Date:         Tue, 7 Dec 2004 18:07:20 -0800
Reply-To:     jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
Subject:      Re: Keys
In-Reply-To:  <13528.129.42.208.182.1102462486.squirrel@sqmail.strathbogi e.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 03:34 PM 12/7/2004, you wrote:
>I only had one key, and went on a hunt to find someone who could make a
>couple of spares. I found that sears could make a set, and they appeared
>to work in every lock. Sadly, I missed one lock. For some reason, my keys
>work in all locks except the Gascap. Does anyone know why this would be,
>what is different about the gascap. My Original works in in no problem.

Your question got me to wondering, so I just now went out to my Vanagon and
took apart the gas cap. The gas cap actually has wafers for ALL SIX of the
cuts in the key (crazy Germans). I'm going to bring it to work tomorrow
(I'm a locksmith) and check it out where I have more light and less rain,
but it looks like the last wafer at the end is offset towards the tip of
the key. If the key monkey at Sears didn't get the key lined up on the
machine quite right, it's possible that he may have chewed just enough off
the end of the key so that it can't quite reach the last wafer. Certain
cuts on this type of older VW key have to be made wider because the wafers
in the locks are placed at unequal intervals. I don't know if all the locks
stagger them the same way, but if they're shifted differently in the
various locks on the vehicle it's possible that the key can only "reach"
the last pin in the other locks. Really I'm just speculating without
looking based on my general knowledge of such locks and the general
incompetence most non-locksmiths (e.g. hardware stores, shoe repair guys,
dry cleaners, etc.) demonstrate in cutting keys, so I can't really say
without seeing your original key and the Sears copies.

I promise to delve deeper tomorrow into the particulars of  the staggered
wafer position in VW locks and let y'all know if my speculations are
correct or just more swamp gas.

>also, Does anyone know if the glovebox key is the same as 1/2 of the
>Ignition key?

The glovebox actually uses an old 1960-1966 beetle ignition key with no
cuts in it. It could be any one of the following: V68D / 61VW,
V68L / V61VW, V68LR / U61VW V71E / S62DW-- . My '91 takes a V68D/61VW, so
there appears to be no particular rhyme or reason to it really. They put
the same lock in a lot of different VW cars, so I think they just cycled
through the various old beetle key profiles as they ordered new shipments
of locks. The best way to deal with it is to CAREFULLY remove the glovebox
lock (or even the whole glovebox itself!), bring it into a locksmith who
has a selection of old beetle keys, and ask them to sell you a BLANK that
fits the lock (mentioning, of course, that it requires no cuts to work).

John Bange
'90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"