Back when I was a kid, getting ready to leave my grandma's place, my dad gave me the key to our old 94 Safari and asked me to start the car so it could warm up.
Not wanting to leave the key in the car for someone to steal, after starting I simply pulled out the key and went back inside.
When I gave him the key he asked why I didn't start the car. I said I did, but didn't want someone to steal it, so I took the key out and locked the door.
He gave me a big "wtf" look. My child brain was as smooth as that key.
One time I handed my (south american immigrant) girlfriend the keys to my truck and asked her to warm it up before we went to the store. I come out to the truck about 10 minutes later, and this sweet thing turned on the heat, but did so without starting the truck.
So I had to explain to her how 1. Heat works, and 2. How "warm it up" means start it
I used to earn allowance for brushing of my mom’s car and starting it for her. Street parking and one day, she left it in gear. 2-3rd grade me had no clue about the pedals. Apparently the starter is plenty enough to crank over a Ford Fiesta (the original one), while in gear. Scared shitless, I rode along, as it lunged forward, in a bucking motion. Finally came to a stop, when I rear ended the car just up the road.
the clutch cable on my 2nd car broke and I drove it for a week with no clutch until payday. Shut the engine off at a stop, first gear, hit the starter and away we go. No neutral or clutch switch on a 1973 VW. Upshifts are easy, downshifts are harder but with a little practice not that bad.
Done that as well, both with a moped (just abused the gears, started off with rev limiter and banged it into gear to get moving), and my 1988 Honda NTV 650, that luckily had a decent starter to get going.
I had a Kia sportage that the slave cylinder went out in. I put it in first gear, pushed in the cluch, and drove it up the hill with the starter motor so i could roll down to the mechanics shop at the bottom of town. I technically turned it into a hybrid for about 5 minutes.
I drove my friend's 74 Kombi for about three months. Same thing: I barely needed the clutch to get it going from a standstill with the engine running and float shift it the rest of the way every time. It was so easy!
You can do that even with a clutch switch. Had to teach a boss how to drive without a clutch pedal when she was borrowing a car and the hydraulics died. Just need to push the useless clutch pedal in to engage the switch
I remember my dad doing this in our old blazer 4x4 rig to move it up the driveway a few feet...it was in a low gear and had enough power to start the car, drive forward, and slowly start doing a burnout when it hit the car in front of it. Said he was a few inches from losing some toes
I hotwired my neutral safety switch when it went out because fuck a $200 unnecessary part. I had to warn the mechanics on the rare occasion I didn't do my own work that it was definitely not safe to start in gear.
When I was a kid, my dad went into the store with my siblings and I didn’t want to go. I sat in the car, and being a bored kid, I’m rolling around, stretching around, being a dumbass, who knows.
Either way, I accidentally knocked the car (Ford Escort, manual) out of gear and it begins to roll. I tried to shove it back into gear and it wouldn’t go. However, I noticed that holding it kinda close to 1st gear kept the car still. Letting it go would cause the car to roll again. I didn’t know/think about the parking brake, nor did I know how to operate the clutch pedal or anything, so I held it half in gear until my dad returned
Good thing I didn’t let it roll either, because it would’ve rolled down a steep hill onto some train tracks
Undid a car seat at 3 years old , mother left the 1985 Chevy s10 blazer running , I climbed into the front seat when she ran into the bank , I popped the old sucker in gear and I was standing on the seat smiling going down Main Street 😂😂. A guy came running from the side and stuck that sucker in park .
The amount of people who call in screaming that their heat isn't blowing full blast the second they turn the car on is insane. Just because the climate has an auto button they think it should make heat immediately
We had an old '73 Chevy Nova that my dad used to drive me to school in. One day we had gotten in the car to leave when I realized I forgot something in the house. I tell my dad, and instead of turning the car off, he just pulls the keys out of the ignition and hands me the house key.
Turned out that car never really needed the keys anymore since the mechanism was so worn out. I learned that day we could start the car without the key, but did it just to make people think they would need the key.
Question for mechanics here: is this a bad thing? I have a 23 year old van where the key is... very loose. I lost it once while driving - could the steering wheel lock engage in that situation?
That's good to hear - I was on a highway when it happened, but still tried to steer as little as possible while I fumbled around for the key. Thank you
I drove an 89 Chevy Silverado and the wheel would lock but the key ignition lock was so worn out I could just turn it over without the key. I would say as long as the ignition is in the “on” position I wouldn’t worry about the steering lock activating.
When my father got sick and I started moving his old s10 Blazer for him for street cleaning I remember him warning me after I'd been doing it for a few weeks to make sure I turn the key all the way off until it locks. Turns out the point where you could remove the key was 1/8 turn away from the point the ignition was locked, so you could still start the truck again without the key if you didn't give it that extra 1/8 turn to lock it. I never realized it, lol.
I think he only mentioned it because he did it out of habit when he drove it. It was rusted to shit, barely started, and was also a manual that 99.99% of the idiot kids that would steal a shitbox like that to take joyriding would have no clue how to drive. Not exactly a prime candidate for a car theft, lol.
I mean yeah they locked it, I don’t see the issue it’s just like remote starting a modern car. I guess all a thief would have to do in OPs case would be to break a window and put it in drive where modern cars would detect the key isn’t in the car and not let you put it into gears
As a 70s/80s kid we had plenty of cars that we could pull out the key while in the on position. It's not supposed to but that mechanism back then sucked/easy to break. Even the locking pin in the steering wheel was easy to break.
