Fixing a VW Key Ring
I drive a 2002 Jetta, which has this super cool flippy key that has the power to unite all races under one banner.
This, however, cannot be complete without a key ring. The chrome bar that comes attached really doesn’t do the job, and mine broke a while back. The folks at VWvortex forums were quick to provide a DIY fix, which I’ve done my best to chronicle.
First, I tried super glue. That worked for a total of .0000333… seconds. Second, I tried JB Weld, which is supposed to hold together two cheetas running full speed in opposite directions. This worked for about double that time. For the record, I do not chalk this up to the inferiority of these products, but the idiocy by which this VW key ring was designed.
After these failed attempts, I ripped the key in half (which can literally be done by just pulling the two halves apart, see below).
I then proceeded to VWvortex, and found exactly where the board inside was located, so I wouldn’t drill into it. What you want to do is drill in the corner where the panic button is, opposide side of the key. I used a 1/8 inch drill bit, which allowed a smaller key ring to fit through, albeit quite snugly.
Viola! My key, as well as my manhood, are now whole again. Reply below if you have questions.
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This is awesome. I’ve got an ’04 Passat and BOTH of the switchblade keys have been busted for over a year. Yours was the first result I got when I googled drilling VW key, and I just completed the job. The races are, indeed, united.
Link to commentThank you, thank you. My 2003 Jetta had both keys broken since 2008 and I had been using the courtesy key. It took me about 5 minutes from start to finish. I drilled from the inside corner out, then snapped the top of the case back together and use the pilot hole to finish drilling the other side. Don’t panic if you see some metal shavings, it’s probably from the original ring which snapped off. Works perfectly!
Link to commentThank you, thank you. My 2003 Jetta have had both keys broken since 2008 and I had been using the courtesy key. It took me about 5 minutes from start to finish. I drilled from the inside corner out, then snapped the top of the case back together and use the pilot hole to finish drilling the other side. Don’t panic if you see some metal shavings, it’s probably from the original ring which snapped off. Works perfectly!
Link to commentAwesome! Thanks for the info.
Link to commentHaha thanks Russell. By the way, I dig the blog man. Any penguin fan / lawyer is a friend of mine.
Link to commentyour a genious dude my key ring is broke too so ima think about doin this
Link to commentThanks for the replies guys. Glad it helped!
Link to commentIs there a trick to pulling the unit apart? A pressure release point?
Link to commentThey literally just pull apart. It’s kind of tricky though. I actually put the key in a vise grip, and pulled it apart with pliers.
Link to commentAWESOME! I accidentally locked myself out of my house (twice) because my VW key was NOT chained to my house key. Thanks! You are awesome!
Link to commentAmazing! My Key Is Fixed!!
Link to commentSweet, glad it helped Kenzie!
Link to commentMy key is the exact same as yours and the exact same thing happened to mine. So I have a hole drilled right where you did yours, it should be fine, right? Im so scared of messing up and hitting something that isnt supposed to drilled into.
Link to commentAs long as you drill the hole in the same corner I did, you should be fine. The guts are on the other end 🙂
Link to commentWorked like a charm. Thank you!
Link to commentGood to hear!
Link to commentWhat if i drill on the same side you did but i dont take my keys apart? Well i mess up my key?
Link to commentNope, you should be fine. Just drill into the corner opposite of the button, and you are good to go. I’m going on a year and a half since I drilled mine, and it works great.
Link to commentThis is great rob thanks a million..
Link to commentNo problem Lisa!
Link to commentRob, you are the man! Another method is to buy another key off ebay and swap the bit with the chrome bar with the existing one. But that will eventually break too. Your’s is a permanent fix. Thanks Rob. Lifesaver.
Link to commentGlad I could help dude!
Link to commentBrilliant!!! Have been cursing this stupid thing since it broke off! I am forever hunting for this key since it isnt tethered to the rest of my keys it likes to wander off. Problem solved!
Link to commentwill this work on my 2008 jetta key in the same corner as yours or is the board in a different spot on mine
Link to commentI’m not sure exactly Rich. I’m still using the 02 model :). In my key, you can slide the ends apart, and the heavier end has the motherboard in it.
