replaced. GM might not have the code for the replacement.

JS