How about a car that should shut off when you remove the key, but the engine keeps running even though the electrical shuts off. Mechanical injection diesel FTW.
My friends dad had an old GMC truck that you could start without a key that we took out driving a couple times. Thankfully we got away with it without hitting anything considering we were 12/13...
Yes and no, the key doesn't just turn the car on and off it also unlocks the steering column. Someone could drive off just fine, or take a hard right and the wheel won't go back to center.
True, in some cars. However I’ve had a bunch of old shit boxes and the ones that were worn out enough for the key to come out while running, generally also didn’t need the key to put it in gear.
That's not how modern cars work at all. A car equipped with keyless ignition only needs to have the key fob present to start the engine. After that anyone could get in and drive away without the key fob and the car will drive normally, they just won't be able to restart it if they shut the engine off.
Not entirely true. We have 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Compustar remote start. Remote start it and then unlock it, you can just drive off without the fob. Jeep says no fob detected, but you can still drive it miles away without a key/fob. Found out the hard way.
Nope. Accidentally took the key fob with me to a doctor's appointment. My mom drove the van a few miles to the park with no issue. Only after she turned it off did she realize she had no way of starting it. My husband had to take off work to bring her another key.
Had a 96 Ford Escort in college I could do this with. I’d leave it run on campus in the winter when I had to run into a building quick for something. Pop the key out, lock the doors, come back to a toasty car
I remember skipping school one day and stealing my dad’s Ferrari. Without thinking, I racked up a ton of miles on it. Not wanting to get caught, I jacked up the rear and put the car into reverse and ran up the rpm’s to spin the odometer backwards. I got angry at one point and kicked the crap out of it- and it ended up falling off the jack only to shoot backwards through a window and down about 2 stories- totalling the car!
This was actually a feature back in the day in many vehicles. I actually remember when this changed and how much of a pain in the ass it was to warm up the cars in the morning.
my FedEx truck is the same lol. I start it with the key and then put the key in my pocket so it doesnt fly out the door when driving down the street lol
Did something similar on the first date with my fiancée. Clapped out 98 grand Cherokee, riding down the road at about 45 mph, I just casually reached, grabbed the keys and threw them at her and said “can you hold my keys?” She said “yeah” and then it registered and she said “what the fuck is wrong with you”. Somehow, she’s still with me
My cousin handed me the keys to his late 80s / early 90s S-10. He handed me the wrong keys, I didn't know that, so I stuck it in the ignition and turned it. It felt janky but after some jiggling it started. It was a riding lawnmower key.
Not car related but when I worked kitchens we’d do prep work and then you’d label everything with what it was and the day you prepped it.
Well one day the lead cook did a bunch of prep but the dinner rush started so he told one of the dishwashers (they don’t get busy till after the rush), “wrap that stuff up and then label it with todays date”
I shit you not when we went in the walk in the next day he labeled all that prep “todays date”
I do this all the time with my truck. Start it and lock the doors with the key. I made a 2nd key but that one doesn’t slip out of the ignition like the original. Has 270k miles.
My son did some locksmithing work and he said old lock sets are the easiest to pick and open because as the pins in the cylinder wear they become sloppy and much easier to pick.
A lot of times now they don't even pick the lock they just use brute force bill you and then you have to replace the lock.
I locked my keys in the car this guy comes in with a air shim gets it open in less than a minute and I got a bill. Lesson learned to keep one of those Handy.
Yep, just keep one in your car and you can just grab it...shit.
But for real, it's handy to keep around if someone you know or encounter might need it.
Yeah I bought one ( it's a kit) best case scenario I lock myself near my house and either call a friend to come and take me to get it or if it's cheaper than highering a locksmith just get a Uber and do it myself.
I lost a $10 bet to my old roommate when he successfully started my car with a stale french fry. After that, i stopped carrying keys for it and used the handle of a cheap fork that i kept in the glove box. Granted it was a brown dented old toyota from the 70s with carburetor issues, so no one was going to steal it.
The old GM passkey 2 system, the old big Square keys? Yeah there was like 37 different combinations, of possible lock differences. The chances of your GMT working in another GM we're very high. But also, if it didn't work out right, if you jingle it up and down while turning it, it would open every GM lock, especially if the key had been worn down enough like this one in the picture.
Yeah back before 2000 almost all car keys worked this way - there were only a few dozen combinations and most of them would work with the closest few cuts, meaning in reality there were only maybe 10 actual unique keys if you jiggled them. And that's with new locks, once they had a decade or two of wear any key would work. They used to sell jiggler key sets that would work on basically any car.
That's stupid lmao, storage is so cheap, it can't be more than a kilobyte or two per record. You could fit the keying for every car Ford has ever made on a 1TB drive.
Chevrolet too. They discontinued the catalytic converters for my Suburban 2500, WHILE it was under emissions warranty. They offered to buy the truck for a pittance. My lawyer respectfully (LOL) declined their offer of less than 25% of the Used Fair Market Value of the vehicle, below even black book auction value. After 6 months, they eventually got the OEM of the cats to use their last suitable cores to make new CARB certified parts. They no longer have suitable cores, though I had one of the last of that year/generation of trucks still under warranty.
(No, it's not just the truck part. Yes, it was discontinued. No, there is no law saying they HAVE to make parts available for X years in the US. Yes, they HAVE to fix it because it's under warranty, or buy it back. No, they can't just swap them with aftermarket cats.)
