MyE28.com

If anyone works at a car dealership you can confirm this, ok?
This was sent to me by a friend of mine.
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Seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car
or truck without any effort at all. The car thieves peer through the
windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN from the label
on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate
key based on the VIN.

I didn't believe this e-mail, so I called a friend at Chrysler Dodge
and pretended I had lost my keys. They told me to just bring in the
VIN, and they would cut me one on the spot, and I could order the
keyless device if I wanted.

The Car Dealer's Parts Department will make a duplicate key from the
VIN, and collect payment from the thief who will return to your
car. He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or
draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car,
insert the key and off he goes to a local Chop Shop with your
vehicle.

You don't believe it? It IS that easy.

To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some tape (electrical
tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN Metal Label located
on the dash board. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you can
cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.

I urge you to forward this to your friends before some car thief
steals your car or truck.
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Ok people, you tell me, is this true or does a dealership also need to see your reg, ID and other stuff?

It's true!

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/vin.asp

Most dealerships have caught on to this and now require some proof of ownership before they will make a key off a VIN. But the short answer is yes, you can have a key cut for most cars simply by providing the VIN to the dealer. They can look up the codes in their records and cut a key.

As they say, better safe than sorry -- so there's a piece of black electrical tape over the VIN plate on my wife's CRV. My BMW's are old enough or Euro enough that the VIN is not visible if the car is closed up.

Not totaly true,

The keys aren't cut by the dealership they are ordered allready cut and they have to provide the copies of the proof of ownership they get from you to BMW NA. My local dealership requires you bring in the regestration and they copy that as well as your driver license. If as in the snopes the thief is making up fake titles then they would also have to make a fake ID to match. Seems like a lot of trouble when they could just break a window and flat bed the car off.

Anytime somthing like this comes out and attempts to say that all car manufactures operate the same way, I have to toss the BS flag.

Actually, this is 100% true!

I worked in Mopar parts for 12 years. What you described is all it takes. Get the VIN and the dealer can cut the key. As far as Mopar stuff goes, you log onto the D/C computer, punch in the vin and you get the key code. Or if you are the selling dealer, you pull the key code from the deal jacket. Take it to the parts department and THEY can cut the key right there.
BUT, most dealers will ask for proof of ownership and photo ID that matches the title. I would always request the ORIGINAL title and photo ID that matches the address and name on the title.

Now, with this info.....there are other things that can be done. Take a dealership employee for instance....Let's say me..... I could walk up to any Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep vehicle, get the vin, cut a key and drive off. Yes, this included Vipers. It really is that easy.

As for BMW, when you order a new key, they will require all the verification stuff, then order you a key. BUT, if you did have the key code for some reason, you could go pretty much anywhere that has a BMW key code book to translate that code into cuts, they could cut the key and off you go.

Another spin on this....Back to Chrysler stuff...If you know what you are doing with chrysler keys (and really any key for that matter) you can just look at the key, read the cut depths and go make a key with a hand punch you can buy on the internet... What that means is....I can just plain old look at your Chrysler key, and cut an exact duplicate from just looking at it. (Yes, I have done this on more than one occasion to prove my point). I would have people call and say... "my wife has locked the keys in the car, I have the spare and I am 1000 miles away." I would ask them to make a Xerox copy of the key, fax me that copy and I could simply cut the key buy looking at the fax copy!!! That's 100% true!!!

Scary stuff, it is real.

When I was @ Laguna Seca in 97 for the historics, we were staying at a hotel that backed right up to a Dodge dealer. Our balcony was right above a row of Ram's in the back lot. I could have easily jumped down into the back lot at night, grabbed a VIN, called back to the dealership I was working at, have them give me the key code and then walk into this dodge dealer and have them cut me a key. I then could have walked right into the back lot and drove away and no one would have known any better.

Most manufactures are building keys to stop things such as this. I.E.. late model BMW keys are cut on a special machine that pretty much no-one has.....But our E28 keys are not. We are fair game for this trick. Sad, but true.

TT

Ok,

I cant speak about other manufacturers just on my experence with BMW. If your BMW is older than 1984 your safe, they have purged the database of older info, I have been able to get 1984 keys but none older.

I know my local BMW dealer is pretty strict. I saw them refuse a guy because the address on his registration didnt match the address on his license.

Not sure what year they started but with newer BMWs all the keys are already made, there is somthing like 10 keys made. If you manage to go thru all 10 you have to get the lock cylinder changed and that is expensive.

Before I learned I could get new keys from the dealer I tried to get a copy made of a key i had, and it was a pain. Most shops dont want to mess with them or dont have the proper blanks. I have a couple of keys that look like they should work but dont.

A local Cadillac dealer had 5 (count 'em 5!!) Escalades stolen one night last year.
Cops couldn't figure out how the crooks drove them off the lot. They turned up abandoned
2 days later, all intact except for the 20" wheels - all ripped off. I thought those cars had some
kind of chip in the key that prevents theft but maybe this VIN thing could even dupe that system too?

The local BMW place here wants registration or a title when you show up to get the key.

Since I am THE parts pimp/employee/associate/owner/yadayada...at a dealership I will clarify what the real deal is. At least at my place.

If you want a key made from BMW NA, you are required to bring me your registration and/or title, your drivers lic that matches the beforementioned, and it has to be prepaid in person. If you cant meet these requirements..."NO TICKET? NO LAUNDRY!" Sometimes its a real PITA if you have lost your only key(s). But whos fault is that. These rules are purely for the security of your vehicle. HTH.


[Edit by Brian Da Parts Pimp on [TIME]1106972950[/TIME]]