Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[sev]

I sold the omega today for the princly sum of 400 quid.

Right being the caring soul I am, I told the buyer to keep in touch if there was a problem.

Lo and behold I got a call back about an hour and a bit ago...

The ignition key housing snapped thanks to 15 year old brittle plastic.  The guy removed the blade with pliers and tried the spare key in the barrel.

The spare key it would appear was worn or something as I remember it took a fair bit of jiggling in the lock to get it to turn, I only ever used  it once, when I bought the car and never really picked it up again. The other key never had any problems until now where the case has now broken  :

Anyway, the spare key was used, and now the lock is spinning freely as IIRC, there is a safety mechanism which makes the lock freewheel to stop it being forcibly damaged.

I've just called him, and he says the car is at his local garage. I'd like to ask this,

When the lock freewheels does this now mean a new barrel, or will just sticking the correct key in the lock allow it to engage once again?

I've found a supplier of OEM key blanks and transponder units, and for the sake of 20 quid i've offered to have a set sent to him so he can get the keys cut and swap out the original transponders.

Naturally i'm a bit peeved that it's all happened to the new owner within hours of sale.  :-/

[feeutfo]

something of a coincidence that its broken so soon? Or am i being cynical?
£20 seems ott for a key blade. Have you asked one of the Admins ? They used to have a supply. Not sure if thats still the case though?

[sev]

something of a coincidence that its broken so soon? Or am i being cynical?
£20 seems ott for a key blade. Have you asked one of the Admins ? They used to have a supply. Not sure if thats still the case though?

Yea you are being cynical.    The truth is that the plstic housing was broken once before but I managed to sort it with some plsatic weld.  Unfortunately looking at the photo he sent me it's gone in another place now.

20 quid was for a pair of complete blank blades with new plastic fobcase and delivery.  He may as well get two new keys cut and that way he's got a mint pair. The chap at the company said just use a jewellers screwdriver  and swap over the transponders just like the oem ones.

I only hope that the garage doesn't convince him he needs a new barrel / keys/ recode 

The blades themselves are injection moulded into the fobcase which is what caused the ballache to start with. So when the case became brittle, the blade mounting was weakended.  I suppose I was always careful when I turned the key as i've had the fob pop open.

[sev]

thanks for all the support, I bought him a new barrel  set and keys in the end from a nearby breakers.