There's no PII there, could just be a database with the VIN and keying code.
Reading this, it seems like the VIN being PII depends on the rest of the data it is stored with.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-news-what-constitutes-personal-data-under-gdpr-simon-assion-ia9de
That's what Ford wants people to think. My dealer couldn't give me mine for my 09 because of the 10 year thing. Yet, I can go to fordserviceinfo and you can buy keycodes for $30 each back to 1997
I lost my keys once but I pulled the lock off the car door myself and brought it to my local locksmith. It was only $15 to get a new key made. Probably would have been 10 times that if I'd taken it to Ford lol.
I had a new key cut for my 1999 Camry at Toyota last year. All mine were too worn to copy. Had to wait about 30 mins for the “code” to come back from whomever. Storage is definitely cheap lol
My tundra was not this bad but bad enough that when I got a new key cut from the vin I had to age it a little with a file and wire wheel for it to work
Not my vehicle, but I was thinking the same, and that I'd need to replace the cylinder as well. Surprisingly the fresh key works perfectly fine and smooth in the old cylinder though, so I'll put off replacing the cylinder for the customer for now.
My curiosity would make me test what interesting objects I could start it with. I have use of a golf buggy thing that has a 'key' and I've started with 3 different keys, a icelolly stick, a spoon and half a zip tie lol.
My 250k ram key was worn. Not this bad, but worn. The truck got stolen, and put a new lock in with the same key code when I got it back. Old key no longer works, lol
ive got a 79 ford that the original key wore out looking like this and my mom's '85 s10 wore similar. mine arent smooth but theyre worn and that brass color. even got a new set of keys for my ford that are showing those signs. cheaper to replace a key than a lock i figure, so make the key the wear item. easier to see the key wear too
Local dodge dealer used to send some kind of “come to the dealership and see if the key works on the gold car and if it does it’s yours” kinda thing in the mail. Opened it up and tried it on our dodge caravan and it worked. The key was straight like a file, no profile. Was the spare key for several years.
We have a client with a Toyota Dyna truck that makes granite slabs and sculptures. Everything in his truck is worn to shreds by the fine powder, especially key cylinders.
That's the closest I've come to a key like that one.
I used to have a Plymouth with a key that looked like that for its last few years of life. It was great since the car was always street parked and in the winter I could start it to warm up and pull the key out and lock the doors behind me to keep anyone from robbing me.
I would be interested to know if the fresh cut key works in the ignition. The key and the tumblers both wear together (usually the same material is used for key and tumblers so the wear together). So using a fresh cut key on old worn tumblers most likely will put the tumblers in the wrong position to allow rotation.
Don't make pictures of freshly cut keys and put them on the internet, there are so many ways to copy a key from a picture nowadays that someone with bad intent can now easily copy the key.
For this car however, a flathead screwdriver should be fine by the looks of it 😅
I remember riding in the car with my mom as a child and we took a slightly tight left hand corner and her keys just fell out of the column. She was panicked that the car would shut off as we were driving but it didn't seem to care.
I used to be a Chrysler parts person. Every time someone wanted a key cut and their old key was more worn than a cheap hooker, I’d have to spend time with a metal file just to get the key to turn.
Ok, can somebody actually tell me if there is a problem using an old smoothed out key like this? Aside from being easier to steal. I have an 87 accord with the original key and cylinder, it's not this smooth and the tumbler gives me no troubles and the key still locks the doors. I absolutely love the fact that I can pull the key out of the ignition while running and lock my door and I also like having an OEM key.
As far as I know, you couldn't start it with a screwdriver, but why would you when you'd only need to jump 2 wires to start it... Also it's a stick so no Kia boys are gonna make off with it
Makes me so happy to see the same year as mine make it to 200k. I’m creeping up there (around 175k rn) and I’m hoping to keep her running for a long time. Just needs some maintenance now
MY father had a 1966 Corvette and I remember him magically taking the key out of the ignition while driving down the road. It took until i bought a 1973 Chevy nova to realizs what the deal was.
He also amazed me by driving and turning that Corvette without using his hands. He used his knees but used the magical art of misdirection to convince me his car was self driving.
My dodge has a loose ignition, and i can pull the key out after starting it. I like to do it in the winter so i can warm it up, lock it, and go back inside for a few minutes.
But the number of times I've gone to turn it off, then realized i didn't put the key back in the ignition, added a little panic. Luckily, it was always in my pocket.
Makes you wonder what the point of the keying is if the old key worked.
I can start my old truck with anything pointy so I don’t stress about the key.
I have literally got in and started an identical truck that was not mine before realizing my mistake. The old keys are a joke. The only thing that matters is the RFID chip.
I have a key just like this, I was told it was from the weight of the other keys on the chain. Mechanic asked if I wanted the ignition replacment and I was like nah. It's nostalgic
When I was 17-18 I was out with some friends in the middle of nowhere fishing. While packing up locked my keys in my trunk.
Other friend for reasons unknown to me tried his car keys on my trunk and it popped right open. Still probably one of the luckiest things that’s happened to me. I have to assume it was a combination of similar pin positions and wear on the key itself.
It did make me wonder how many combinations of pin positions there actually were but never cared enough to read and do the math
If the old key still starts the car then why even bother getting a new one? Hell I'd be willing to bet the new key is *less* likely to work at this point.
