Key will not turn in ignition - Kinda fixed it

[CameraCruiser]

A couple of days ago I go to my friends house in my daily driven '98 LC and when leaving I can't turn the key in the ignition. Did all the usual stuff, eg. crank on the steering wheel, put in neutral via the button, and cussing. About the time I am ready to call AAA, I try one more time and it turns and starts as if nothing happens.

Not tempting fate I drive home and park. Turn off the LC, remove key, insert and turn and it is all locked up again. Meaning I can't turn the key more than a quarter of an inch (so it is not the cam within that is broken - since the whole ignition would just spin if that were the case). More of the above procedure and bam, it works again. So I repeat this a few times and it is not a one or two time thing.

So being smart, and not having a beer yet, I log on here to find the answer to my problem. Well sorta. Based on what I read, it was not so much my ignition, but my 13 year old key that has probably become too worn to work any more. That was the promise at least, and since I read that fixing a broken cam in the ignition can be near $1,000, I was relieved to at least try getting a new key cut.

So I get it to start the next morning and drive over to the dealer and have them cut me a new key based on the VIN. I didn't pay for a chipped key just a door key to see if it would turn easily. Well it worked better, but still stuck more than half them time. To the dealers credit they spent about an hour with me in the service writing area and we tried lubing the threads etc. So thinking this was better I left without a new chipped key. I just held the old key next to the ignition while starting with the door key (then I just put my old key aside and drive back home). I did this in hopes that the new key and some lube would get things in order. Well sorta. In essence it started jamming up, so there was no reason to get a new chipped key cut and programmed (I have already read how to do that here too) since I still had a sticking ignition.

So back to the dealer, and this is when I learn that they don't know much, although they were sincerely being helpful.

The plan was to just put in a new ignition ($171 part and 300 labor) which comes with two keys (no electronics). They thought they could just key the ignition to the key that they cut the previous day, but noooooooooooo. The ignition does not come with blank keys, it comes with keys cut to match the new ignition. Ok, i say, since we can just move the electronics to the new key cases. Dealer agrees until we all realize that I will now have one set of keys to start my LC, but another to unlock the LC if door remote were to stop working. This also applies to the glove compartment, passenger door, and rear hatch too.

So I have them do it, otherwise starting the LC is hit and miss, and I don't like "start-or-not" hanging over my head whether I am getting beer, or 200 miles off the grid.

This is really stupid. Which is the point of this post.

Is there a better solution than this???????

Was there an option that the dealer could have taken other than this???

Now, I can live with this, but it just seems like something that will will bite me later (not to mention resale).

The only way to resolve it according to the dealer is to rekey the other locks??? About $600. They said that they could not rekey the ignition???? is that true??

Crap like this is so frustrating.

Thoughts?

 

[OregonLC]

I don't have a solution for you, but I'm interested to hear what you end up with. My key slot in the ignition is very sloppy. The truck only has 77k on it, but it doesn't have a solid feel when the key goes in. Nothing I'm going to fix in the short term, but I've wondered how hard it would be to get a re-keyed ignition.

 

[CameraCruiser]

I'll post what I learn, but I hope others might have another take on this.

 

[ToyotaDon]

A locksmith can rekey any cylinder, including ignition cylinders. Every dealership I've worked for has someone they send cylinders to for rekeying.

 

[CameraCruiser]

Dan,

Thanks. So should they have just fixed the old ignition via a locksmith to resolve it not turning?

Or, once they got the new ignition with new keys, should they have trashed the new keys and just had a locksmith redo the new ignition to my old keys ( or new keys made from my VIN#)?

The last way makes the most sense because you should always be able to have new keys cut from the VIN. My dealer made that impossible.

How could the service writer/manager and two senior techs who worked with me not know this at a dealer in Southern California?

None of them were trying to sell me on $500 to $700 worth of rekeying all of the other locks, they just suggested using two keys instead.

Should I re-approach the service writer, or just go to the GM?

I always like to give everyone the chance to fix there mistakes, but this is pretty crazy if it was such a no-brainer. Not to mention, the normal thing to do, and I did ask if the ignition could be rekeyed and was told "no".

 

[CameraCruiser]

I have thought about this some more and I still have to consider the cost of getting two new keys, since the problem seems to be that my old keys and old ignition were too worn to function any more to begin with.

You can't buy new key blanks from Toyota without the electronics, which is still $250 or so per new key (I figure I can save reprogramming by using the instructions I found here). The funny thing is that I got two new keys without the electronics with the new ignition for a total of $171.00, the problem is that the new keys came cut to the new ignition.