Link to commentso i should take the key apart first and make sure you think
Link to commentYes, I definitely would, just to be sure.
Link to commentdo you know of any other ways possible if your way is not possible
Link to commentYea! You are my hero!
Link to commentHaha thanks Christy! That’s good to here.
Link to commentGreat tip. Worked perfectly. Thanks for posting.
Link to commentI just bought my new to me 08 jetta 3 weeks ago and 1 1/2 weeks into it the damn thing broke. I was wondering why the dealership was pushing “key insurance” on me. I had a high end 2001 I was trading in and thought, “I had that car for a long time and never lost either key, why would I need that!?!” I complained to the dealership and soon to VW, but if they are just going to give me another shitty key I don’t want it. At least I have both in hand right now! Just drilled them and have peace of mind. I hope you know how appreciative we all are of your fix!!! THANK YOU!!! I can go back to loving my new to me car!
Link to commentThanks Christie! I’m glad its helping people out. I too was in the same boat with my VW. Everything with the car has been top notch, save for the damn key fab 🙂
Link to commentTHANK YOU! you just saved me a a lot of money. that metal piece broke on BOTH my keys. I’m so fed up with losing my key everywhere i go because i can’t attach it to anything! I am so happy and relieved now.
Link to commentI also put my fob in a vise grip (trunk) and pulled it apart with my pliers (left hand). My question is: how did you put the two pieces back together? I’m thinking I might have broken some sort of plastic clasp or hook that holds the two pieces together, but before I try gorilla glue, I want to make sure I’m not missing something.
Link to commentI just snapped them back together, no real trick to it. I’m definitely sure that gorilla glue will do the trick 🙂
Link to commentTHANKS!!! It worked great for my 02 Passat!
Link to commentGlad I could help Michelle!
Link to commentMy key just broke and I’m nervous to drill into it because its my only key… did the drill slip at all or did it go through the plastic alright?
Link to commentHey Ally,
Try a small drill bit first, and work up to a larger one. That should prevent it from slipping at all. I didn’t have any problems though, and mine was also my only key 🙂
Link to commentSo, both of my keys to my 2008 VW Jetta broke, too. This post is amazing. I drilled mine tonight, and it’s perfect.
For anyone wondering (as I’m sure more people will find their way over) if you are unsure of where your board is, you can pull the half apart again, front to back. It takes some wiggling, but it’s totally doable (it’s how you change the battery).
This is DEFINITELY better than buying another key. And more reliable, too. (:
Link to commentGlad I could help Kat! Thanks for the info about splitting the key from front to back. I never thought you could do that!
Link to commentThanks Rob. But bit confused. I have a 2003 VW Passat. Pulled apart the key and it looks like the circuit board is on the same end as where you are saying to drill. Is this correct?
BTW…my key looks exactly as yours does in your pics.
Thanks man.
Derek
Link to commentMight be in a different place for a Passat Derek. Sorry for the late reply. Did you get your key ring drilled?
Link to commentthank you! you just saved me like $50 + lots of time swapping out my circuit board to a new fob
if you’re worried about taking it apart / locating the safe drill spot, this is a detailed tutorial of how to disassemble your fob
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This is awesome Tim! Thanks a ton for the video.
Link to commentThank you sooooo much
Link to commentRob (and Tim), thanks so much. I just did one as a test and it works brilliantly. Now I am going to do it to the rest of our VW keys.
Link to commentThank you, thank you, thank you! I guess I should be pleasantly surprised that my key lasted 11 years, than another few months with superglue. I will be drilling mine tonight!
Link to commentNice Sara! I’d love to see a pic of the finished product!
Link to commentThanks so much for this tip! I just drilled mine last night and now I can finally attach my car key to my house keys!
Link to commentYou saved me so much $$, I was just googling how much a replacement key would cost when I stumbled across your post and I’m glad I did!!
No problem Amanda, glad we could save you some cash!
Link to commentSuper! Thanks alot for this guide. Really a life saver
Link to commentThanks Marin! Glad to help.
Link to commentDidn’t think twice…went to the garage, drilled out both of my Passat keys just where you said to with a 1/8 ” bit, inserted the rings and done, good as new. Thanks!