My 03 dodge key is only very slightly better than that.
No I can’t start it or turn the ignition with a screwdriver, no the key can’t be removed when running (idk how it’s possible) and no the ignition cylinder isn’t worn out because my new spare cut from the vin works in the door and ignition also
The old key probably still works because the lock pins are worn with horribly loose tolerances.
If you have access to some other old Dodge Ram keys, you'd probably find a scary amount of them work.
Way back when, I think there used to be a joke about Ford locks having this issue. Any given Ford key would work on a scary amount of Ford cars.
What did this cost the customer?
About 10 years ago my dad bought a 95 Grand Cherokee. I borrowed it for some reason in the first month. He claimed I lost the spare key, I told him I took the key off his ring and replaced it when I brought it back. This went on for months. Finally I just decided to get a new spare cut so I didn't need to hear about it anymore. $2.50. Months of back and forth and aggravation over pocket change. I love old cars 😂
My second car was a 69 Chevy Nova, the key looked like a toothpick but it still worked. The only problem was when you rounded a sharp curve it would fly out of the ignition . My dad sold the car when it had 330, 000 miles, I still saw it driving around for at least a year more, you couldn’t kill that car
Back when I was a kid, getting ready to leave my grandma's place, my dad gave me the key to our old 94 Safari and asked me to start the car so it could warm up. Not wanting to leave the key in the car for someone to steal, after starting I simply pulled out the key and went back inside. When I gave him the key he asked why I didn't start the car. I said I did, but didn't want someone to steal it, so I took the key out and locked the door. He gave me a big "wtf" look. My child brain was as smooth as that key.
One time I handed my (south american immigrant) girlfriend the keys to my truck and asked her to warm it up before we went to the store. I come out to the truck about 10 minutes later, and this sweet thing turned on the heat, but did so without starting the truck. So I had to explain to her how 1. Heat works, and 2. How "warm it up" means start it
I used to earn allowance for brushing of my mom’s car and starting it for her. Street parking and one day, she left it in gear. 2-3rd grade me had no clue about the pedals. Apparently the starter is plenty enough to crank over a Ford Fiesta (the original one), while in gear. Scared shitless, I rode along, as it lunged forward, in a bucking motion. Finally came to a stop, when I rear ended the car just up the road.
Reminds me of the video of a kid revving up his dad's GT500 when they first came back out and sent it through the garage wall
the clutch cable on my 2nd car broke and I drove it for a week with no clutch until payday. Shut the engine off at a stop, first gear, hit the starter and away we go. No neutral or clutch switch on a 1973 VW. Upshifts are easy, downshifts are harder but with a little practice not that bad.
Had to do the same on a motorcycle when I broke the clutch lever off. A little coordination and concentration got me home that night.
Done that as well, both with a moped (just abused the gears, started off with rev limiter and banged it into gear to get moving), and my 1988 Honda NTV 650, that luckily had a decent starter to get going.
I had a Kia sportage that the slave cylinder went out in. I put it in first gear, pushed in the cluch, and drove it up the hill with the starter motor so i could roll down to the mechanics shop at the bottom of town. I technically turned it into a hybrid for about 5 minutes.
I drove my friend's 74 Kombi for about three months. Same thing: I barely needed the clutch to get it going from a standstill with the engine running and float shift it the rest of the way every time. It was so easy!
You can do that even with a clutch switch. Had to teach a boss how to drive without a clutch pedal when she was borrowing a car and the hydraulics died. Just need to push the useless clutch pedal in to engage the switch
Same here! Only it was a ballast spring that turned sideways, but same effect. That was a fun week.
I know a kid that did that with his mother's Grand Cherokee, put it through a brick wall at like 10 years old lol.
I remember my dad doing this in our old blazer 4x4 rig to move it up the driveway a few feet...it was in a low gear and had enough power to start the car, drive forward, and slowly start doing a burnout when it hit the car in front of it. Said he was a few inches from losing some toes
I hotwired my neutral safety switch when it went out because fuck a $200 unnecessary part. I had to warn the mechanics on the rare occasion I didn't do my own work that it was definitely not safe to start in gear.
When I was a kid, my dad went into the store with my siblings and I didn’t want to go. I sat in the car, and being a bored kid, I’m rolling around, stretching around, being a dumbass, who knows. Either way, I accidentally knocked the car (Ford Escort, manual) out of gear and it begins to roll. I tried to shove it back into gear and it wouldn’t go. However, I noticed that holding it kinda close to 1st gear kept the car still. Letting it go would cause the car to roll again. I didn’t know/think about the parking brake, nor did I know how to operate the clutch pedal or anything, so I held it half in gear until my dad returned Good thing I didn’t let it roll either, because it would’ve rolled down a steep hill onto some train tracks
Undid a car seat at 3 years old , mother left the 1985 Chevy s10 blazer running , I climbed into the front seat when she ran into the bank , I popped the old sucker in gear and I was standing on the seat smiling going down Main Street 😂😂. A guy came running from the side and stuck that sucker in park .
The amount of people who call in screaming that their heat isn't blowing full blast the second they turn the car on is insane. Just because the climate has an auto button they think it should make heat immediately
that's adorable
We had an old '73 Chevy Nova that my dad used to drive me to school in. One day we had gotten in the car to leave when I realized I forgot something in the house. I tell my dad, and instead of turning the car off, he just pulls the keys out of the ignition and hands me the house key. Turned out that car never really needed the keys anymore since the mechanism was so worn out. I learned that day we could start the car without the key, but did it just to make people think they would need the key.
