A rare alignment of planets had me, my Camaro, money, and time come together at my local Chevy dealer yesterday. I wanted a pair of keys cut to code for my 94 since I have no spares. Very dangerous situation, LOL. I've been driving the car for 2 1/2 years so it was time.

Parts guy gives me the standard warning about the passkey lock cylinder and how it might have been changed, what the code download fee is ($10), key costs ($35), might not work, non-refundable, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I know all this.

So i say how about I pay the $10 for you to download the key codes and then you show me the codes and I decided it they look like they match my existing keys. If they look like a match we go ahead; if not, I bail.

He looked at me like I was from Mars. Dude, the key code isn't rocket science. It's been covered in the GM service manual general info section for years. I even look at my ignition key and make an educated guess as to what the code will be. I also tell hem that I've measured the resistor pellet and it's X ohms.

He sees that I'm not a typical clueless customer so he agrees and goes to download the codes. He does tell me that he doesn't need to know the resistance because he has an interrogator to do that. Fine, good, I say, let's do it.

He comes back with the key codes and I was off 1 digit on one of the tumblers, LOL. I'd say I'm pretty good and at least I now know that all the lock cylinders are the originals.

He disappears for awhile, then comes back with 2 new keys. They look weird because there's not the little bump between each of the tumbler levels. He says that's the way the new key cutter works. Fine. I pay $53 for my 2 keys. FIFTY-THREE DOLLARS for 2 keys!!! I don't feel that bad, though, because while I was waiting I looked at the shiny new accessories available for the new Camaros. A bright yellow pair of nifty plastic mud flaps: $208.00 (installation extra). A Hurst short-throw shift lever kit (with what looked like redundant parts to allow you to pick the "look" you wanted): almost $400.00 (of course installation was extra -- a LOT extra I'm sure.)

I head out to my 'maro with the very expensive new keys and immediately try them. Uh-oh, door key doesn't work. Not in the driver's door, not in the passenger'd door, not in the hatch, not in the ... Try the ignition key; it turns the cylinder! But the engine doesn't crank :-(

Back inside I go. I'm told that my lock cylinders are worn so I should go home and use some sandpaper to wear away the new door key a bit. Uh-huh, that'll help. NOT! As for the ignition key, well, he used the wrong blank. Oops. I guess my resistance value would have come in handy. If he had used it.

The second ignition key worked great and that was the expensive one so I guess I should be happy. Tonight I'll take my jeweler's file and tweak the door key to match my original and I'm sure it'll work.

Leave it to the experts!!!

 

Hmmmm.... my local ACE hardware cuts VATS keys, and it wasn't anywhere near 26 bucks each. They have a box they stick your key into to read the (1-15) value, and copy your cut to the corresponding blank. Why did you want to go the high tech way instead of copying your key, are the teeth points on yours worn off?

 

lol, got my spares off the net and had it cut at the hardware for free. cost like 20 bucks counting shipping and packing ripoff.

 

I got lucky when I bought mine had a full set of spare keys door ignition and clicker.

 

I had my local locksmith make mine while he was doing some work at my workplace. He took my ignition and door key out to his van, and 5 minutes and $18 later I had another set of working keys. One of these days I'm going to have another fob made by him for $35.

 

I've still got no spares, makes me think I should really get around to that...I think i'll go down the ebay route.

 

I got 2 new ignition VATS keys from e-bay for about $15 and had them cut locally for $5. The fob was only $15 new and easy to program.

Also I got 2 new door cylinders, a trunk cylinder and 2 new keys for $60.

If you can wait for shipping or pay for overnight, e-bay is way to go.
The stealership can suck it!

 

Most locksmiths can cut VATS keys for much cheaper than GM and they may even be authentic GM keys. You risk getting the wrong key with E-bay so beware. My dealer gave me some of the same crap when I told him I needed new keys. I replaced the lock cylinder in my friend's car and he didnt want to cut the new keys the way I needed them. The replacement lock cylinders comes with a pelletless blank that is used to created a key with the pellet. I told him I needed the pattern from the new key and the resistor in the old key together. He gave me some BS about not being allowed to do this because of theft issues. I had to go back home and get the title and registration for the car. When I got back the parts guy I normally deal with was there and didnt even ask for the info I was made to go home and get. He knew about how new lock cylinders work.

Massey

 

 

I went to the dealer because I wanted genuine GM keys with the black plastic covering on the head.

There's a person in the parts department that I've been dealing with for almost 20 years so I thought I'd see her and wouldn't pay full retail. She was out sick. Crap.

Plus, buying parts from a dealer is kind of like drinking too much. Do it once a year and the headache you'll get afterwards will remind you why you do it only once a year. LOL