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Door Key - Dumb question

I

iboost

New member
I just picked up a 99 GTP and have owned an 04 GS for over 10 years. The problem I have is that I can't use the key to lock or unlock the doors in either car. Do these cars require a different key other than the ignition key?
 


Not that I'm aware of. I can lock/unlock my 00 GT with the ignition key and even the valet key with no issue.

Do the door locks just not turn with the key at all or do they move and not unlock/lock the doors?
 
I cant answer about the 04 having been stuck in my 1998 GTP time warp for the last 23 years.
for the 99, the door key and ignition key should be one in the same. The trunk key is different, the ignition / door key won't insert into the trunk lock and vice versa.
I think I remember reading that the odds of two cars being keyed the same are pretty high.

Same questions as above - does the key go in at all? do the locks turn when the key is inserted
Also if the doors are locked, if you insert the key and turn to unlock and hold, all doors should unlock.
 
thanks for the replies and nope...key doesn't move. I can insert it but it doesn't move left or right. Its as if its the wrong key. And just to be clear, I have individual keys for the GS and GTP obviously...just both cars have the same symptom. Just found it odd to have the same problem with two cars from different years. With the Buick I just assumed it probably had a door key that I didn't have and I'd just use the fob. As I just purchased the 99 GTP this weekend and noticed the same issue, it made me wonder. Also the fob won't work on the GTP. Tried to program it to the car numerous times by pulling the fuse, turning the key back etc etc and no go, so figued I'd just use the key for the time being but no go.

I thank you again for the replies. I'll see what I can come up with. I usually work on my own stuff, but this time I may just take it to a garage..hand them money and say "fix".
 
I have two 99 coupes. One key fits every lock on the car on them. Doors, trunk, ignition, glovebox, rear seat pass-thru.

How is the wear on the keys involved? Does the 99 do the same thing on both sides of the car? Do you use any kind of like colored key cover?

All I can think of is perhaps the key is going in too far or not far enough. Could be dirt in the lock cylinder especially if the key got used as a qtip or pipe cleaner lol. Have you douched the inop lock with WD40? Tried it with the key a little short of all the way in?

As far as fobs... I live the fobless life. Manually locking is for me because you never know if a weak actuator or other issue really locks all doors or not. Plus less painful lump in ass pocket.

I also go chimeless by unplugging the speaker inside the grey box under the dash. But! Chime is required for fob and security programming. If you don't have an owner's manual I can get pics of the procedures.

One other thought... I replaced passenger door on my GT with right color salvage door and skipped swapping the lock cyl. Added PITA and its only me so I remove passenger seats also. Someone could have done same on yours.

Or maybe you aren't holding your tongue just right. That could explain same issue with both cars. Theres some food for thought. Speak up if you don't have the manual.
 
One more thought... spent some time in a dealer body shop and learned from parts man that stuff like that can be in the cut of a key. Meaning anytime a new key is cut, it should be tried in all locks. Can have to do with the machine or the blank or for no obvious reason. But if you see someone who has a good bit of experience cutting keys, you may find that they don't always all work in all the locks. Having a new key or two cut would be the solution to try there.
 


Can't seem to get it all in, pfft.

Cutting new key referencing old key may be no good. Cutting new key by VIN or from knockout from original key is also a thing, at a dealer. If theres a good GM parts department nearby that would be a good starting place since they are most familiar with the cars. Or a locksmith but the dealer has the advantage of more options to replace a key.
 
The key on my 00 GT works every lock possible on the car. No issues. Sounds like someone may have re-keyed the door locks and just lived using the keyfob.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Tonight I took the fob apart and tested with an O-scope and the fob in-fact wasn't outputting anything. Cleaned it up and retouched up some solder joints and voalla it outputted a signal. Paired it with the car and worked fine except the unlock button was iffy. Ran in the house to get my wallet so I could hit autozone for a new fob. Must have brushed the lock button and got locked out. Had a local shop get me back into the car as I didn't have anything on hand break into the car with. Got in and now the alarm goes off constantly. Can't reset it because the fob now doesn't output anything again and the key doesn't work in the door. FML :) So tomorrow I'm gonna pull the door panel off and see about jumping whatever wire there is to make the car think i'm turning the door key to unlock so that the alarm will disarm. The door unlock button won't unlock the doors...only locks. Assuming that's because the alarm is active. I don't have a key with a "chip" in it so the ignition trick won't work ...I don't think. Also, I doubt I could pair a new fob with the car while the alarm is armed.
 
iboost said:
Thanks for all the replies. Tonight I took the fob apart and tested with an O-scope and the fob in-fact wasn't outputting anything. Cleaned it up and retouched up some solder joints and voalla it outputted a signal. Paired it with the car and worked fine except the unlock button was iffy. Ran in the house to get my wallet so I could hit autozone for a new fob. Must have brushed the lock button and got locked out. Had a local shop get me back into the car as I didn't have anything on hand break into the car with. Got in and now the alarm goes off constantly. Can't reset it because the fob now doesn't output anything again and the key doesn't work in the door. FML :) So tomorrow I'm gonna pull the door panel off and see about jumping whatever wire there is to make the car think i'm turning the door key to unlock so that the alarm will disarm. The door unlock button won't unlock the doors...only locks. Assuming that's because the alarm is active. I don't have a key with a "chip" in it so the ignition trick won't work ...I don't think. Also, I doubt I could pair a new fob with the car while the alarm is armed.
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Similar thing happened to me. I owned my first GXP for five years and never used the lock in the door. Until one day my battery went dead and the fob wouldn't work. Went to turn the key in the door and it was frozen. I sat there for twenty minutes with a can of spray lube sticking the key in and out of the lock when it finally broke loose.
 


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