Link to commentWow VW dealers really love to soak their loyal followers. I was just told by my local dealer that 2 new fobs would be $125.00 each and $120.00 for an hour of shop time to program the new units.
I told them to pound salt for $370.00 i have pockets. Came home jump on the internet and found this solution to keep my keys with the fob. VW you should be ashamed of yourselves.
Thanks Rob.
Happy in Calgary.
Link to commentI’ve noticed the Same thing Monty. What I do love about having a VW though is the amazing community of people supporting each other, and our vehicles.
I’m quite glad I could help you!
Link to commentThis is an amazing fix rob!!! 2009 and still going strong. Fixed my 02 VW passat just as you described. Great post! thx a million.
Link to commentThanks for posting this, so helpful and economical… I looked into replacing mine after both keys broke the same way for 2008 VW, so expensive!
Link to commentThank you. I always wonder about the loyalty of VW owners. This is just the latest insult (of at least 50) and easily makes my jetta the worst car I have ever owned. I have no idea why anyone would get burned twice on one of these POS’s. It is great how there are so much support amongst owners but the short of it is, it shouldn’t have to be this way.
Link to commentAwesome, I just did this in less 5 minutes at work….. I am whole again.
Thank You,
Link to commentRonbo
I have been using the valet key because I am so afraid of losing the keys and wasting time searching for my car key everytime I have to go out.
Link to commentI am going to do this now on both my handicapped keys. You rock.
Good to hear Jenny!
Link to commentRead your post– Grabbed my FOB (which takes forever to find since it does to hang with the rest of the keys). Drilled the hole -inserted the Ring and was better than new in less than 5 Minutes ! (Could have been faster if could of found the darn FOB) . Thanks for sharing !
Link to commentThanks Rob for helping me fix both my fobs!!! I’m 16 & my mom got me a 01 VW Jetta as my first car & both my fob key holes broke but drilling this hole has made them like brand new again 🙂
Link to commentThanks for an excellent solution and description to a frustrating problem.
Link to commentTHANK YOU!!
Link to commentYou have just made me a hero in the eyes of a 17 year old girl!!
: )
Haha glad to hear it Lisa!
Link to commentTHANK YOU!!!!
Link to commentThis was an excellent fix!!! I got my handy little drill and did what you said, albeit a bit scared I’d hit something important inside the fob but I went with what you said and it turned out great. Easy fix! And now I can attach my key to my key chain again!!! One happy camper here!
Link to commentthis is great! just did mine and finally now i can keep all my keys together and not have to go digging for my car key. thank you so much!
Link to commentThanks Rob. I will be doing this on my only ’09 Tiguan key. Dropping in the driveway made the ring part snap right off. 🙁 And super glue only worked for about a day. $$$Saver Thanks!
Link to commentNice write-up! I found the same thread on VW Vortex and put together this DIY vid taking a slightly different approach.
http://youtu.be/998U97Y1CwY
Link to commentMany thanks for your advice, this sensible suggestion should be adopted by VW and they should sack the design team who developed it. My son has a Seat less than 3 years old and they are still using the same design which is rubbish. Thanks again no need to buy a new key.
Link to commentYou, sir, are a genius. Kudos to American ingenuity. I just did mine in 5 minutes and now I have a key ring on my 03 Jetta key. This solution saved me at least $10 (replacement key from Amazon). I actually drilled 3/16 hole from inside out to make sure I don’t damage the button.
Link to commentHaha American ingenuity is a beautiful thing! Glad I could help Ralf.
Link to commentAWESOME! The first key broke a couple of years ago, so I put that one away and have been using the second one (my spare) since. Well, that one broke a few weeks ago and like everyone else has commented, I have spent more &*%$* time looking for the VW key or for the rest of my keys than I care to admit. Thank god I found this – I can’t wait to pull out the drill and take care of this business tomorrow. Thanks Rob and thank you Tim for adding the video.
Link to commentAmazing! Just did this and it’s fantastic to have all the keys back together. I would stress thinking I was going to lose my key and now it’s fixed! Thank you!!!!
Link to commentGlad to help Laura!
