Got caught out with limited functions of spare key

[mointainwalker]

When I bought my car 7 years ago there was only one key: not wanting to take riskes I went and sourced a second one. Having bought a genuine GM key a couple of years before, I was unhappy at the memory of paying £ 150 for the key and £ 25 ( ?) for mating to the car, so went to a Timpson's shop as they had been mentioned on numerous posts generally. As I recall I was offered a key with remote functions for £ 100 and a standard key for £ 50 - both including mating to the car: since it was a back-up I thought the remote option superfluous and took the cheaper key. I obviously tried the key and it opened and started the car so I believed everything was in order.

Seven years later I mis-placed my key at home and since I had an early-morning dentist's appointment, decided to use the spare instead of searching further. Post appointment I went to get fuel and was surprised at the pump when I realised that the key didn't actuate the universal unlocking and therefore the fuel-flap and I was locked out. A quick Net search showed that whereas most cars allow you to unlock the flap by removing the internal boot-cladding to access a back-up pull-strap, this was not the case with my Vectra and it required wheel-and wheel-liner removal followed by some complicated reaching around the top of the arch - just too difficult where I was !

This was a real bugger as I was very low on fuel ( not something I usually do but had just returned late at night from holiday ), was 50 km away from home and with possibly 50 km of fuel left, based on experience. Risking it was too dangerous as I live up a mountain, and lots of the road is cliff-face, road and then barrier and drop-off. If I ran out there it would be damn dangerous and probably a very large tow-bill. Deciding to be sensible I drove and then hitched the 20 km home from the next valley town, searched and found my key after a couple of hours and then hitched back to my car.

Even though this was a waste of about 6 hours, in hind-sight I still counted myself very lucky that this had happened close to home, because if I had lost my key the previous week when I was 500 km away from home, I would either have had maybe a few hours dirty work in a hotel car-park, or waiting a few days and paying many hundred Euros for a new key with remote.

When I bought the key, I believed that I was getting full functionality just without the wireless option and the Timpson's guy didn't tell me any different ( if he knew ). I obviously didn't register that there was no loud clunking noise from multiple locks unlocking when I tried the key that first time. Now I need to decide whether to buy a new fully functional key at high price, or see if I can rig a cord/wire from the flap-actuator and hide it behind the wheel-liner. I will also write to Timpson and ask if it is always the case that their standard key doesn't actuate all locks.

Try out your spare key guys, if it's not a genuine part. Let us know if it is also limited in functionality.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Try out your spare key guys, if it's not a genuine part. Let us know if it is also limited in functionality.

I have two, fully functional, keys, but, if I unlock with the key in the door, it only unlocks the drivers door. If, however, I press a button on the dash, it unlocks the rest of the doors. Not sure whether it also unlocks the filler, or not, I've never tested that, but I would expect it to.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Is it a vauxhall with double locking?

Unlock the car twice and then see if it works

 

[Scally-Ho]

Reading this makes me appreciate the remote fuel filler unlocking lever alongside my driver's seat

 

[robinbanks]

Consider keeping a 5 litre can of fuel in the car too?

And perhaps modify your fuel flap catch so you can activate it from in the boot..

 

[HERTS P&D]

Consider keeping a 5 litre can of fuel in the car too?

The fuel would be worth more than the car!



Andy

 

[mointainwalker]

Is it a vauxhall with double locking?

Unlock the car twice and then see if it works

Aaarrrrrrggggghhhh- was my reaction when I read this. What if.....bloody hell......

In the way that you do when you have a switch that isn't immediately reacting, I was fairly certain that I had done multiple lock/unlock attempts to and fro, but certainly not a calm and definite "now I'll try a double-unlock".

Just done it now and it doesn't work .

Herts P&D comment about the fuel: hurtful....................but possibly true , although it's always possible to sell wheels with winter-tyres around here.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Aaarrrrrrggggghhhh- was my reaction when I read this. What if.....bloody hell......

In the way that you do when you have a switch that isn't immediately reacting, I was fairly certain that I had done multiple lock/unlock attempts to and fro, but certainly not a calm and definite "now I'll try a double-unlock".

Just done it now and it doesn't work .

Herts P&D comment about the fuel: hurtful....................but possibly true , although it's always possible to sell wheels with winter-tyres around here.

Ok bad luck.

But also, is there an interior lock/unlock switch on the dash ?

Try that twice too.

I don't really understand why the key is the issue, if it unlocks the doorS then no reason why the fuel flap shouldn't.

 

[mointainwalker]

Ok bad luck.

But also, is there an interior lock/unlock switch on the dash ?

Try that twice too.

I don't really understand why the key is the issue, if it unlocks the doorS then no reason why the fuel flap shouldn't.

It doesn't unlock the doors, just the driver's door where the key is physically turning the door-lock. In order to unlock all doors and fuel-flap it would have to access the cental-locking system which is apparently not mechanically-linked to the driver's door . I have received the following quick reply from Timson's .

..............................

"As you mentioned, you opted for the standard (non-remote) key at the time, which is typically designed to operate the ignition and the driver’s door. Features such as the fuel flap are often controlled via the central locking system, which in many cases requires a fully remote key to function. I’m sorry if this wasn’t specifically explained when you purchased the key."

..............................

EDIT: Following up on your comment about some other button in the car, I remembered that there are door lock/unlock controls grouped together with the window-controls. and I have never used these: I think I reckoned they were "security controls" the same as the first click on the key-remote which only opens the driver's door and were thus unnecessary for me..


Bugger, bugger, bugger. When I got in and turned on the ignition, these buttons activated the central-locking including the fuel-flap. Another reminder for me that I have a strong tendency to focus too closely on a problem ( especially when under time pressure ) and not consciously slowing down and asking myself what other solutions there could be. This concentration thus excluded other potential solutions outside the direct area of the lock , or the fuel-flap mechanism.

Grrrrh. I will however choose to look on the bright side that I now know that my cheap key helps me in all circumstances and I enjoyed walking three miles in beautiful sunny auumn weather. Thanks Carmemoranda for your comments on the likelihood of internal controls which have proved to be accurate.

I am, of course, confident that you will all forget about this understandable lapse and not mention it again

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Of course I wouldn't even think about mentioning anything about it.

You're not the 1st to be confused with vauxhall fuel flap releases. And they do play up.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

And just another thought.

Try the other door, double unlocking. Is it rhd, LHD, or either of them converted ?

 

[mointainwalker]

Standard RHD. Other door has no lock other than central-locking.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Grrrrh. I will however choose to look on the bright side that I now know that my cheap key helps me in all circumstances and I enjoyed walking three miles in beautiful sunny auumn weather. Thanks Carmemoranda for your comments on the likelihood of internal controls which have proved to be accurate.

Well, so long as you enjoyed your enforced walk

My remote, first press unlocks the drivers door, so no one uninvited can jump in. Press twice, it unlocks all four doors, long press opens the boot. Often I get in with single press, then press the button on the dash to unlock the other three doors.

 

[robinbanks]

these buttons activated the central-locking including the fuel-flap

You now potentially have another route; you can buy fob+relay sets for about a fiver these days - relay up to the buttons and you have a spare remote for a very low price. They're mainly intended for garage doors, but its basically capable of activating any switched load when the fob button is pressed

 

[Burnerman]

I have fitted a new cap solenoid to a diesel Astra - about £25 I think.
They do seem to collect a fair bit of crud in that area - aided by some diesel splash, no doubt.
John