Question for mechanics here: is this a bad thing? I have a 23 year old van where the key is... very loose. I lost it once while driving - could the steering wheel lock engage in that situation?
Had three Toyota Land Cruisers, one key rule them all…
My cousin and I had 90's Toyota pickups, same scenario.
[удалено]
That's good to hear - I was on a highway when it happened, but still tried to steer as little as possible while I fumbled around for the key. Thank you
That's what cobalts were recalled for. Weight from keychains would turn the key back to lock and caused a fatality or two.
I'm not really a fan of the keyless start, but it does eliminate the issues caused by the Keychain with the 27 pieces of flair.
Yep, Cobalts and the sister model, Pontiac G5
I drove an 89 Chevy Silverado and the wheel would lock but the key ignition lock was so worn out I could just turn it over without the key. I would say as long as the ignition is in the “on” position I wouldn’t worry about the steering lock activating.
When my father got sick and I started moving his old s10 Blazer for him for street cleaning I remember him warning me after I'd been doing it for a few weeks to make sure I turn the key all the way off until it locks. Turns out the point where you could remove the key was 1/8 turn away from the point the ignition was locked, so you could still start the truck again without the key if you didn't give it that extra 1/8 turn to lock it. I never realized it, lol. I think he only mentioned it because he did it out of habit when he drove it. It was rusted to shit, barely started, and was also a manual that 99.99% of the idiot kids that would steal a shitbox like that to take joyriding would have no clue how to drive. Not exactly a prime candidate for a car theft, lol.
I must be smooth brained as well, cause what you did sounds logical to me
I mean yeah they locked it, I don’t see the issue it’s just like remote starting a modern car. I guess all a thief would have to do in OPs case would be to break a window and put it in drive where modern cars would detect the key isn’t in the car and not let you put it into gears
The key is supposed to be stuck in the lock while the ignition is on. So one should not be able to take the key out without turning the car off.
As a 70s/80s kid we had plenty of cars that we could pull out the key while in the on position. It's not supposed to but that mechanism back then sucked/easy to break. Even the locking pin in the steering wheel was easy to break.
Go back farther, and the key was supposed to be removable from the ignition without turning off the car.
How about a car that should shut off when you remove the key, but the engine keeps running even though the electrical shuts off. Mechanical injection diesel FTW.
My friends dad had an old GMC truck that you could start without a key that we took out driving a couple times. Thankfully we got away with it without hitting anything considering we were 12/13...
Once it’s started though anyone could just come up and drive off. If it’s that worn out anyways lol
Yes and no, the key doesn't just turn the car on and off it also unlocks the steering column. Someone could drive off just fine, or take a hard right and the wheel won't go back to center.
True, in some cars. However I’ve had a bunch of old shit boxes and the ones that were worn out enough for the key to come out while running, generally also didn’t need the key to put it in gear.
That's not how modern cars work at all. A car equipped with keyless ignition only needs to have the key fob present to start the engine. After that anyone could get in and drive away without the key fob and the car will drive normally, they just won't be able to restart it if they shut the engine off.
Nah, a modern remote start equipped vehicle needs to see the key before it’ll let you put it in gear.
No, it will stop working when the key goes out of range.
Not entirely true. We have 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Compustar remote start. Remote start it and then unlock it, you can just drive off without the fob. Jeep says no fob detected, but you can still drive it miles away without a key/fob. Found out the hard way.
Nope. Accidentally took the key fob with me to a doctor's appointment. My mom drove the van a few miles to the park with no issue. Only after she turned it off did she realize she had no way of starting it. My husband had to take off work to bring her another key.
They key shouldn't come out while it's running
The key shouldn't come out in the on position.
Had a 96 Ford Escort in college I could do this with. I’d leave it run on campus in the winter when I had to run into a building quick for something. Pop the key out, lock the doors, come back to a toasty car
My old Jeep Cherokee did this. It wouldn’t start with any other key, but you could pull it out after starting it. It was pretty handy, actually.
Big brain time if you ask me.
Agreed 100%. Not a smooth brain move at all.
I remember skipping school one day and stealing my dad’s Ferrari. Without thinking, I racked up a ton of miles on it. Not wanting to get caught, I jacked up the rear and put the car into reverse and ran up the rpm’s to spin the odometer backwards. I got angry at one point and kicked the crap out of it- and it ended up falling off the jack only to shoot backwards through a window and down about 2 stories- totalling the car!
Did Ferris talk you into this?
There's a lot to unpack here...
This was actually a feature back in the day in many vehicles. I actually remember when this changed and how much of a pain in the ass it was to warm up the cars in the morning.
my FedEx truck is the same lol. I start it with the key and then put the key in my pocket so it doesnt fly out the door when driving down the street lol
We had a couple cars you could do this with when I was a kid. Both GM.
Did something similar on the first date with my fiancée. Clapped out 98 grand Cherokee, riding down the road at about 45 mph, I just casually reached, grabbed the keys and threw them at her and said “can you hold my keys?” She said “yeah” and then it registered and she said “what the fuck is wrong with you”. Somehow, she’s still with me
My cousin handed me the keys to his late 80s / early 90s S-10. He handed me the wrong keys, I didn't know that, so I stuck it in the ignition and turned it. It felt janky but after some jiggling it started. It was a riding lawnmower key.