Link to commentOMG!!! Thank you so extremely much!!! Like everyone else, I have spent so much time looking for my damn vw key because I couldn’t attach it to my key ring!! It’s been a major pain!!! To try and fix it, I tried superglue, some other “can glue anything” glue and I even tried the same steel opoxy I used to temporarily plug a hole in the oil pan on my passat. Today I got online to buy a key shell and thank God I found this website before I ordered it!! Drilled my hole and it’s on my keyring!!! Love VW, I’ve owned 2 but DAMN THE CHEAP KEY FAB!! Hallaluyer!!!
Link to commentThis was an amazing fix! Truly grateful! Took 5 mins and fixed in a snap!!!
Link to commentBrilliant thank you thank you
Link to commentLived with tape/glue /losing house key etc for years
Would not pay dealer prices for replacements
Just drilled two fobs in 5 mins
My son is a designer I will ask him to contact vw and offer to solve he problem – but then vw wouldn’t get their replacement key profits eh?
I was about to buy one of those replacement shells for my key, but thankfully stumbled on your article and fixed my key in a few minutes – instead of waiting for who knows how long for the shell to arrive and then spending time swapping parts.
Thanks so much! This webpage just keeps on giving! Will probably be useful for at least 6 more years as VW still makes the same style keys.
Link to commentI’m loving the simplicity of this workaround. Before I borrow a drill, could someone confirm that the fob for a 2007 Passat is the same on the inside as the Jetta & others already tried? My Passat fob *looks* like the ones pictured here, but I’d be more confident with confirmation that it works on Passat switchblade fobs as well as Jettas…
Link to commentMine is a 2002 Passat and it worked perfectly!
Link to commentI am so grateful for this post!! I like so many others am so frustrated with constantly looking for my key. Today, I accidently locked the key in the trunk when I laid it down while loading things into the car. While waiting 45 minutes for AAA I resolved that I would just buy the replacement key. Thankfully someone told me you can buy one on ebay while searching I found your post. You are helping so many people with you bravery (I am still a bit scared to drill, but desperate enough to try) and creative thinking Thanks for sharing!!
Link to commentDon’t be afraid to drill 🙂 I totally understand as I was nervous also. But, it was soooo easy to follow the directions that these guys gave. I did both of my key fobs and it worked like a charm!
Link to commentAwesome! Glad it worked Kat!
Link to commentI was so happy to find this thread – going to go home to do this to my “new to me” 2002 Beetle fob. Quick question – mine look just like all the rest here but none have mentioned Beetle. Will the motherboard be in the same place for the Beetle?
Thanks so much!!
Link to commentThankyou Rob, I’ve been contemplating drilling a hole like this but wasn’t sure quite how. As a woman who jumps in feet first I’ve been holding off. Im going to give this a go now. I agree, i love my VW beetle and everything else is fantastic except this key fob, the key ends up lost often as its not tethered to other keys.
Link to commentIve crocheted little covers, made a wire cage, used a plastic bag, was getting desperate enough to contemplate $700 for a new key.
thanks again jill
Thanks Jill! I’d love to see a pic of those crocheted key fob covers!
Link to commentAwesome. Thank you sooooo much. Lost one key; just saved another using your fix. Life changing, lol. For real.
Link to commentHas anybody’s key fob cracked and broke losing their key. the fix is what I need but I’m wondering if the corner will break off?
Link to commentWish I had found this sooner. Been using the second key fob and I literally had to touch the car to get it to lock/unlock, its range is terrible and I missed my working, yet broken key.
Link to commentI drilled this out in 4 minutes flat and I now have my working key, which has a much farther range, once again.
Now if I could just find the homelink panel that fell off my visor (which while searching for, this link popped up), all would be right with the world once again. Any ideas on where to find that homelink panel, please email me, I have a pair of Passat GLX 4-motions, one an 02, the other an 03.
Thanks for this tip, I am happy to have found it.
Came across this on google, excellent solution, many thanks will be trying it very Soon!
Link to commentRegards.
anon.
Cheers! went to Timpsons to check how much a replacement fob would cost £45.00 upwards?????……..came home, typed in broken beetle key fob and found your awesome easy fix! sorted in seconds for nowt! a big THANKYOU
regards Michael
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