So how do I get new blanks at a reasonable price, and where?

I just want to get my LC back to the way it was a few days ago. Reliable and bulletproof.

 

[CameraCruiser]

Good news.

Dealer is coming through and rekeying the new ignition to the original key codes.

Basically, the wrong tech did the job and was unaware that either the new ignition could be rekeyed, or thought it was dumb to not use the new keys that were provided by Toyota with the new ignition. I think it was the later of the two.

He simply did the work and did not realize until it being done that all the door keys and glove box would have to be rekeyed to match the two "free" included keys - not to mention that I could never have accurate keys made again from the VIN #.

Now the stupid part is that you can't buy new blank keys with factory Toyota shells, but instead have to buy $250 blanks with the electronics in them.

I will just get blanks over the internet.

 

[1loudLX]

that's incorrect. I bought a shell cut for my "new" truck thru lexus last month. The PO had cracked the housing but the guys were still there. cost me less than half of a full key with the guts.

 

[CameraCruiser]

Hmmm.

I never thought to check a Lexjus dealer, but no-go with 3 diff Toyota dealers. Again the screwy thing is that for $170 bucks you get a new ignition and two keys cut for it without the electronics.

The dealer thought that the keys would be blanks, not cut, and is why they went down the path that they did.

Luckilly, I kept thinking that their suggestion to have diff keys for the ignition and the doors was screwy and I called them on it. It only took them a few minutes to come around and agree to redo it for free and rekey my ignition to match my old keys and ViN # etc.

I ordered two new blanks from the net for $24. I got a set off the net before when my wife cracked her key case a couple years back on her '03 LC, and they have proven to be reliable.

 

[1loudLX]

What, they all drive mid-90s and older GMs?

 

[scottm]

Dealer agrees until we all realize that I will now have one set of keys to start my LC, but another to unlock the LC if door remote were to stop working. This also applies to the glove compartment, passenger door, and rear hatch too.

You should have a door key hidden on the vehicle, no need to carry a second key. You can hide a spare ignition key somewhere inside in this case.

Interesting that the new ignition with keys was so cheap, does the vehicle have to be programmed to accept the new keys? Do the new keys come with the remote guts or do you transfer your old ones? Does the ignition swap look like a DIY possibility?

 

[NMuzj100]

that's incorrect. I bought a shell cut for my "new" truck thru lexus last month. The PO had cracked the housing but the guys were still there. cost me less than half of a full key with the guts.

Was it genuine Lexus or just from a stack of internet blanks that they stock in their parts department. Mark them up to $100 and give the customer a complimentary Latte.

 

[1loudLX]

Was it genuine Lexus or just from a stack of internet blanks that they stock in their parts department. Mark them up to $100 and give the customer a complimentary Latte.

Genuine.

 

[CameraCruiser]

You should have a door key hidden on the vehicle, no need to carry a second key. You can hide a spare ignition key somewhere inside in this case.

Interesting that the new ignition with keys was so cheap, does the vehicle have to be programmed to accept the new keys? Do the new keys come with the remote guts or do you transfer your old ones? Does the ignition swap look like a DIY possibility?

It is all getting put back to normal on Friday. I will have new keys cut from blanks I bought off the internet and will put my electronics in them. This is what the dealer should have recommended in the first place. Suggesting that I have two sets of different keys for the same vehicle has wrong, and I have never hid a key on or in a car in 25 years, and never needed it.

If you read my earlier posts, you will see that a new ignition comes with two keys without the electronics (which is why it is only $171 for the ignition and keys.

Nothing had to be reprogrammed to my knowledge. I guess that you could do it yourself, but it is not something I have time to do.

I will update after it is all done.

 

[AATLAS1X]

Mine has been doing this for months about once a week. The way I get it to work is to slam the key in. My keys are both new 8 months or so ago and I believe it to be the switch and NOT the key.

My .03

Shane

 

[Anthony.L]

My ignition started doing acting up this week. Stick the key in and it will not turn over, try it a bunch more times and finally to turns over as normal. My key is brand new cut by the dealer just this past summer and it worked perfectly until now. I'm going to try my other brand new cut key to see if there is a difference. However from reading this thread the problem is the ignition and not the key.

I will have to stop by a local dealer and get an idea on the cost. Not looking forward to paying that $300 labor bill to R&R the ignition. However that is also a job I'm not interested in doing myself.

This combined with the upcoming $700 refurb factory NAV, going to be a expensive time for the LC.