Replace car key case
 

Can anyone please tell me how to change the case on my car key? I bought two new cases as the button part of the case has perished. The original car key ( metal bit that goes into the door) won’t pull out. Is there a video that shows you how to do this? Thanks for any reply. Alex (bigcar)

I gripped the metal part of the key with a pair of mole grips locked on, took a firm grip of the case and with a bit of teasing, it came away without too much fuss. The hardest part for me was getting the all important transponder (the black oblong microchip doodah) out without damage (key won't work/start car without it). On my second case, I just swapped the button part on top of the case, onto my old case as it did fit OK and left all the bits in.

Do NOT lose this https://i.imgur.com/bT4dsjil.jpg

My keys look different from the car key you are showing. Thanks, Alex

That is the standard 75/ZT key:shrug:

Ok the way I do this is to prise the case open and take the electronic board with the battery attached out and put it away safely.
Put away the other half of the case which contains the transponder ensuring this does not fall off.
Boil the kettle with water and switch it off before it starts to boil like mad pour enough water in a suitable container and put the half of the case to which the blade is attached, leave for 10-12 mins to soften the plastic enough to enable you to wiggle the blade out of its attachment take your time and it will come out with the rubber collet attached to it, loose the collet or damage it badly and the game is over. Then push the blade into new case, soften in hot water as needed, transfer the electronic over, and transponder into new other half of case and close case, then test on car the ensure it works. TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!

Suggestions?
 

Mario - can you suggest anything for my key?

Here's what I've got after failing to separate the parts of the old key properly. As you can see, parts A and B (the red ones) are no longer attached to the old case but red part B is damaged (it should look like blue part B).

Blue parts A, B, C, D, are all new.

Can it be salvaged or do I need to get blue part A cut to match red part A?

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...695a0f2798.jpg

:duh:


EDIT

Or, another idea altogether:

- Buy a completely new lockset containing: 2 pre-cut keys with transponders; one lock barrel; one back plate.

Then do this:

- Ditch the new backplate
- Take the old lock barrel off the car's driver's door and fit the new one in its place
- Ditch the new transponders and replace them with the car's original ones

This plan might work for the driver's door but what about the manual lock on the boot lid (which would still have the original lock barrel)?

:shrug:

Your could also buy two new keys precut to match your original locks, so no need to swap locks or have different keys for the boot etc.

How much are they though?

£180 each at rimmers

Knock the roll pin from blade A, then do the same with blade B, fit the plastic part from B to blade A, then knock the roll pin back in to secure it.

Then blade A will fit into case C

Make sure you transfer the PCF7930AS chip from the old key back to part D, ensuring before the transponder gets lost because you are using a cheap casing, to place a blob of blu tac into the casing where the transponder sits.

Then fit the remote board to case C, and clip rear case D to the case C part and ensure the remote pcb buttons both work, if not you will have to clean the moulding flash out of the casing to allow the buttons to work.

And if you get stuck, you can order one of THESE and fit your electronics to the casing.

Is that any clearer for you?

Brian :D

Presumably those are blanks and they cut them when you enter the car's VIN here - https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-CWD000060.

These people supply keys for £100 each but they don't mention the VIN at all - https://remotekey.co.uk/rover/377-2/. I don't understand how they can cut the shaft without the VIN.:shrug: I also don't understand why anything needs re-programming when I've got the 2 original transponders and the 2 original circuit boards (which can be put in the 2 new keys). :shrug:

Aha, thanks Brian - I will try that. I did cast a beady eye on those pins earlier but I wasn't sure if they could be drifted out without wrecking them.

Blimey, that's a very good price if it includes cutting. I'll go down this route after I've messed up the pins in the above attempt. :D

Well, Plan A doesn't work. I transferred the blade ok (pic) but the buttons on the cheap new case don't operate the microswitches properly. The lock button sort of works but the unlock button does nothing at all. :mad: The circuit board works fine on its own (not in a case) - i.e. both microswitches do exactly what they should.

Time for Plan B then. :}

Pic - original blade in cheap case.

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...830d0ec252.jpg

Take a look at the rear part of the new case, is there what appears to be a thin sprig of plastic sticking out? if so pull it off with a pair of pliers and try again, failing that heat up the shank of a bolt with a blowlamp, or over the gas in the kitchen when the missus isn't about and melt the round inner part of the button with the cross slightly.

This should make the buttons on the remote work, the sticking out part on a genuine Valeo casing aligns with a small hole in the PCB, this is not so on a cheap casing.

You are 90% there, don't give up now ;)

Brian :D

I'm not so sure Brian.

Here are the two cases side by side - cheapy new one on the left and the car's original Valeo on the right. (I've got two sets of each)

For the button system to work, the PCB has to sit at exactly the right level in the button half and stay there when the back is clipped on.

The sprigs (arrowed red) on the cheapy button half shouldn't be there at all because they throw the PCB away from the button plungers - this means the plungers don't reach the microswitches and the fob is rendered useless.

So I shaved the sprigs off using a small and very sharp wood chisel.* This improved things slightly but it's still not right - the plungers still aren't close enough to the microswitches. The only way to make it work now is to increase the length of the plungers. If I use the heated bolt trick, surely it'll shorten them instead? I think they need shimming - gawd knows how though. If the shims are too fat it'll definitely break the microswitches :eek:, too thin and the plungers still won't reach.


NB. * The cheapy case shown here is not the one I used the chisel on.

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...922975cc73.jpg

Brian - there's another thing with these cheapy fobs. The blades they come with have a stepped section at the fob end, where the black pin insert piece attaches. The original Valeo blades do not have a stepped section so they have to be filed down to fit the new black pin insert. Getting this right is extremely difficult without a micrometer and naturally I don't have one! If it's not done exactly right the blade can wiggle slightly (or a lot) when it's mounted in the fob.

Oh dear, I had some of these type of cases bought as an experiment, the stepped blade is to accommodate the casing being used with a LR Discovery II key blade.

I take it this particular key was sub £5 to buy from the bay of E ?

I'd recommend another key from the link I provided, with a view to refurbishing your original key with a decent casing at a later stage.

Brian :D

You're right - the new fobs came from fleabay. One of them was £2.30 :eek: and the other was £3.03 :eek::eek:. I think they're both the same Chinese manufacturer. :D

I've just ordered one from the link you provided - let's see how it pans out. Perhaps there won't be a Plan C. :D

Alex - what are your keys like? Can you post a pic of one here?

The link Brian gave in post 11 has worked for me - they cut a key just from a picture (I scanned my Valeo key blade and sent them the jpeg). They might be able to do the same with yours, regardless of your fob being different.

PS. I'd recommend Express Keys to Alex or anyone else looking for new 75 / ZT keys.

Or if you live within a reasonable distance of me the cost of a replacement case would be £6 and a nice chap just down the road cuts the for me for another £5 ;)

Guaranteed to fit and if it doesn't he cuts another for free ;)

Russ