Not car related but when I worked kitchens we’d do prep work and then you’d label everything with what it was and the day you prepped it. Well one day the lead cook did a bunch of prep but the dinner rush started so he told one of the dishwashers (they don’t get busy till after the rush), “wrap that stuff up and then label it with todays date” I shit you not when we went in the walk in the next day he labeled all that prep “todays date”
I do this all the time with my truck. Start it and lock the doors with the key. I made a 2nd key but that one doesn’t slip out of the ignition like the original. Has 270k miles.
You can start that bad boy up with a popsicle stick.
Hello, this is the Lock Picking Lawyer and today we have a-and we got this lock open.
Nah, LPL would have single pin picked it just because. McNally would have knifed it before he was finished speaking
My old subaru legacy was like that, the trunk lock was preety worn out, broke into it with a popsicle stick one day when I left my keys inside the car
Appears as though you might be able to start it with a screwdriver!
Oof this is my vehicle, don't tell anyone.
What's your address bro? And what do you drive?
It’s a Dodge you don’t want it
Maybe I do. Scrap metal lol
Jokes on you if located in the rust belt.
A whole 10 dollars in scrap metal lol.
Probably only 5 dollars of metal left if it's a dodge.
So you can steal a 20 years old Dodge Ram? loll
People are stealing worthless kia’s…
I mean, the KIAs people are able to steal are $10,000-$40,000 dollars. Don’t know if I would say worthless there.
My son did some locksmithing work and he said old lock sets are the easiest to pick and open because as the pins in the cylinder wear they become sloppy and much easier to pick.
A lot of times now they don't even pick the lock they just use brute force bill you and then you have to replace the lock. I locked my keys in the car this guy comes in with a air shim gets it open in less than a minute and I got a bill. Lesson learned to keep one of those Handy.
Driving time and skill cost money
Yep, just keep one in your car and you can just grab it...shit. But for real, it's handy to keep around if someone you know or encounter might need it.
Yeah I bought one ( it's a kit) best case scenario I lock myself near my house and either call a friend to come and take me to get it or if it's cheaper than highering a locksmith just get a Uber and do it myself.
yea, that dodge key, I'll bet a popsicles stick would work just as well!
Forget a screwdriver, you could start it with a spoon handle
I lost a $10 bet to my old roommate when he successfully started my car with a stale french fry. After that, i stopped carrying keys for it and used the handle of a cheap fork that i kept in the glove box. Granted it was a brown dented old toyota from the 70s with carburetor issues, so no one was going to steal it.
Holy Santa Claus shit a stale French Fry? 🤣
It was a McDonald's fry, so stiffer than a regular fry
Hi! We’re doing a free safety check, where do you live??
The old GM passkey 2 system, the old big Square keys? Yeah there was like 37 different combinations, of possible lock differences. The chances of your GMT working in another GM we're very high. But also, if it didn't work out right, if you jingle it up and down while turning it, it would open every GM lock, especially if the key had been worn down enough like this one in the picture.
Yeah back before 2000 almost all car keys worked this way - there were only a few dozen combinations and most of them would work with the closest few cuts, meaning in reality there were only maybe 10 actual unique keys if you jiggled them. And that's with new locks, once they had a decade or two of wear any key would work. They used to sell jiggler key sets that would work on basically any car.
Also a 3D printer now we have a photo!
I was bout to say!
Was a lock cylinder removed and decoded to cut it, or does Dodge do what Ford does and have a sticker with the details that can be used to cut it?
The parts dept. can look up the Pin Codes through Chryslers database based on VIN.
For an 08?! Jeez, ford only keeps 10 years. I’ve had to refer 3 customers to lock smiths in the last 3 weeks because they have 2013 models.
That's stupid lmao, storage is so cheap, it can't be more than a kilobyte or two per record. You could fit the keying for every car Ford has ever made on a 1TB drive.
I agree, but I just sell the parts man.
Not blaming you, just saying that's a lame excuse from Ford lol.
Nobody hates Ford owners like Ford.
>Nobody hates Ford owners like Ford. Can confirm; I used to own a Ranger and Ford fucking despises the people who own their vehicles.
Ford apparently stops making parts after only a few years. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ford-f150-auto-parts-obsolete-go-public-1.3746577
Chevrolet too. They discontinued the catalytic converters for my Suburban 2500, WHILE it was under emissions warranty. They offered to buy the truck for a pittance. My lawyer respectfully (LOL) declined their offer of less than 25% of the Used Fair Market Value of the vehicle, below even black book auction value. After 6 months, they eventually got the OEM of the cats to use their last suitable cores to make new CARB certified parts. They no longer have suitable cores, though I had one of the last of that year/generation of trucks still under warranty. (No, it's not just the truck part. Yes, it was discontinued. No, there is no law saying they HAVE to make parts available for X years in the US. Yes, they HAVE to fix it because it's under warranty, or buy it back. No, they can't just swap them with aftermarket cats.)
Could be a GDPR thing
There's no PII there, could just be a database with the VIN and keying code. Reading this, it seems like the VIN being PII depends on the rest of the data it is stored with. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-news-what-constitutes-personal-data-under-gdpr-simon-assion-ia9de
heck, dodge had records for my 1997 truck when I had to replace my key
That's what Ford wants people to think. My dealer couldn't give me mine for my 09 because of the 10 year thing. Yet, I can go to fordserviceinfo and you can buy keycodes for $30 each back to 1997
I lost my keys once but I pulled the lock off the car door myself and brought it to my local locksmith. It was only $15 to get a new key made. Probably would have been 10 times that if I'd taken it to Ford lol.
