LOST ignition key

[London Mole]

Good evening all,

Need advice: it seems I have 'misplaced' the main ignition key for my 2006 GSA...
After looking under every leaf in our area, as well as asking every single squirrel and even attempting to bribe them with chocolate coated hazelnuts... no luck.

So, do I need to replace everything including the bike's ignition barrel? Or is there a way to reprogram the chip inside the key AND the bike itself?
Any idea of approximate cost?

In advance, thank you very much for any help and advice.

E

 

[tonkatoy]

Better get a more informed view from one of the better qualified types on here but I think you can get the lost key de-programmed, get a new one cut and programmed to your ECU by your local dealer

 

[Dainese Brave]

Better get a more informed view from one of the better qualified types on here but I think you can get the lost key de-programmed, get a new one cut and programmed to your ECU by your local dealer

Again not absolutely sure....but I'm sure Tonkatoy is right.

 

[ebbo]

I've heard of people asking for a metal key instead of the plastic one you normally get as a second key when buying a new bike so don’t see why BMW can’t just order you one in. What the cost is I wouldn’t know, do you have the spare to use?

 

[Wapping]

BuMW will simply order one in for you.

It is pre-programmed, using data held on BuMW's data base.

You will need to present yourself at a BuMW dealer clutching your V5 document and some other form of ID (passport is good).

I ordered an extra (3rd) key from BuMW Park Lane at Battersea, doing exactly that. It takes just a few days for it to arrive. Battersea used to post them out but no longer do. The reason? Several very expensive BuMW motorcars went missing..... Of course it's not the postmen, that would be silly

PS A very good reason why bods should take a spare key when going on holiday!

PPS BuMW limit the number of duplicate keys they will issue for a single vehicle. Don't lose too many.....

 

[littleredrooster]

There are four keys programmed at the time of manufacture, apparently. One plus the plastic 'spare' go to the new owner, one stays at the supplying dealership and the final one stays in Germany.
I'm told that no more keys can be programmed after these four, so be warned!

 

[Wapping]

There are four keys programmed at the time of manufacture, apparently. One plus the plastic 'spare' go to the new owner, one stays at the supplying dealership and the final one stays in Germany.
I'm told that no more keys can be programmed after these four, so be warned!

Well, that all sounds very odd.

My GS came with a metal key and a plastic key.

I asked the dealer for an extra metal one (I wanted a proper spare and had anyway run my key over, it was fine but the rubber 'tag' split meaning it fell off the key ring)... which they had to order, not take out of a cupboard. What happens when a bike is sold on? Do the dealers then hold lots of keys for bikes they will, in all probability, never see again? I think not.... but nothing ever surprises me, so maybe they do? That must explain their huge overheads and expensive servicing charges.

My third key came from Germany, like any other part. Are you telling us that there is a big warehouse in Munich full of single keys on little hooks? Mine would, I guess, say Wapping (or not) on the label above it. What happens to my hook, now it is empty?

I agree though that BuMW will only issue a pre-determined number of additional keys. How many? No idea, I'll ask next time I am in Battersea. I'll also ask to see their spare key cupboard.

 

[tr6 trophy]

lost key

when i bought my new gs i got 2 metal keys and the plastic one !

 

[Wapping]

when i bought my new gs i got 2 metal keys and the plastic one !

Good for you

You must have had the one out of the dealer's spare key cupboard. There is now a gap in Littleredrooster's supply chain.

 

[London Mole]

Many THANKS to you all...!!! I will contact the garage and check with them.

 

[Wapping]

Many THANKS to you all...!!! I will contact the garage and check with them.

It's a good place to start

 

[AberdeenAngus]

when i bought my new gs i got 2 metal keys and the plastic one !

Yup, they now come with 2 metal keys and a plastic one as standard.

Can't imagine a big pile of spare keys being kept at BM HQ.
Also, why would it not be possible to program a fifth key ?
No offence meant to little rooster but that sounds like an urban myth.

