Stolen key... what to do?

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
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robyfaught
Posts: 39
Joined: Sep 13, 2014 2:05 PM
Location: Lexington, KY

Stolen key... what to do?

Post by robyfaught »

So... someone got into my daily driver last night which unfortunately had the key for my e28 in it and just my luck, they took it. I have a spare key and keep my e28 in indoor storage so it is more than likely safe for the time being. However, this happened in the parking lot for my apartment so I'm really afraid to drive the car and park it here in case whoever stole my key comes back and sees an old BMW sitting where my daily driver usually does. I know I will be able to re-key my door and trunk locks fairly easily. But what I'm concerned about is the ignition. My car has a coarse spline column IIRC. I've heard that replacing the steering column can be easier than replacing the lock cylinder itself. Would it be worth it to do so, or should I just get the door and trunk locks re-keyed and leave it at that?
Mike W.
Posts: 26872
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: California Whine Country

Re: Stolen key... what to do?

Post by Mike W. »

I've done all this, but it's been 20 years so details are a little fuzzy. IIRC removing the ignition lock is not particularly difficult as long as you have the key, but repinning it to a different key is difficult. Doable, but difficult. Doors are easy, glove box is easy, trunk is a PITA. In your position, I would either try to replace all the locks from ones from a parts car, or just replace the ignition lock after getting one from a trusted source. Which leaves your car at risk of break in, with the original key, but unable to start it.

Replacing/rekeying the whole car is the Ideal way, replacing the ignition lock is the easy way. My E28 came with mismatched locks, only a valet key and it drove me crazy, I really don't like 2 key cars so I rekeyed a bunch of stuff. It was a lot of work, but doable. And the manuals don't cover that stuff, you have to figure it out.
stuartinmn
Posts: 9380
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Minneapolis

Re: Stolen key... what to do?

Post by stuartinmn »

I had to replace the ignition switch in my car some years ago, there's an old discussion with a few pictures that may or may not help you: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=127398&p=1271415&hi ... n#p1271415 One thing I did was to remove the steering column from the car, so I could work on it on the workbench. It's really not very hard to do, and it made the job easier not having to be all scrunched up halfway under the dash.
RetiredDoc
Posts: 1316
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Aiken SC

Re: Stolen key... what to do?

Post by RetiredDoc »

Sounds like a good time to start using the code feature on the OBC to prevent starting. Yes, I know it is ancient technology that can be overridden by disconnecting the battery and reconnecting. But a potential car thief won’t know that. If you have not tried the code feature before, it allows the engine to crank but it will not start.
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