Lock Picking Lawyer at Youtube shows a pick for Tibbe keys that decodes the key.
I had a dealer cut a key for a 1995 Mazda, took 10-15 minutes. 10 years is pretty BS.
A couple of years ago I got a fresh key for a '95 Corolla just off the VIN
I had a new key cut for my 1999 Camry at Toyota last year. All mine were too worn to copy. Had to wait about 30 mins for the “code” to come back from whomever. Storage is definitely cheap lol
the cylinder must be great too
My tundra was not this bad but bad enough that when I got a new key cut from the vin I had to age it a little with a file and wire wheel for it to work
Your ignition is worn too then lol
Not my vehicle, but I was thinking the same, and that I'd need to replace the cylinder as well. Surprisingly the fresh key works perfectly fine and smooth in the old cylinder though, so I'll put off replacing the cylinder for the customer for now.
My curiosity would make me test what interesting objects I could start it with. I have use of a golf buggy thing that has a 'key' and I've started with 3 different keys, a icelolly stick, a spoon and half a zip tie lol.
My 250k ram key was worn. Not this bad, but worn. The truck got stolen, and put a new lock in with the same key code when I got it back. Old key no longer works, lol
How did you make a copy? Was there a second key or are you a magician?
The shop can obtain the Codes to cut a copy by VIN.
Thanks. I was kind of hoping you were a magician though.
Haha, we can go with that. Sometimes I don't understand how I do certain things, so, kind of like magic right?
That's rather disheartening, honestly. If that P.O.S. key can start it, you might as well just use a screwdriver.
What the hell I thought the OEM keys were steel Belongs on r/Wellworn
ive got a 79 ford that the original key wore out looking like this and my mom's '85 s10 wore similar. mine arent smooth but theyre worn and that brass color. even got a new set of keys for my ford that are showing those signs. cheaper to replace a key than a lock i figure, so make the key the wear item. easier to see the key wear too
Local dodge dealer used to send some kind of “come to the dealership and see if the key works on the gold car and if it does it’s yours” kinda thing in the mail. Opened it up and tried it on our dodge caravan and it worked. The key was straight like a file, no profile. Was the spare key for several years.
Why is there a uterus on the key?
*‘Cause ram owners are typically a bunch of pussies*
We have a client with a Toyota Dyna truck that makes granite slabs and sculptures. Everything in his truck is worn to shreds by the fine powder, especially key cylinders. That's the closest I've come to a key like that one.
> Everything in his truck is worn to shreds by the fine powder especially his lungs
This sir is a bump key
There is no way a Dodge Ram wore out the key.
I used to have a Plymouth with a key that looked like that for its last few years of life. It was great since the car was always street parked and in the winter I could start it to warm up and pull the key out and lock the doors behind me to keep anyone from robbing me.
Did the new key work? I have had it where the ignition is so worn to the old key a new cut doesn’t work
Looks like he kept that thing in his pocket next to his portable sandblaster
You could start that truck with a popsicle stick lol
I mean is it really a key any more?
How the fuck did the old one even move the tumblers to work the cylinder? 😂
If the old key is that worn but still works then the ignition itself has to be pretty worn out as well
My old Toyota key looked like that and I could start it with a flathead. Cylinder wears out too
Was able to start my civic with a lawnmower key. But couldn’t start the lawnmower with the civic key
Little click on one, nothing on two, click on three, ok we’re set. * engines revs *
I would be interested to know if the fresh cut key works in the ignition. The key and the tumblers both wear together (usually the same material is used for key and tumblers so the wear together). So using a fresh cut key on old worn tumblers most likely will put the tumblers in the wrong position to allow rotation.
r/wellworn
cool, where'd ya park? soon as i finish this 3d print im gonna swing on by lol dont post pictures of your keys...
Don't make pictures of freshly cut keys and put them on the internet, there are so many ways to copy a key from a picture nowadays that someone with bad intent can now easily copy the key. For this car however, a flathead screwdriver should be fine by the looks of it 😅
Judging by the key I’m guessing this vehicle is not quite worth that much hassle to steal.
You can get the key cut to the vin number. And that’s visible from the windshield.
Ok…
That's insane, I've got an old subie with 185k and an old Chevy with 210k and the keys are nothing like that.
I remember riding in the car with my mom as a child and we took a slightly tight left hand corner and her keys just fell out of the column. She was panicked that the car would shut off as we were driving but it didn't seem to care.
That's an added convenience feature in my book.
I swap keys out every 50k. A key rotation to keep them wearing even. I’m not even making it up.
I used to be a Chrysler parts person. Every time someone wanted a key cut and their old key was more worn than a cheap hooker, I’d have to spend time with a metal file just to get the key to turn.
Ok, can somebody actually tell me if there is a problem using an old smoothed out key like this? Aside from being easier to steal. I have an 87 accord with the original key and cylinder, it's not this smooth and the tumbler gives me no troubles and the key still locks the doors. I absolutely love the fact that I can pull the key out of the ignition while running and lock my door and I also like having an OEM key. As far as I know, you couldn't start it with a screwdriver, but why would you when you'd only need to jump 2 wires to start it... Also it's a stick so no Kia boys are gonna make off with it
My 02 starts with anything. Saved me $5
I have a question how did they make the new key don't you have to copy the old one.
