I would assume your best bet would be as you said, get the vehicle towed to the dealership if possible. At least that way they can make you a proper set of keys.

 

x2

 

The valet key should have the immo chip inside to allow the car to drive. You could ask the dealer if they can make a key based on vin, and program the chip inside to register with the car's immobiliser. It probably won't be cheap. You're probably going to need some kind of proof that you own the car, or else anyone could walk up with a VIN and get keys made :icon_eek:. What's the turn around time? After an hour they dump a gallon of gasoline on it and light a match?

 

A towing company doesn't need a key to move the car to a dealer. Unless you have to remove some juggernaut booby-trapped explosive device inside before relocating the vehicle, just have the wrecker tug the car to the nearest dealership locked, stock and barrel.

 

I've seen towing companies at work--I just thought it would be much easier if you could unlock the door (w/o using a slim jim) and the steering before hooking up...

 

Thanks all....

The time frame is a little less than a week so what I was trying to figure out was if there were a way to get a usable key w/o just throwing myself on the mercy of the dealership, since the prices quoted in various threads are $60-80 to get a key cut, up to $250 for the programming--and the remotes at somewhere close to $200 ea if memory serves.

So getting mobile would be a significant chunk of change.

I found this site last night after I posted here--Sidewinder Key who says he can cut keys from your VIN and a photo of your key (which I assume is to prove ownership)--so that seems to be a dealership alternative.

He also sells software called VagTACHO for $59.99 that he claims will allow you to program your own keys even with Immo II--the hookup is a USB like VagCom--sounds promising, and he says that members on WVortex and TDIclub have used it so I will do a search there.

 

If he's selling VAGTACHO for $60, it's a pirated copy with an interface that may or may not brick your ECU. (The real thing is nearly 400 Euro)

Pay the dealer. Yes, it's too damn expensive.

 

Thanks for the heads up--sounds like there are similar compatibility problems with VAGTacho and cheap ebay cables as with the cheap Vagcom cables, as well as stories of infected software on ebay disks. I didn't know it was pirated when I first read about it...

 

You'd be surprised how well just calling the dealer and explaining the situation will work. Tell them exactly what's going on; they'll tell you price, delivery, and what proof of ownership you'll need to provide. It's not going to be cheap, but IMHO on a car with an immobilizer it's the only dependable way.

 

I think you have your answers. If the car is cheap enough then the few hundred for a set of keys will be no big deal. Don't try programing them yourself, it's just not worth the hassle.

 

there is really no shortcut, there are places on the net that proport to be mobile locksmiths and can get you into the car. its going to cost some money but get 1 key from the nearest dealer, it will arrive precut, then all you need to do is have it programmed

as a side note you can buy proper vw keys of the net ie from a place like this Replacement VW Volkswagen Flip Key & Keyless Entry Remote Fob

these are real vw keys, don't let the price scare you. i have purchased from them, had it cut to match my existing key and need to get it programmed by the dealer. why are the keys so cheap? well they come from china. but lets not forget that VW have a passat production line in china, so they make a lot of the other parts there to. they can make them at rediculously low prices and sell them here, they will not have the vw badge on the back side... so what it works. i recently needed to buy a replacement taillight assembly was expecting to pay $300. got it of the net for $40.00 , in all respects the chinese factory production run was identical to the broken one, except the price...

there is a difference between made in china and made in china to be put into the production line.

 

If you can get the blade portion cut for the mechanical portions of your locks, you can often locate the remote fob portion on eBay and reprogram it yourself. Been there ... done that.

 

Perhaps, but that still doesn't yield a key that will allow him to drive the car. It's a 2004, with immobilizer.

 

Thanks again everyone--after going to some effort and subscribing to Carfax to run the VIN my wife said "But it's a manual!"--something I had told her when I first spotted it. So she put the kibosh on it.

(Probably her only real flaw--she has a mental block about driving a stick--yelled at both by her father and a previous significant other, and refuses to give it another shot.)

So no bidding on my part, although it was a good exercise to learn a little about the keys/immo/sources of supply etc.

 

That a shame, it's so easy to learn. I remember when I was 16 my mom brought me to a wide open parking lot in a 94 Dakota 5-speed and told me we weren't going home till I could successfully drive there myself. It took me a few hours to get the hang out of, but after that, it's a piece of cake.