Key Help

[Mike]

I need a bit of help, I recently lost the two keys I was given with my car (One for the passenger door and ignition and the other for the driver door).
When contacting my dealer I told them I had the red key, but they replied saying I will need all the locks changed if I am to get a key for the driver door.
And that this would cost me over two hundred pounds.
Is this right? could I get it cheaper some other way?
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Sam]

About time to stand up to this

I know this thread is not the classic 'missing red key' but I am getting fed up with Fiat and the red key/blue key debarcle. The amount they charge is obsene and the service is worse than hopeless. (In my best socialist/trade union voice) It is about time we stood up to Fiat (or at least had a go) to try to get equity here. Whos with me...(you are supposed to standup shout we are and hold you clenched fist aloft). So anyone want to put forward a suggestion/solution/petition to get this resolved once and for all?

 

[Nick]

Because you have a different lock in the drivers door (presumably replaced at some point in the past) and you now have no key to open this door, although the master key will start the car and let you in through the passenger door, you will probably have to buy a complete lock set from Fiat with a new set of keys. However its up to you whether you choose to fit them all, or just fit the drivers door lock.

Nigel has a parts list CD which can tell you if the drivers door lock is available separately.

The cheap way of solving this is to get a door lock and any matching key from a scrapped Brava and fit this. This gets you back to square one, with one key for the drivers door, and your original for the ignition and passenger door.

It may be worth talking to an independent auto locksmith. They may be able to advise if they can source a new barrel to match your original key, then all the locks would be the same again. I've no idea if this is possible, but stranger things have happened...

 

[Nigel]

Keys etc

I agree with Nick, get yourself another barrel for the drivers side, or if available do the two doors and boot from a scrap vehicle. The drivers door barrel is not available seperatly as far as I would gather.

As for the Red key debacle. Hmm, not often I would say this.....its not Fiat's fault - its the stupid owners who loose them! It was created as a security feature and hence lowered the insurance (yes it did!), but what Fiat didn't realise was the stupidity of new owners not to read their handbooks. In all the Alfa's and Fiat's I have had I have never either bought one without a Red Key or lost one.

Nige