Hi-

The patient is a 1976 that has spent some time sitting and the owner lost the ignition key. Is there a way to make an ignition key from the car's VIN? or is there a way to remove the lock cylinder without wrecking anything so I can have it keyed at a lock shop? Thanks

@thecabinetmaker ?

@TheCabinetmaker and @davep can probably help.
Message them or they'll find this.....

I've been through this before..... Is the key for the ignition different from the door/trunk/frunk/glovebox lock? If you don't have keys for any of those you can simply pull either a door lock or the glovebox lock and take that to a locksmith to have a key made. Unfortunately there is a chance that everything is keyed differently (as it was with my car) and you won't have a key that works with the ignition, although at least now you have a key for the door or glovebox. If they have different keys then you're in a tougher spot. I couldn't find a way to get the cylinder out of the steering column without the key, but maybe someone else here has a trick? I ended up having a mobile locksmith come out and make a key. It cost $150. It was worth it. Good luck!

I used a mobile locksmith once. Watched him ‘read’ the cyl with a soft blank then matched it and cut a new one. Insurance covered the ‘lockout’. I did not have to take anything apart.

Vin will not provide the key code. I would suggest you pull the front trunk lock and send it to me. It's the easiest to remove.
I can make you a generic key for $45.00. front trunk locks are the most likely to match the ignition. 75 model ignitions are difficult to remove. Please take a pic of the ignition so I can determine if your ignition is still original. A local locksmith will cost you 150.00-200.00.

Thanks for the replies.

I tried all the keys that the owner has and they for sure don't fit the ignition. I'll see if I can pull the front trunk lock and send it to you Mr Cabinetmaker.

The car is a 76. Is that still a tough one to remove?

yep. 75 & 76 are the same car.

Not wholly true, probably about 50% of the time I get the key code with the data on the car. Probably not the cheapest route nor the most dependable route but it certainly can work sometimes.

A lot of 914s had the ignition locks replaced with VW units. It uses a completely different key that will not fit any other locks on the car.

Original:
Click to view attachment

Later replacement:

Click to view attachment

This lock was used on the 924 and all the VW products of that era. The lock mechanism was the same, so it superseded the original lock in the parts catalog.

You can find people on here who have the 914 locks used and get it rekeyed to to work with the rest of the locks.

keys4classics can make a key from picture of key by email

[quote name='Jason74914' date='Apr 20 2023, 01:21 PM' post='3072643']
keys4classics can make a key from picture of key by email
[/quote

I can do that too.

Send me an email at cbntmkr at Gmail dot com and we'll chat.

call your dealer, they have codes from 72 on but you will have to probably get their regional service manager involved.

I tried thats a couple of years ago George. They wouldn't talk to me unless I was a certified member of the national locksmith association.