Help!! Bought Alfa from garage.....only given 1 key!!!

Countryripple

OK, so bought a 02 Alfa 156 from a garage and i was only given 1 key!!! I asked the guy what the craic was and he said they only got the one with it!!! Spoke to someone I know works for Alfa and he says its about E300 for the key and thats without programming it to the car!!! But even to get a key copied, would I not need a mater key or something? Am a supposed to have a 'red' key and two 'blue' keys?

What should I do? Ive seen blank 'red' keys on ebay. Should I buy one of these and take it to alfa to cut for me?

Any advice would be brilliant!!!!

richardsheil

red key blue key relates to earlier cars.

You need a code which you should have with the car and then go to the dealer and they will make you a new one for about 300. I think the dealer can figure out the code too if you don't have it.

Or you could get lucky like I did and contact the previous owner and find they still have the other key on their key ring.

Or contact Gerry at TI autos ( obligatory mention of Gerry in every Alfa post has now been accomplished)

Richard
01 Alfa 166

johncm

worked with fiat for 5 years and you can get a new code card if you lost your old one. it costs around 15 euro. the key itself costs around €140 /€150 and you will have to take the car to a main dealer to get it coded which takes about an hour so expect to pay €60 up for that. you should need you vehicle licence cert with the chassis number on it to order the key. it takes roughly 3 working days for the key to arrive from italy

BostonB

Its something you really should have got a discount for when buying the car.

Lex Luthor

from what i remember, the keys on the 156 changed in 2001. Is your key the spring loaded one that retracts the metal section back in the key body?

I have a '00 156 and all I got was 2 red keys, no master key. That was the old way they used to do it with the fiats. On our 97 punto we had 2 blue and one brown master key, but I think they did away with all that.

I think for a '02 156 you should just get 2 keys, both the same. If one is lost, then you'll probably have to get one made but I be wary that someone out there may have a spare key for your car and could start it at any time if they found you.

Countryripple

I think I was had. :mad: Was only told there was no key when I asked for it after id paid!!! I was not given a manual either so no codes for anything. Was told a new logbook would be post out with the VRC!! But I never heard of anything like that before!!!

Lex Luthor

its quite possible a key has been lost.

you should get a new Vehicle license Cert in a few weeks in the post. Log books are a thing of the past. Did you sign the RF101 form when you bought it?

what kind of codes are you looking for? I have a manual for mine and it might have what your looking for

Countryripple

Did not sign an RF101 form. I was just given a receipt. Sh!te!!! Ill be ringing the guy first thing monday!!!

Lex Luthor

Countryripple wrote:

Did not sign an RF101 form. I was just given a receipt. Sh!te!!! Ill be ringing the guy first thing monday!!!

the RF101 form is the transfer of ownership so I'd be in there 1st thing Mon morning and asking where it is.

Our man in Havana

Cue the gardai knocking on your door looking for a stolen car to be returned.

You should have at least looked at the licencing cert before you bought it. Sounds like a chancer to me.

BostonB

Can't believe this was from a garage who should know better.

Countryripple

Right. Update. So have been onto the garage. Guy told me the ownership form is sent and he put my name on it, that once it was on it it was fine. Told him again i was not happy with only having the one key. He said he thinks the other one was broken and the owner didnt want to fork out for another. Ive to bring the car back up to the garage in a day or two when I get time to get the wheels balanced. In the meantime ill be ringing Shannon and asking if they received the form so if there is any discrepancy ill be able to have it out with him.

Will keep you updated. Thanks for the advice.

Lex Luthor

Countryripple wrote:

Right. Update. So have been onto the garage. Guy told me the ownership form is sent and he put my name on it, that once it was on it it was fine. Told him again i was not happy with only having the one key. He said he thinks the other one was broken and the owner didnt want to fork out for another. Ive to bring the car back up to the garage in a day or two when I get time to get the wheels balanced. In the meantime ill be ringing Shannon and asking if they received the form so if there is any discrepancy ill be able to have it out with him.

Will keep you updated. Thanks for the advice.

Shannon will be able to tell you if they received the form or not. However they will not tell you who it is registered to, but if you give them a name & address, they will say yay or nay