Keys from VIN numbers?

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Some not very nice person broke into my Seattle place recently. All he stole was a jar of pocket change (mostly pennies and pre-"Euro" European pocket change) AND THE KEYS TO SEVEN OF THE EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE SEATTLE DIVISION OF MY GLOBAL FESTIVA FLEET. Fortunately, none of the seven had batteries in them, so he didn't make off with any.

What kind of drug fix do you suppose this dude can buy in Seattle with French francs and German Deutschmarks?

The police said that Ford can make keys from VIN numbers. The local Ford dealer say yes, but not after the vehicles are 10 years old, claiming they routinely delete key data after 10 years. When I told the dealer it was a fleet of Festivas, he chuckled and ended the call.

I took the driver side lock cylinder from one car (where the non-nice person had yanked the lock before smashing his way through the window) to a locksmith, who said it had only one tumbler in it, so was useless for making an ignition key. He also said that Ford has a tendency to have the door locks "read" different key positions than the ignition, so making a door key would produce a key that will open the doors but not operate the ignition.

Can anybody shed any light on how I can get keys made for my fleet?

[wybnrml]

The passenger lock cylinder has the code they need to make a key at the Locksmith I think.

[GenevaDirt]

^^x2

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Why would the passenger side have the code, but not the driver side? Do I have to tear off that inside plastic waterproofing sheet, then disassemble stuff, to even see the code?

[GenevaDirt]

take out the lock cylinder....not a big deal from what others have said.

[wybnrml]

Do I have to tear off that inside plastic waterproofing sheet, then disassemble stuff, to even see the code?

You don't have to tear it, you can just peel it back and usually you are able to stick it back up.

[Zanzer]

Yup, just peel back the plastic, pop a rod loose, and remove the metal tang that holds the cylinder in. Takes maybe 10-15 minutes the first time. You'll get pretty fast at it around #3 though

BTW, that really sucks. That's almost like vandalism. It's like saying "What!? My stuff ain't good enough to steal!?!".

[drddan]

I took the driver side lock cylinder from one car (where the non-nice person had yanked the lock before smashing his way through the window) to a locksmith, who said it had only one tumbler in it, so was useless for making an ignition key.
Can anybody shed any light on how I can get keys made for my fleet?

Why did the locksmith not know about the code? This can be done with many cars.

[FestYboy]

you gotta remember, in JAPAN, everything is right hand drive... they just never swapped the cylinders.

[darrenryall]

Just did this myself...

The key is, tell your locksmith (if he gets confused) that he'll be looking for a Mazda blank. It should give him a WTF moment, but trust me, that's what it uses.

[hotrodin4me]

you need the numbers from pass side door lock
just had a key made for one of my festivas by a
locksmith and it works the door and ignition perfect

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Actually, the locksmith did suggest looking on the pax-side lock cylinder. I told him
I'd check with the experts at FordFestiva.com and get back to him.

[darrenryall]

It's actually pretty simple to get the code, and I'm attaching pictures to show what you're looking for.

There's a metal fork-ish piece holding your door lock in place. Open your passenger door panel up (carefully remove window crank after springing clip, remove door handle, undo screw on door latch), and go behind your door lock.

Pop the metal piece off (taking care not to drop it in the door) and you can then pull the lock forward away from the door. You can then rotate the lock upside down to read the code. It'll be punched into the bottom of the lock, I just added white text the illustrate what to look for.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Today is one of those rare days in Seattle when the atmosphere is not in the liquid state, so I'll dive into this today.

It's going to be more difficult for the 4 cars where he didn't break the windows (and are parked in a row 4" from each other). I suppose I'll bust out a rear flipper window on each of those to get in and use up my supply of spares! I guess for those cars I can access the inside of the pax door with the door closed, right?

[wybnrml]

Today is one of those rare days in Seattle when the atmosphere is not in the liquid state, so I'll dive into this today.

It's going to be more difficult for the 4 cars where he didn't break the windows (and are parked in a row 4" from each other). I suppose I'll bust out a rear flipper window on each of those to get in and use up my supply of spares!

Don't break the windows, surprisingly car keys from alot of different cars will fit in the door locks, you can even use blank keys to get in the doors, go to a hardware store and get a blank Ford key and that should work.