UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

My car only came with one key- a key with the built in remote. But the buttons to lock and unlock aren't working properly. Was thinking I need to make a spare key any way, what's the best method to go about it?

Would I be able to buy a blank key from eBay an get it cut from any keycutter?
What about the circuit board for the buttons? And the little black chip? (transponder?)

Your probably best going to Volkwagen dude, especially for the chip.

Have you tried replacing the battery on your current key? they do need doing every 5 or 6 years really.

I'm sure I read somewhere the other day that VW charge about £150 for a spare key!

emma_88 wrote:I'm sure I read somewhere the other day that VW charge about £150 for a spare key!

£150? really for a Key?
Surely that can't be right, I know VW are grave robbers but even that sounds excessive for them

Woah that is expensive!
Yeah tried two sets of batteries now, I think the circuit board might be knackered or the buttons on the board might not be getting hit properly.

Thought it might be an idea to have a spare key anyway!
There's a blank key on eBay for 9 quid. But no chip an circuit board...

thats sounds about right for a key from VW im affraid. I asked my boyfriend for one as i only have the one key and am scared of loosing it.
and even with dicount its still like £100
the bit they would get in...then add 20% as the money they make. and then the guys have to code it with your car so you get charged labor i believe

Jack had to serve some old g*t that had messed with his key.
was a complete know it all. maoning about his key not working anymore.
they opened up the fob and the circuit board was missing.
he claimed that all he had done was change the battery. but hed obviously broken it.
so they got him a new fob and circuit board.
then he had a moan at having to wait for them to code it. and thought he could just press the botton and it would work with his car lol

Ahh I see. I messaged the seller on eBay, he said if I'm local to him he can do the cut along with transponder and circuit board for £80 all in. He says if not it should cost me around £50 to reprogram it.

£80 is not bad, but would rather spend a bit less if possible, is reprogramming more then just what you do when you put in new batteries?

Do you have an aftermarket HeadUnit in the car?

Yeah I have mate, why?

Neither of my keys worked properly when I got my GTI, after much googling I found out it is something to do with the way the HU is wired up. It can affect any car not just a Polo..

What I did was whip the headunit out, and swapped over the red and yellow wires (mine had joins so it was a case of just swapping them straight over). Ever since I did this, my RCL has worked off the key no problems Hope this helps!

If its the GTI key, the fob and key are seperate. hickleys.co.uk sell new remote fobs for £45 plus delivery. Got one for mine, and it fixed the problem straight off and works a treat!

You dont need to reprogram the key to start the car either, as the transponder for the immobiliser is in the blade part of the key and not the remote.

Ahh I see, thanks for replies I'll look into gettin a new fob (although I do need a spare key too!)
Getting fed up of having to unlock the door an quickly puttin the key in the ignition lol.
Although I remember having to swap over the red and yellow cables when the headunit was first fitted due to the system not working.
The actual red light on the key doesn't work, so I got a feeling it's damaged

I'm having the same issues with my key at the moment, but luckily I have a working spare.

My LED doesn't flash, BUT... I have taken it apart and I think I know what the issue is...

Basically take the key apart like you would change a battery and you get below: If you look at the battery side, there are two sticking up metal prongs (circled) which touch the two copper sections on the circuit board on the edge of the board (arrowed), not on top section what you can see actually bang on the side of the board - the contact however runs from what you see on the top and again underneath. This is obviously how the key gets it's power.



The circuit board is held on by two very week plastic rivet things as circled:



If your very careful you can prise the circuit board off and you can see where the battery prongs make contact with the board (Circled).



Now, I have played with the two parts and got the battery prongs to touch the correct section of the circuit board (just not where it normally sits) and got the key to flash and work.. But when I put the key back together it doesn't work... I think that press after press after press after press has worn away the small section of circuit board that the prongs touch.

I am going down to my local motor factor to buy some Silver conductive paint (like this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REAR-WINDOW-DEMIS ... e6fffce82f) It's basically the same stuff to fix broken rear demisters. Halfords sells the stuff, well used to... I reckon if you re-paint the circuit board where the prongs touch it'll fix the keys!!

hi mate, thanks for your reply, i did exactly what you did not long ago and noticed the same problem!

first of all i thought it was the batteries, changed them and after a while it stopped working!
then i thought maybe they were a dodgy-old set of batteries or summat so tried more batteries - these worked for a bit but only when the connector was touching!

leme know how you get on with that, i might give it ago!