One Key

[Zak99b5]

My daughter just bought an 05 Golf (gasser, sorry). It only has one key, and she is wont to lose things.

She does not have $150-200 to get a second key from the dealer.

Ive been contemplating disassembling her key and epoxying the rfid chip to her steering column and having her get a spare (dumb) key cut, though it seems one can damage the chip trying to remove it.

Any better ideas?

 

[jetta 97]

My daughter just bought an 05 Golf (gasser, sorry). It only has one key, and she is wont to lose things.

She does not have $150-200 to get a second key from the dealer.

Ive been contemplating disassembling her key and epoxying the rfid chip to her steering column and having her get a spare (dumb) key cut, though it seems one can damage the chip trying to remove it.

Any better ideas?

It is very risky to try remove rfid chip form original key, They glues very good and 99% of the time they brake , then you end up in no start situation.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

Get a spare empty fob shell for $10-20, transfer the key blade and remote circuit to the new one, leave the rfid in the old fob shell, and glue/tape/velcro that whole piece to the column. No muss, no fuss, no broken glass.

 

[benmarks]

As far as removing the little pill-shaped RFID chip, if you soak that section in nail polish remover, it will pop out pretty easily.

As far as getting a 2nd key, you can probably do it for way less. A new uncut fob can be found for $15-35. With some free command line software mentioned here on the forums, the free version of VCDS and the appropriate aftermarket OBD-2 cable (another $10-20,) you get the SKC/PIN and do the pairing. Getting the key cut would be an extra expense of maybe another $30.

Is a total cost of $30-80 more realistic?

A place like tunemyeuro.com has a lot more info and may offer easier options too for a bit more money, but still less than $150-200. A fully cut key from them is $78, and they can rent you a tool called VagTacho that is an OBD-2 cable + GUI app that can both get the SKC and pair the keys. It's $25 to rent, though they need a $500 refundable deposit which could be a problem.

 

[tgray]

The other thing you can do is to purchase a key finder to attach to the key. It may help in a bind if the key is lost it will be traceable from your phone.

 

[Zak99b5]

All good ideas/thoughts.

I have a (borrowed) VCDS, but I am not computer savvy enough to use Gemenuous' program to retrieve the SKC.

I must have at least one old flip key lying around from an old A4/B5 car that I could use. I am leaning toward swapping her blade and remote guts into a different fob, and using a dremel to remove as much plastic from around the RFID chip as possible and epoxying that on the column. This way she could get a dumb key cut for pretty cheap as a spare.

 

[gforce1108]

I bought vagtacho from sidewinder keys with a replacement key that was cut with a picture. I've programmed several other cars with it since. You can rent one from tunemyeuro.

Another option is deleting the IMMO from that ECU but I'm guessing that's also out of her budget.

 

[RexNICO]

FIRST take a good picture of the key blade, both sides!!
I think you can have a basic IMMO delete for around/under $100.
Then either get a replacement blade cut from 1 of the online places around/under $50, or try local locksmith.
Of course if you/her are worried someone will steal the car, it's going to cost more.

Good thing she didn't buy a newer car, replacement keys/fobs are significantly more expensive.

 

[hooville]

Couple more thoughts:
Remove the lower steering column cover and glue the RFID capsule near the ignition where it's out of sight and no danger of breaking, stolen or lost. As noted above soaking it out using nail polish remover is doable and pretty safe: use a plastic toothpick and if it doesn't come loose easily pour on more remover and let it soak longer. IIRC it took me about 30-40 minutes to work it loose.
OR: Go to fixmyvw.com, they make keys and you can rent a VAG-Tacho to program the IMMO and remote functions for a new key or 2 without compromising the original key for far less than the dealer. They also make Valet keys, which are fine for a MK4 unless remote unlocking is required.

Good luck, keep us posted!