spare key questions
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 5,548
Likes: 41
From: Conn.
St. Jude Donor '21
spare key questions
OK......95% sure I will be owning my first C5 by the end of this weekend.....seller says he has only one key fob.
Now I've seen that spare fobs can be purchased ($$$$
), but I am wondering if I can have a spare key made at the local hardware store for the door and the ignition?
I have no idea what these keys look like...
Now I've seen that spare fobs can be purchased ($$$$
), but I am wondering if I can have a spare key made at the local hardware store for the door and the ignition?I have no idea what these keys look like...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,629
Likes: 7
From: Lawrenceville PA
I think you'll have to get the key from a dealership. I just picked one up today from the local dealer and it cost $48. The fobs can be bought on ebay either new or used usually cheaper than dealer prices.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 488
Likes: 1
From: Jersey Shore/Florida
Congrats!
Spare key needs/should be made at a dealership because of the chip inside your ket that shoud be set. Cost me around $45 a year or so ago. Also, the key fob need not cost that much. I took a chance and bought one off of ebay last year, same as my original, not more then $15 I believe and you program it by working off your indash computer. Worth a try rather then the rediculous money you can spend on them.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 5,548
Likes: 41
From: Conn.
St. Jude Donor '21
Thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 6,970
Likes: 14
From: Calif
I'm pretty sure that the 99 keys are the same as mine. I have an 03. Your present key will have to be read with a Vat reader. If I remember right, there are 14 or 15 vat codes. You cannot start the car without the proper Vat key. When you unlock the door, the key only goes in as far as the cuts. So the Vat is outside the lock, and the key cuts release the pins in the core. Any Chevy dealer should have a Vat reader or any lock shop that does a lot of automotive work. Hope this helps.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 31
From: Silver Spring MD
No No No No No !
DON'T go to Home Depot or wally world. Go to a locksmith. When I cut 2 keys, one for the Vette and 1 for a Montana the locksmith SCREWED UP and cut the Vette key wrong. It worked the door but not the ignition. He recut it using one of his VATS keys with the right resistance for NO EXTRA CHARGE.
BIGHANK
Last edited by bighank; Aug 7, 2007 at 04:48 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
OK,
here's the deal....
Follow this link and read the thread to determine your VATS code
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ght=VATS+codes
Once you have this number...
Follow this link to buy a double sided GM VATS key.
The number key you want is your VATS code #
The price is $5.50 for the key and $1.95 shipping
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlocksmithsource
Once the key arrives Take it to a local locksmith. he should charge you $2.00 to cut it.
You can buy a replacement FOB on eBay
Do a search for XX Vette keyless remote where XX is the year ( ie 99 Vette keyless remote)
You should get at least 10 listings from $6 and up.....
Hope it helps
and good luck on bringing that C5 home this weekend.
here's the deal....
Follow this link and read the thread to determine your VATS code
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ght=VATS+codes
Once you have this number...
Follow this link to buy a double sided GM VATS key.
The number key you want is your VATS code #
The price is $5.50 for the key and $1.95 shipping
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZlocksmithsource
Once the key arrives Take it to a local locksmith. he should charge you $2.00 to cut it.
You can buy a replacement FOB on eBay
Do a search for XX Vette keyless remote where XX is the year ( ie 99 Vette keyless remote)
You should get at least 10 listings from $6 and up.....
Hope it helps
and good luck on bringing that C5 home this weekend.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco CA
I bought a blank key on eBay (after measuring my VATS resistance), then took it to Home Depot to cut it. They couldn't fit the key in their fancy key cutter. So I took it to Sears, which had an older manual-style key cutter. The moron there cut the key but screwed it up, the two sides were not identical when he was done, and it wouldn't turn in the lock.
So I spent $50 at the dealer. It's only money.
So I spent $50 at the dealer. It's only money.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 922
Likes: 2
From: Resume Speed Tennessee
Get a $1 key cut at a hardware store and duct tape it under the car in a hidden but accessible spot. It won't start the car, but it will open the door if you should manage to lock the key and remote inside the vehicle. Lesson I learned several years ago when the C4 keyless entry system malfunctioned on the back side of nowhere. 
Next lesson I learned: locksmiths are expensive.
Next lesson I learned: locksmiths are expensive.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,192
Likes: 4,180
From: Kannapolis NC
You've gotten some good advice on the key. As for the fob, the cheaper ones won't work on the 99. The 01 and up is cheap to buy. The 99 will cost you minimum $75 and probably more. You can program it very easily through the DIC. The 99 had a larger fob (keyless transmitter) and had a "passive" switch on it which could be turned on so that the doors automatically unlock when you walk close and lock when you walk away. It can be turned off by sliding the switch. My point in all this is, don't buy the newer, cheaper, smaller fob, it won't work on your 99. Match up the fcc number on the back to get the correct one.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,180
Likes: 297
From: Sarasota Florida
Get a $1 key cut at a hardware store and duct tape it under the car in a hidden but accessible spot. It won't start the car, but it will open the door if you should manage to lock the key and remote inside the vehicle. Lesson I learned several years ago when the C4 keyless entry system malfunctioned on the back side of nowhere. Next lesson I learned: locksmiths are expensive.
Next lesson I learned: locksmiths are expensive.
