Lost every Volkswagen key?
No working key on a pre-MQB Volkswagen is a routine visit. The immobilizer data is read from the car, a new blade is cut to your locks, and the key is programmed and tested before we leave.
Any lost key gets deleted from the immobilizer memory for free. The all-keys-lost work adds $60, and the registration or title has to match a photo ID you show at the car.
On an MQB car the same job takes longer. The data usually comes from the instrument cluster, which sometimes means easing it out of the dash, and on most of these cars it goes through an online calculation before a new key is accepted. Plan on a longer visit, at the same $60 addition.
What the dealer charges, and why
At a VW dealer the key is ordered against your VIN, which usually means one to three days, and then adapted to the car with Volkswagen's factory software over an online connection. Quotes land near $290 for a chip key, $380 for a flip key and $600 for an MQB key before tax.
With no key left, getting the car to the service department takes a flatbed, which typically runs $125 to $200. Our price already includes the drive, and the programming happens in the spot where the car is parked.
Two things we say on the phone first
On MQB cars we check the VIN before quoting, because the dashboard version decides how the job goes. Some newer dashboards still have no aftermarket route when every key is lost. If yours is one, you will hear it on the first call along with what the dealer will ask for, and nobody spends an afternoon on a job that stalls halfway.
Keys bought online or pulled from a salvage car are the other conversation. A Volkswagen key that has been programmed to one car usually refuses a second, so check the part number with us first. That one call can save the price of a useless key.