Feedback Requested on Keys

[pdxmotorhead]

Does your key have a thick or thin plastic part?
Mine is not much thicker than the metal,
My wifes has the little light in it.
Also is your key a laminated metal part or
1 piece, trying to figure out if there is any way to
tell if the key has a chip....

Dave

[Dredder]

pdxmotorhead, what parts of portland are you from. I might be down at PIR tommorow. I was there last weekend but i didnt get a chance to run my car. I got a chance to see this 9sec. RX7 made by groundzero motorsports. Damn that was a quick car. Where is competition motorsports located. I want to run higher octane gas when im at the track. Do you guys sell them?
The top of my keys are a really thin. That was the reason i believe it was not chipped.

[pdxmotorhead]

I'll be at our truck most likely. I live about 3 min from PIR.
We will be supporting the road race (In the Infield) and if the
rain god leaves we will be headed out to run a dirt car.
Competition Motorsports (the shop) is located on Williams
which is the street by the Shell next door to the ford dealer
on Broadway. We are about 6 blocks north where Pacific
used to be.

Yes we sell race gas. Sunoco 110 Leaded and 100 octane unleaded.
We can get GT104 and GT104 + or the more exotic stuff if you want it ordered.

Unless you've really pumped the car or are running a DASC/Mossleman
the 100 Unleaded is about all a M42 can use/needs.

Dave Taylor

[Dredder]

No pacific just finished my m3 transplant. Will the added octane help the car run faster? Give me some input. Hope fully it doesnt rain later or else ill probably stay home babysitting.

[John Firestone]

Originally Posted by Dredder

... To my surprise he was right. I called the BMW dealership and they told me that all of the 318ti keys (94 – 99) are equipped with a security chip. I was able to make it work by inserting my original keys then immediately replacing it with the copied keys....

One thing you could try would be to break open a key, extract the transponder chip, and glue it in the vicinity of the ignition switch. This would defeat the EWS-II system and allow you to use a plain, steel key blank. I am not sure if I could recommend this, however, as the system has proven to be extremely effective in Germany where it was introduced to combat what had been a steady rise of cars being taken from their owners and "exported" to Eastern Europe. If you leave behind a chip, someone can also quickly unlock the car once they get the hood open.

[aceyx]

given the space in a flip-style key, you could likely put the RFID transponder from the old key inside the new housing (since it will probably have a space for the same piece).

you can open up the lighted key and see the tag, it is in the left side of the key if the emblem is facing up, and the actual key part facing north.


dredder: you can just place the old key somewhere near the plastic housing surrounding the ignition, since the information is relayed through radio, not through the key itself.

[motorwerk]

Originally Posted by aceyx

given the space in a flip-style key, you could likely put the RFID transponder from the old key inside the new housing (since it will probably have a space for the same piece).

you can open up the lighted key and see the tag, it is in the left side of the key if the emblem is facing up, and the actual key part facing north.


dredder: you can just place the old key somewhere near the plastic housing surrounding the ignition, since the information is relayed through radio, not through the key itself.

Has anyone tried to get a replacement key (from a dealership) and..by using a dremel, cut the key and hard-fit it onto a flip casing (since I need to get a 2nd key with a transponder, this is the only option for me)? Then, theoretically, I could take the transponder out of the old key housing and place it in a the flip housing...what do you guys think?...thanks...motorwerk

[Dredder]

It will work but why go to all the trouble to save $20 dollars. Go to the dealer and you will save all the headaches later

[John Firestone]

Ron Stygar wanted a more durable wallet key, so he extracted the transponder chip and carries it with a flat, steel key. I thought motorwerk wanted to do something more like that (create a more compact key, for example?) than try to save a little money.

[aceyx]

motorwerk wants the flip style, as i read it.

if you get the lighted key ($34) you can just pop open the casing and extract the RFID module, and likely swap it with the flip style.

if it ever gets old, it's reversible.

[motorwerk]

Originally Posted by aceyx

motorwerk wants the flip style, as i read it.

if you get the lighted key ($34) you can just pop open the casing and extract the RFID module, and likely swap it with the flip style.

if it ever gets old, it's reversible.

Aceyx is right...that's what I'm looking for (a flip style key). Ima try it out...thanks everybody for the 411 and the feedback...motorwerk

[Sarafil]

For what it's worth, keep in mind that your dealer can not "cut" a key for your car. All of these keys are coming from BMW and have to be ordered.

Be happy that our cars come with pretty simple keys. Replacement remote master keys for one of my other cars (E46) cost $130+.

[DGWGuitars]

I recently bought a '95 ti, which came with one key, and when it was in a local independent service shop, the key evidently "lost its mind", as in the onboard computer wouldn't recognize the key as being legit. Seeing as it was late in the afternoon on 7/1, it's been sitting at the shop until the mechanic can get a replacement. Needless to say, I'm going to get a spare. Being new to a ti (my last one was an '83 633 in the mid-80's - nice car but a money sink), I wasn't aware that the key had a chip, and am mildly surprised that such a "key element" could go south. Is this a common event?

[John Firestone]

I remember seeing a service bulletin about some EWS II reliability issues on cars built in 1995. I don't recall what was supposed to be replaced. I can look for it if your mechanic can't find the bulletin.

[DGWGuitars]

Thanks. I'm supposed to pick it up tomorrow and I'll ask him.