You can order a spare key from your dealer. I understand that its not too expensive either. Seem to recall someone saying £35(ish).

I also understand that, if you take the bike in, you can get the missing key blocked from your ECU.

 

[Wapping]

I also understand that, if you take the bike in, you can get the missing key blocked from your ECU.

How, if you have say three keys and you lose just one, will BuMW know which key to block? Or do you have to turn up with the other two, too?

Has anyone actually seen and experienced this blocking process in action? How do they block it?

Or, is it like BuMW holding spare keys on customers' behalf (one in the dealers and another at BuMW's secret key store, buried deep in the Bavarian Alps) - just against the chance a customer might lose one or need another at short notice -(customer service at its highest level) - just another myth?

 

[Magwych]

My guess, and that is all it is, is that they need all keys. Rather than blocking a nwo unavailable key, the process would be to recode the immobiliser code and the existing keys... Or is that too simple ?

 

[brianmaslen]

No you've all missed the point, they can't possibly hold ready made coded keys only "virtual" keys, so they don't need a vast cupboard anymore, all they have is a German gnome who lives in the Virtual cupboard and guards the box full of blank keys. He is also a skilled locksmith who cuts the keys at will and then dispatches them to the dealer on receipt of your very expensive order. No empty pegs to fill, no labels to write out and only computer records to keep. I feel a book coming on, The Story of the Bavarian Keyholder and the Missing Keys

 

[littleredrooster]

Well, that all sounds very odd.

My GS came with a metal key and a plastic key.

So did both of mine.

Do the dealers then hold lots of keys for bikes they will, in all probability, never see again? I think not....

Yes - that is my understanding from a conversation I had with a salesman who had just sold me a bike. They were able to supply a key 'off-the-shelf' for a bike they had originally supplied. Although this may have come from BMW UK rather than the dealership, perhaps.....

My third key came from Germany, like any other part. Are you telling us that there is a big warehouse in Munich full of single keys on little hooks? Mine would, I guess, say Wapping (or not) on the label above it. What happens to my hook, now it is empty?

It may well say 'VIN number'. I doubt if they know your name.

I agree though that BuMW will only issue a pre-determined number of additional keys. How many? No idea, I'll ask next time I am in Battersea. I'll also ask to see their spare key cupboard.

See if the story tallies between dealerships....

 

[Alan R]

BuMW?

BuMW will simply order one in for you.

It is pre-programmed, using data held on BuMW's data base.

You will need to present yourself at a BuMW dealer clutching your V5 document and some other form of ID (passport is good).

I ordered an extra (3rd) key from BuMW Park Lane at Battersea, doing exactly that. It takes just a few days for it to arrive. Battersea used to post them out but no longer do. The reason? Several very expensive BuMW motorcars went missing..... Of course it's not the postmen, that would be silly

PS A very good reason why bods should take a spare key when going on holiday!

PPS BuMW limit the number of duplicate keys they will issue for a single vehicle. Don't lose too many.....

Is this an insider joke that I'm missing?
What does BuMW mean? Alan R

 

[autogs]

well i have 5 keys for my bike(dont ask),

as for dealers keeping a key for every bike they sell,complete and utter rubbish

 

[brianmaslen]

Page 45/46 of the Riders manual states the following; You can also have your authorised BMW Motorrad dealer bar individual keys, for example if a particular key goes missing.
If you want to have a lost key barred, you have to bring with you all the other keys that belong to the motorcycle. A key that has been barred can subsequently be cleared and reactivated for use.

 

[Wapping]

Page 45/46 of the Riders manual states the following; You can also have your authorised BMW Motorrad dealer bar individual keys, for example if a particular key goes missing.
If you want to have a lost key barred, you have to bring with you all the other keys that belong to the motorcycle. A key that has been barred can subsequently be cleared and reactivated for use.

So it's true.

Phew.

Thanks.

Now to look for the BuMW hidden vault......