Posted: 5/28/2009 10:34:04 AM EDT
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How many different car keys does a given model of car have. I mean, they can all be unique keys, can they?
Same for the electric key fob things. How many different codes do those things have? No reason for asking, just curious. |
| Eh, worked at a car dealership in highschool, we had three older Neons there at one time that had keys that kinda worked in each other. Two of them would unlock each other, and the third one wouldn't work in the door locks, but would start one of the other two. Thought it was a little odd, yay Chrysler. |
| I want to say the older chevy's we used to work with had 5 teeth with three positions. I'd suspect atleast 75 different keys for the millions made, but I could be wrong, it could be 5 teeth with 5 positions making 3125 possible keys. The more teeth in the lock cylinder with the more positions available for each tooth, the more possible keys. However as the lock cylinders wear out, they become susceptible to bumping. |
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I borrowed my mother's Bonneville one day because my car was in the shop.
Coming out of the Home Depot, I walked up to what I thought was her car. Same make, model and color. My key opened the door. 
As I looked down I saw a bunch of crap on the passenger's seat and in the console that wasn't mine. Oh shit! There was a shopping bag in the back seat too. I just locked the car back up and walked away. My mom's car was parked a little further down the row. I imagine that the other ladies keys would have worked in her door. GM has the passkey ignitions so I don't know if that key worked as well. I didn't give that a try but I think that's a whole other set of improbable odds. |
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about 15 years ago I lost the last ignition key to my work truck when I worked landscapeing (damn sewer grate!) Boss called out a lock smith and he had a big ass ring of like 100 keys on it. He started trying them in the ignition and on about the 10 one the truck started. He cut a new key on the spot with a key gun and I was back in business. This was on a early 90's Ford F350.
J- |
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Literally billions of codes for electronic ones. They eventually run out and need to be replaced. By "eventually" I mean if you started the car 40 times every day for 60 years, you would need a new key.
There are 8 keys that can be assigned to a Mercedes at any given time. Each key has two additional replacements, so there can be up to 24 keys for a particular car. Run out of replacements and you are looking at a new lockset and igniton switch, on some of them an engine computer as well. We rarely ever run in to this scenario so I'm a little fuzzy. I know on an M class it costs around $2800, and on those that need it, the repairs usually exceed the value of the vehicle. |
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Always wondered about that.
A few years ago, my mom had a 2000 Chevy Blazer, four-door. A neighbor 2 units over had a 2000 Chevy Blazer, two-door. Both were even the same color. I always wondered if the four-door could unlock the two-door, and vice versa. I don't think one could start the other, cause of chips in the keys. (Passkey as ColonelHurtz pointed out.) 
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| The blazers don't have chips in the keys, they utilize something else in the ignition switch.... I had keys made right off the rack at the store, its just a plain key. Some older GM products had a precision resistor in the key, but it was something you could just look at and see, a black square with a wire running through it. |
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Quoted:
The blazers don't have chips in the keys, they utilize something else in the ignition switch.... I had keys made right off the rack at the store, its just a plain key. Some older GM products had a precision resistor in the key, but it was something you could just look at and see, a black square with a wire running through it. This. It doesn't reset a code everytime you use the ignition. When I had keys made for my Buick the locksmith had blanks with the correct resistor in them. And here's a hint for anyone who has this kind of key. If you get a little grease or other foreign matter on the resistor, your car won't start.
Just wipe it off. Took me about 30 minutes to figure that out. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The blazers don't have chips in the keys, they utilize something else in the ignition switch.... I had keys made right off the rack at the store, its just a plain key. Some older GM products had a precision resistor in the key, but it was something you could just look at and see, a black square with a wire running through it. This. It doesn't reset a code everytime you use the ignition. When I had keys made for my Buick the locksmith had blanks with the correct resistor in them. And here's a hint for anyone who has this kind of key. If you get a little grease or other foreign matter on the resistor, your car won't start.
Just wipe it off. Took me about 30 minutes to figure that out. some newer ones do have a chip in the key, not the resistor of old, but a RF transmitter some others have PASSLOCK, which is a hall effect sensor in the lock cylinder |