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VW Keys

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:10 pm
by Bonemaro
Can anyone tell me when, or perhaps on what models, these keys were used on?

Image

My 73 Ghia's key looks like the one on top. It's worn badly and I'm needing to have another made from the code. I do kinda like the style of the middle one.

Re: VW Keys

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:08 am
by Bonemaro
...also, does anyone know where we can buy the tumblers to rekey our ignition and doors?

Re: VW Keys

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:25 am
by Marc
Take a closer look, and I believe you'll find your key to be a mirror image of the one in the top of the picture.

The pictured keys are the "K" profile: http://web.archive.org/web/200603291107 ... tnum=V78JK

`71-`79 Type I (except Thing) and `71-`73 Type III use the "M" key: http://web.archive.org/web/200603291105 ... atnum=VW71

The keys with the round VW logo head were OEM in `67 and have the same keyway as the `68-`70; someone may make one that looks like that in an "M", but I'm not aware of it. You might ask Justin at Baughman Locksmith, he seems to know his VW keys (and can cut them to your key code if he has any)... [email protected]


Here're some other sources...none of them list a round-head "M", though.

http://www.vw-classicparts.de/e_content ... sseldienst

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_ ... r_keys.cfm

http://www.aircooledkey.com/

http://gabvwkey.com/

Re: VW Keys

Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:30 pm
by raygreenwood
Ths round head key on the bottom is a watercooled vw key....rabbits and sirrocco. Ray

Re: VW Keys

Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:44 pm
by Marc
Actually I doubt it - the keyways appear to be "K" profile, leading me to believe that it's an aftermarket proprietary blank, as used in some counterfeit replacement locks available a few years back...probably the snazziest-looking "K" blanks around if you can find some.
When my son lost the last key he had to his `77 Beetle years ago I bought a replacement lock cylinder w/keys for it - it was a "waterpumper" P/N, 191 905 855, with the rubber-ringed VW-logo head which was standard in the `75-`84 Rabbits, but the keyways were completely different than any aircooled lock so we were unable to key the doors to match - these cars took double-sided keys with the same cut on both sides, which could be inserted either side up. Apparently the Rabbits adopted the same basic lock cylinder design as was used in `72-up Beetles but with the double-cut key, and it became the service replacement for the aircooleds...that obsoleted the original aircooled lock which used the "K" key (or at least made it very hard to find).
I might have been able to graft some Rabbit or Vanagon lock cylinders into the Bug handles, but it wasn't a big deal for him to have different door & ign keys so I never looked into it.

Here's the factory-style MK 1 Rabbit "HV" profile key:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Rabbit-Golf- ... 1344343456

Some aftermarket replacement lock cylinders come with them, but I would imagine that VWoA's lawyers saw to it that they were replaced with ones with "plain" heads lacking the VW emblem...O'Reilly's still using an old stock photo:
http://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/img ... e1498a.jpg
...but here's what the currently-available Hella looks like:
http://www.frankcondelli.com/staging1/s ... 00x500.jpg