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Date:         Wed, 8 Dec 2004 01:58:59 -0600
Reply-To:     Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Keys
Comments: To: jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <6.1.2.0.2.20041207171601.03729ad0@mail.dslextreme.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Regarding the gas cap key: Here in the great salty midwest, locking gas caps get corroded where they turn and this offers a great opportunity to twist off the ignition/ door key. I have found that a 1/4" straight blade screwdriver, fully inserted into the key slot and then turned with a channellocks (okay, German Knipex!) pliers one time will nicely BREAK all the finely engineered German lock wafers and render this formerly finicky POS (that's Point Of Sale) into a practical US engineered semi-locking gas cap that anyone can open with said straight blade screwdriver that you now keep under the passenger seat so it is within reach whenever you gas up and also for other emergencies if they ever arise! (Should I have made that into more than one sentence?) Al Brase

jbange wrote:

> 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" >


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