Ok so I've just bought a little Triumph Spitfire and she's sat on my drive ready for a little TLC before the summer.
Trouble is, I've managed to snap the ignition key in the barrel. I got the piece out with needle nose pliers, but now I don't have a key! The break is right where plastic meets metal, so the shaft of the key is entirely intact but detatched from the 'handle' and I can't use it.
Who do I take the broken-off piece to for a duplicate? Will a regular key-cutter touch it?
And no-one say: "Consult your nearest Triumph dealer..."
|
Done this several times and snapped the key half way down the shaft to boot.
A normal key cutter will have no problems with an intact shaft, they clamp the original down to copy it anyway.
Nothing to worry about excpet your 'normal' key cutters in Surrey charge £5 a key!
|
|
Thanks Thommo, I'll pop to the cutters at lunchtime.
|
|
Or buy a new ignition barrel and key. A quick search on eBay found two or three that would probably suitable for around £10. Specialist spares suppliers will also stock them too
|
Thanks for that suggestion.
That was my plan before I managed to get the piece out of the barrel, which I'll revert to if I have any problems getting new key(s) cut.
|
Problem resolved now (although yet to try the new key) and I experienced two opposites of customer service.
First place (no naming and shaming) the bloke looked at me like I had two heads and just said "I ain't got the blank mate." When really pressed he muttered that some locksmith in Borehamwood might be able to do it.
Second place (Timpsons, Welwyn GC) the guy was incredibly helpful, not to mention knowledgeable and a skilled at his job.
He though initially that the key might be too twisted to copy, but a bit of pressure in a vice and it was soon flat enough. He didn't have the blank, but asked me to get a photocopy image of the key so he could order one.
Nipped up the road to the copy shop and came back with the copy. While I was gone he'd found a house key blank that looked identical to the Triumph one, and checked it against his reference book. It was the same blank. He made me a copy gave it to me to take home on a 'try before you buy' basis. Not only that, he asked how much the photocopies were so he could deduct the 28p from the eventual bill.
|
|
C'mon GF1, tell us if the new key worked or not!
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately the key didn't work. It seemed the blank wasn't quite right, and even when the correct blank turned up the manager of the place said that the broken key was too distorted to get a proper cut.
Nil desperandum, with the photocopies of the broken key (and of course some proof that the car is mine) they are sending it off to be resolved by a higher power. They are confident that a new key can be made from scratch, not sure how.
In the meantime, I want to do some tuning work on the engine and possibly take it for a pre-MOT inspection. Seems I'll have to hot-wire the thing as the key may take a while. In any case I'll be taking the ignition block off to take it back to the cutters with me when the key arrives - I don't want to mess them around having to take it home to try it out.
Now I understand the principle of hot-wiring a car (and the electrics on this are particularly simple and accessible) - you simply bypass the ignition switch and complete the circuit. But I've never actually done it. What I need to know is, is there any possibility of dangerous current or voltages around the ignition switch? I want to be confident that I won't fry myself or ruin the battery.
If the mods think advice on hot-wiring is inappropriate for this forum, please e-mail any tips to gfewster@zoom.co.uk
All help gratefully received.
|
|
|
![2021 Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T 160 [157] Acenta Premium 5dr DCT](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/assets.heycar.co.uk/t_default-export/f_auto/application_assets/vehicles/pictures/da990225dbcac5ecfadc85d8ad4e2654/690936625217cd1efba5c9cdd4bc42f1.jpg)
