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Timmsy wrote:Do Ford still use those stupid keys which are about 20 years old now too?
No - the ST1 has a normal key, the ST2 has a remote fob to lock/ unlock but has a push button starter on the dash, the ST3 i'm sure has a button on the door handle to unlock/ lock as long as the fob is nearby then a push button starter on dash
We're going back to the 80s again having to fit steering locks, etc - bad enough on the bikes having to fit disc locks, chains, ground anchors, alarms - takes the fun out of driving doesn't it
Timmsy wrote:Do Ford still use those stupid keys which are about 20 years old now too?
These "stupid" keys were designed by Chubb and made by Tibbe, they did fail to open cars when worn damaged, but as far as I knew, they were streets ahead of what other manufacturers were offering at the time, and of course all their cars also had the "engine lock" function courtesy of the still now industry standard transponder chip.
Timmsy wrote:Do Ford still use those stupid keys which are about 20 years old now too?
These "stupid" keys were designed by Chubb and made by Tibbe, they did fail to open cars when worn damaged, but as far as I knew, they were streets ahead of what other manufacturers were offering at the time, and of course all their cars also had the "engine lock" function courtesy of the still now industry standard transponder chip.
Was meant to be a slight joke as I remember my mum having an XR3i that got broken into through the shoddy locks that Ford seemed to continue all the way through to the end of the first gen focus if I remember rightly.
I know Ford used some really really cheap and nasty locks, maybe until back in the early 80's, but then their lock security became a market leader when they used Chubb to design and Tibbe to manufacture the later locks. I was not aware that any stealing of cars from the XR3i era was down to easy break-in, the XR3i etc were just too desirable to leave alone!
These locks did fail though, but that just meant you could not unlock them unless you used a new or unworn key (been there done that!), that was easy to fix, you just bought a lock repair kit from Ford which was meant for workshop use only, so was just a lot of new small parts with no instructions, quite a challenge first time round!
I think that Ford was also the first manufacturer to use security snap-off heads bolts on the ignition/steering lock assemblies - trouble was on the assembly line sometimes these bolts did not get fully tightened - I remember on wife's 1995 Fiesta 1.6Si that while I was driving it down a country road, something fell down inside the car - turned out it was one of these bolts with the snap-off head still on it - the other one was also almost completely unscrewed!
Edit:- maybe a strange fact - any Chubb/Tibbe Ford key could be used to lock any Ford with a Chubb/Tibbe lock - why did they do that I wonder, meant that if you were nasty, you could lock someone else's car while their keys were in it!
Yep I remember coming out of the house one morning with my mum so she could take me to school door was slightly ajar, lock smashed in, probably from a screwdriver, seats missing and the alloys missing! Bastardz!
Yes well no change there then, currently that is happening to Audi S4 with supersport seats and any RS4, again it is the seats they take as well as the multi function with paddles steering wheel - that can end up with cars being written off with replacement seats costing up to £1800 each and same for steering wheel - add in repairing wiring damage and fitting and any other damage incurred and you quickly end up at a sum too close to write off!
Edit:- you can't beat anyone that is willing to smash a door lock, Ford started fitting a steel box around these locks and sealing around the box to stop anyone accessing the lock area with "break-in" tools, that worked but was a pain when you had to repair the lock!
Well, I guess the best thing to do is to have good insurance!
Regarding the cloning of keys- I'm sure I read somewhere that to re-program a VW with a new key you need to use the old one first? I'm sure the dealers have some method of sorting it out (probably at vast expense), but it shouldn't be easy to reprogram one.
Edit:
Fords also now have keys that are not dissimilar to the VW 'flip' keys, with a flat blade. My brother has a Mk.1 Focus though with the old key design, it's crap. The remote locking is broken, and so he has to use the key in the door, and it's getting harder and harder to unlock it.
If your brother's Focus has the old Chubb/Tibbe locks, then sorting that lock will be easy if he buys a lock repair kit from Ford.
Coding new VW keys, yes that task is treated with great security/owner verification etc, but remember, these thieves are not VW dealers, they have equipment themselves with very smart kit that utilises a gaping security breach in how all these modern cars systems work.
Edit:- going back to your brother's Focus lock problem, that needs sorting ASAP as the worn lock(s) will wreck the car keys and costs will only go up if he needs to fix the lock(s) and the keys, I've found that only the most frequent locks fail first, that is driver's door then ignition lock.
I'll pass that on to him! I need to try and fix the central locking too. I think that'll be a job for the summer when I'm home from uni, he's been bugging me about trying to sort it out!