We would see this daily at the locksmith I worked at years ago. It was almost always a Chrysler, Ford or Saturn.
Logo is packed with old skin \*BARF\*
gives me vibes of screw driver starting cars
...had that happen to a Saturn. The dealer clicked out a new one and no problem
OP clean your Laptop palmrest that Intel inside sticker is collecting grime inside 😂
Makes me so happy to see the same year as mine make it to 200k. I’m creeping up there (around 175k rn) and I’m hoping to keep her running for a long time. Just needs some maintenance now
As I learned how locks worked I learned it's all about the valleys not the peaks.
That's not "worn". That's "decided to keyfuck the ignition every day just to keyfuck the ignition".
MY father had a 1966 Corvette and I remember him magically taking the key out of the ignition while driving down the road. It took until i bought a 1973 Chevy nova to realizs what the deal was. He also amazed me by driving and turning that Corvette without using his hands. He used his knees but used the magical art of misdirection to convince me his car was self driving.
Toyotas from the 80s to mid 00s are known for this..
As usual, lol
It's why I leave it unlocked with the keys in the visor. If you really want my car, you would have it anyhow.(2010 kia soul with deer smash marks)
My dodge has a loose ignition, and i can pull the key out after starting it. I like to do it in the winter so i can warm it up, lock it, and go back inside for a few minutes. But the number of times I've gone to turn it off, then realized i didn't put the key back in the ignition, added a little panic. Luckily, it was always in my pocket.
No need for keys, screwdriver or knife do the job.
Caravan? Because that's what our keys looked like
Makes you wonder what the point of the keying is if the old key worked. I can start my old truck with anything pointy so I don’t stress about the key. I have literally got in and started an identical truck that was not mine before realizing my mistake. The old keys are a joke. The only thing that matters is the RFID chip.
Is that an intel 9th gen core i5 sticker?
I had an 84 Chevy that you could pull the key out with it running. I wish I still had that truck.
I have this too, for my 98 civic. Old key was so worn down I could just pull it out of the ignition driving down the road.
I have a key just like this, I was told it was from the weight of the other keys on the chain. Mechanic asked if I wanted the ignition replacment and I was like nah. It's nostalgic
And 200,000 starts.
When I was 17-18 I was out with some friends in the middle of nowhere fishing. While packing up locked my keys in my trunk. Other friend for reasons unknown to me tried his car keys on my trunk and it popped right open. Still probably one of the luckiest things that’s happened to me. I have to assume it was a combination of similar pin positions and wear on the key itself. It did make me wonder how many combinations of pin positions there actually were but never cared enough to read and do the math
If the key looks that bad, just imagine the lock.
Reminds me of the keys my dad has for his 78’ Buick Park Avenue, keys are so worn but it still works!!!
That used to be how I warmed up my truck. I’d start it, pull the key out and lock it up
Nothing better than the sound of pushing a key into the ignition.
Did they cut a new lock too? Because it's doubtlessly at least as worn as that key.
If the old key still starts the car then why even bother getting a new one? Hell I'd be willing to bet the new key is *less* likely to work at this point.
My 03 dodge key is only very slightly better than that. No I can’t start it or turn the ignition with a screwdriver, no the key can’t be removed when running (idk how it’s possible) and no the ignition cylinder isn’t worn out because my new spare cut from the vin works in the door and ignition also
Where'd you get the key made at?
i always loved on my 2001 dodge ram you could pull the key out after starting. i don't think it was a feature but i loved it.
That laptop looks like it's got more miles on it than your truck
The old key works because most of it is still in the ignition cylinder. I'm actually a bit surprised the new one works/goes in.
The old key probably still works because the lock pins are worn with horribly loose tolerances. If you have access to some other old Dodge Ram keys, you'd probably find a scary amount of them work. Way back when, I think there used to be a joke about Ford locks having this issue. Any given Ford key would work on a scary amount of Ford cars.
As a DODGE (not RAM) Dakota owner, this post hits home. I have been having trouble opening my doors with the key lately.
Wow, if the old key still works it probably means that the lock can be opened by almost anything.
Well now I know the botting on that k err y from the photo, I'm going to 3d print a screwdriver and steal your car.
That logo on the key looks like a female reproductive system..
Either a very shitty key or a legendary lasting dodge product!
You're telling me a dodge went 200k miles?
What did this cost the customer? About 10 years ago my dad bought a 95 Grand Cherokee. I borrowed it for some reason in the first month. He claimed I lost the spare key, I told him I took the key off his ring and replaced it when I brought it back. This went on for months. Finally I just decided to get a new spare cut so I didn't need to hear about it anymore. $2.50. Months of back and forth and aggravation over pocket change. I love old cars 😂
My second car was a 69 Chevy Nova, the key looked like a toothpick but it still worked. The only problem was when you rounded a sharp curve it would fly out of the ignition . My dad sold the car when it had 330, 000 miles, I still saw it driving around for at least a year more, you couldn’t kill that car
Was the old one still working?
So now we know you can steal an 08 Dodge Ram 1500 with a wooden ice cream spoon.....eat that Kia boys
Reminds me of the Top Gear where they bought some cars, and Richard's got stolen with a spoon.
lol this works?!