A spare VW key while you still have one
The easiest VW key to make is a spare — cut and coded from the key you already hold. The cut and the programming are read from the original, so the job is quick and there is no guesswork. It is also the cheapest moment to get a second key: once the only key is gone, the replacement has to be built from the car instead. If you are down to one VW key, now is the time for the second one — our spare key page covers it in full.
Golf, Polo and the rest of the range
The Golf and the Polo are the Volkswagens we are asked about most in Birmingham, and both now use remote or keyless fobs rather than a plain blade. The same goes for the wider range: a fob with lock and unlock buttons and a blade inside for emergencies, or a keyless unit that never leaves your pocket. The programming is different from model to model and year to year, so those two facts are what we need from the first call.
Cut and coded — the two halves of a VW key
Every modern VW key is two jobs at once. The blade is cut so it turns in the locks and the ignition, and the chip inside is coded so the car recognises the key and starts. A key that has only been cut will not start the car, and a key that has only been coded will not turn in the lock. Both halves are done at your car, and the finished key is tried in the doors and the ignition before we leave.
Fob silent? Battery, buttons or chip
When a VW fob stops working, the battery is the first suspect — it is the most common fault and the cheapest to put right. But a fob that has been dropped in water, buttons worn flat with use, and a chip that has failed all leave it just as silent. A battery will not fix those, and a new fob will not fix a flat battery. We test both at the car and tell you which one is the problem before any work starts.