Post #443,599
11/7/23 12:10:52 AM
11/7/23 12:10:52 AM
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lost set of car keys
I only have one key for my toy car 2002 mazda miata. getting ready for a road trip I misplaced my keys. searching everywhere before I left could not find them. We had time constraint due to appointments we left. Worried that an adult irresponsible child left behind would abscond with the car. Searched my travel bag after we hit the hotel. No joy.
returned home exhaustive search no joy.
called locksmith. Only way to get a replacement key for toy car was with a factory replacement blank key. Dealership replacement keys had been out of stock for years. Locksmith spent hours with no joy because replacement key needed to be factory.
spent time on web. Only way to buy a used from a junkyard, ignition set with keys, matching immobilizer control and ecu (car computer module) with no guaranty that it was useful for about $400.
spent an afternoon depressed looking for my keys again including searching my travel bag again no joy.
An hour ago spouse asked me if the set of keys she was holding were the missing ones.
asked her where she found it. In my travel bag inside a zipped pocket.
slams head on table ..... "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
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Post #443,600
11/7/23 2:14:14 AM
11/7/23 2:14:14 AM
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Locksmith spent hours doing what?
Trying to make a key for you somehow, or finding a source for factory blanks?
And above all, did you pay him for those hours? Just wondering how this works in general, what the customs are in the US. --
Christian R. Conrad
The Man Who Apparently Still Knows Fucking EverythingMail: Same username as at the top left of this post, at iki.fi
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Post #443,603
11/7/23 3:46:19 PM
11/7/23 3:46:19 PM
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Re: Locksmith spent hours doing what?
he had blanks with te correct chip but it was not a factory chip. He was not able to get past the immobilizer. The cost of the the visit and a key is $200. He did not ask for payment since he was unable to get the keys to work. I was able to get the truck and the buick to his shop to get keys mae for them and spent $150 for that. "Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
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Post #443,604
11/7/23 4:21:12 PM
11/7/23 4:21:12 PM
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There's more of that in our future
Security is good, but when everything requires factory access or an active account to unlock it, we don't really own our stuff. They should include this in right-to-repair conversations/legislation.
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Post #443,605
11/7/23 4:27:11 PM
11/7/23 4:27:11 PM
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or opensource the code if you no longet intend to support it
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" – Richard Feynman
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Post #443,606
11/7/23 10:29:27 PM
11/7/23 10:29:27 PM
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There is no place so "secure" as a "safe place".
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Post #443,608
11/8/23 3:08:35 AM
11/8/23 3:08:35 AM
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K, gotcha, thx.
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Post #443,601
11/7/23 10:02:31 AM
11/7/23 10:02:31 AM
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That's my jam
With me it was plane tickets. (Back when printed tickets were a thing.) I put them in the zippered pouch on the side of my suitcase. The night before I tore my room apart until 3 am before I looked over and noticed the zipper.
Whenever I have something that I'm going to need later, I'll try to put it in the place that I'll need it. Then I'll forget that it's already there.
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Post #443,609
11/8/23 3:13:44 AM
11/8/23 3:13:44 AM
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That, and the opposite: "Where is...? Oh, duh!"
Where are my glasses? Oh, I'm wearing them!
Where's my phone; sould I call myself so I can find it by the sound? Oh... I couldn't do that unless I were already holding it in my hand, now could I?
Those are perhaps in a way even more infuriating, but at least they resolve themselves pretty much immediately. So putting stuff in "a place you're absolutely not going to forget" and immediately forget is worse, on the whole. --
Christian R. Conrad
The Man Who Apparently Still Knows Fucking EverythingMail: Same username as at the top left of this post, at iki.fi
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Post #443,797
12/25/23 7:44:20 PM
12/25/23 7:44:20 PM
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I was locked out of my 2004 VW for about a month.
The ignition key would go in the ignition cylinder, but wouldn't turn.
I ended up investigating what it would take to replace the lock cylinder, the key switch, immobilizer, etc., etc. It was looking like I was going to have to destroy the existing cylinder to get it out after rocking the steering wheel around too much and locking the column. I was really, really trying to avoid having it towed to a dealer and spending $1000 or more to fix it.
I eventually fixed it myself.
The problem was 19 years of pocket lint and grime on the key gumming up the tumblers. I got a thin brass wire and used a lot of WD-40 to clean out the key slot and eventually everything freed up.
Yay!
I'm very happy my replacement vehicle (2024 Kia Niro PHEV) doesn't use mechanical keys any more. So far, anyway...
Glad you found your Miata keys!!
Cheers,
Scott.
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Post #443,803
12/26/23 4:26:59 PM
12/26/23 4:26:59 PM
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In 82 I lost the keys to my 77 Impala
Flathead screwdriver. That would turn the ignition but it would not turn the door lock so I had to remember to leave my doors unlocked.
Occasionally I would forget and lock myself out but I had a coat hanger wrapped around my bumper for when I needed to break into it. That would grab the flared lockhead and allow me entry.
I loved that car.
Eight cylinder roaring gas guzzler. I was not a car enthusiast but there was something special about that V8. I would accidentally race people when jumping from red to green light starts. I barely had to goose it and I was off so I was always the first guy out from a light. Which meant other guys who wanted to race would then roar by me. I occasionally played.
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