Glass key & plastic key innards
Discussion
Handyman2009 said:
Excellent post. Many thanks for that. It’s disclosed a short cut which had not occurred to me though: as I have a plastic and crystal key already, if I were to get another crystal key with functioning innards, I don’t really need to do any transplanting. I can start the car with the three keys sequentially and thereby program the new key to my car, giving me three functioning fobs two of which are crystal keys (the Irish07 trick that you confirmed in post 10 of your thread). Right?
This is a supplement to handyman2009’s excellent post linked above. It’s a “how to” and “what can’t be done” guide.
I started off with a glass key, a plastic key and one of these funny lookin’ fellas:
Then I acquired a second glass key from eBay. The description said “key code not included”.I wasn’t really sure what this meant at the time, but I know now.
The plan originally was to have three fully functioning keys. Coding the second glass key to start the car is easy. You start the car with your first key, then you start it with your second key, then you start it with your new key. All in ten seconds or so. Despite fully expecting the new key to do precisely nothing, I was surprised to find that this works. So now I had three keys that start the car.
However, the new key would *only* start the car, and wouldn’t unlock or lock it. A call to the AM dealer disclosed the importance of the key code. An AM dealer can code a key to lock and unlock your car if you have the key code that came with the key. Otherwise no go.
Hmm.
So then Plan B went into effect. Plan B was to have two glass keys, and the funny lookin’ fella plus the plastic key as a backup/valet option (though I am pretty certain I would never hand my car over to a valet, because I’ve seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).
This meant swapping the circuit board (which does the locking and unlocking) from the plastic key into the new glass key and vice versa.
Opening the plastic key is a two stage job. First stage is to pop the end off. Insert a thin jeweller’s screwdriver into the hole at the end of the key and twiddle until the end piece comes off (you’re trying to release a catch):
Stage 2 is opening the plastic key body. If there’s a trick to doing this, I couldn’t figure it out. Eventually brute force got me in, at the expense of one of the retaining catches (the loss of this seemed to make no difference when I put it back together):
On one side is the locking/unlocking circuit board. On the other is the battery and the five sided transponder that starts the car. That’s the thing that gets recoded using the three key routine. The circuit board lifts out.
Next, open the glass key. Undo the two screws that are visible:
They both have plastic washers - one of mine stayed in the key body and the other came out on the shaft of the screw. Don’t lose them.
Then slide off the metal part of the key, Keep the button side facing downwards, and slide out the innards of the key sideways:
Take care sliding the innards out, because the only thing holding the buttons in place is the pressure of the innards on their reverse side. And if they fall out, remember which positions they should go in when you put them back.
Now, open up the innards. This is a bit tricky: the innards are glued shut at four contact points at the corners (see handyman2009’s post). I used a penknife to open the seals. This gives an idea of how far the blade has to go:
Once you’re in, you just swap over the circuit boards. I didn’t bother gluing the innards back together because the pressure of the outer case of the glass key holds it together. And the plastic key just snaps back together.
Plan B successfully executed. Two fully functioning glass keys and a plastic key/metal key combo for emergencies.
I started off with a glass key, a plastic key and one of these funny lookin’ fellas:
Then I acquired a second glass key from eBay. The description said “key code not included”.I wasn’t really sure what this meant at the time, but I know now.
The plan originally was to have three fully functioning keys. Coding the second glass key to start the car is easy. You start the car with your first key, then you start it with your second key, then you start it with your new key. All in ten seconds or so. Despite fully expecting the new key to do precisely nothing, I was surprised to find that this works. So now I had three keys that start the car.
However, the new key would *only* start the car, and wouldn’t unlock or lock it. A call to the AM dealer disclosed the importance of the key code. An AM dealer can code a key to lock and unlock your car if you have the key code that came with the key. Otherwise no go.
Hmm.
So then Plan B went into effect. Plan B was to have two glass keys, and the funny lookin’ fella plus the plastic key as a backup/valet option (though I am pretty certain I would never hand my car over to a valet, because I’ve seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).
This meant swapping the circuit board (which does the locking and unlocking) from the plastic key into the new glass key and vice versa.
Opening the plastic key is a two stage job. First stage is to pop the end off. Insert a thin jeweller’s screwdriver into the hole at the end of the key and twiddle until the end piece comes off (you’re trying to release a catch):
Stage 2 is opening the plastic key body. If there’s a trick to doing this, I couldn’t figure it out. Eventually brute force got me in, at the expense of one of the retaining catches (the loss of this seemed to make no difference when I put it back together):
On one side is the locking/unlocking circuit board. On the other is the battery and the five sided transponder that starts the car. That’s the thing that gets recoded using the three key routine. The circuit board lifts out.
Next, open the glass key. Undo the two screws that are visible:
They both have plastic washers - one of mine stayed in the key body and the other came out on the shaft of the screw. Don’t lose them.
Then slide off the metal part of the key, Keep the button side facing downwards, and slide out the innards of the key sideways:
Take care sliding the innards out, because the only thing holding the buttons in place is the pressure of the innards on their reverse side. And if they fall out, remember which positions they should go in when you put them back.
Now, open up the innards. This is a bit tricky: the innards are glued shut at four contact points at the corners (see handyman2009’s post). I used a penknife to open the seals. This gives an idea of how far the blade has to go:
Once you’re in, you just swap over the circuit boards. I didn’t bother gluing the innards back together because the pressure of the outer case of the glass key holds it together. And the plastic key just snaps back together.
Plan B successfully executed. Two fully functioning glass keys and a plastic key/metal key combo for emergencies.
A postscript.
As reported above I did the old key 1/old key 2/new key start up routine in 10 secs and the new key started the car.
Then I left the new key in the drawer and didn’t use it for a bit. Took it out this morning to use to find that it turned the ignition on and all the car’s systems, but wouldn’t start the engine.
So I did the three key trick again and it did. I wondered whether it needed a bit of time to complete the coding so drove the car with it for a couple of hours today. Then when I returned to the car after having left it, same thing: it turns the ignition and systems on but won’t turn the engine over.
So I’ve transplated the glued in 5 sided transponders from the plastic key to the new key and will settle for just having two glass keys and no backup.
As reported above I did the old key 1/old key 2/new key start up routine in 10 secs and the new key started the car.
Then I left the new key in the drawer and didn’t use it for a bit. Took it out this morning to use to find that it turned the ignition on and all the car’s systems, but wouldn’t start the engine.
So I did the three key trick again and it did. I wondered whether it needed a bit of time to complete the coding so drove the car with it for a couple of hours today. Then when I returned to the car after having left it, same thing: it turns the ignition and systems on but won’t turn the engine over.
So I’ve transplated the glued in 5 sided transponders from the plastic key to the new key and will settle for just having two glass keys and no backup.
Found this really helpful, thank you!
With other cars I've been able to buy new cases and transplant the electronics (Jags, MG's etc) but I don't seem to be able to find a provider of the empty shell and buttons is there a link anyone can share please, I understand that the glass one is AM or second hand but the plastic one should surely be a simple search and find?
With other cars I've been able to buy new cases and transplant the electronics (Jags, MG's etc) but I don't seem to be able to find a provider of the empty shell and buttons is there a link anyone can share please, I understand that the glass one is AM or second hand but the plastic one should surely be a simple search and find?
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