# Key programming for older VW Beetle, year 2000 **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [November 19, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076 "2019-11-19T04:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Slagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@John\_Slagle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/John_Slagle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/1 "2019-11-19T04:27:04Z")
Need to get my newly cut keys programmed for my 2000 VW Beetle. VW dealer can’t do it, and even locksmiths whose ads say they can program any car admit that they can’t program year 2000 VWs. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 4:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/2 "2019-11-19T04:30:08Z")
A VW dealership is not able to provide replacement keys for a 2000 VW Beetle? This seems sort of hard to believe. Are there any other factors involved? What is their explanation for why they can’t do it? I expect you already understand that folks might try to steal a car by getting a dealership to make new keys . So the dealership is always going to insist that you prove you are the actual owner of the car. Is this the problem? That they don’t believe you own the car? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/3 "2019-11-19T05:03:35Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > A VW dealership is not able to provide replacement keys for a 2000 VW Beetle? I bet they can, IF you buy the key from them, and have them cut it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Slagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@John\_Slagle](https://community.cartalk.com/u/John_Slagle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/4 "2019-11-19T05:10:21Z")
Oh, the VW shop has serviced my car since it was new, so they know me. This same shop even cut the news keys (with a chip inside) for me ( at $70 per key), not bothering to inform me that they cannot program the keys for a car that old. It takes a special programming device which they don’t have anymore. So, go find an automotive locksmith, they said. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/5 "2019-11-19T05:29:31Z")
Try a different dealer. The diagnostic scan tools sometime disappear, the service managers don’t want to replace the ones for the older vehicles that are seldom used, they generally cost between $5000 and $10,000. The person in the parts department that cut the new keys may not have been aware that the scan tool was missing. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 2:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/6 "2019-11-20T02:21:40Z")
I’d have guessed a dealership – seeking repeat business when the customer eventually decides to purchase another car – would go out of their way to handle this sort problem for their customer. If they couldn’t do it in-house b/c they no longer had the equipment, they’d arrange to get it done elsewhere. Apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/7 "2019-11-20T03:30:04Z")
Some VW dealerships are famous for poor service. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/8 "2019-11-20T03:54:56Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I’d have guessed a dealership – seeking repeat business when the customer eventually decides to purchase another car It doesn’t make economic sense for the service department to buy a $6,000 scan tool to collect $75 programming two keys on a 20 year old car hoping that some day that customer will return so that a salesman in the next department can collect a commission on a sale of a car. With lower value makes some dealers don’t want to take in vehicles over 10 to 15 years old. There was someone around here that used to tell people that dealers aren’t equipped to work on cars that are outside the warranty period. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/9 "2019-11-20T03:55:47Z")
Apparently that’s the case in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/10 "2019-11-20T04:01:46Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > It doesn’t make economic sense for the service department to buy a $6,000 scan tool I’ll bet they did have it at one time though. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/11 "2019-11-20T04:20:39Z")
Yes but as I stated earlier scan tools disappear over the years, they are stolen or left in customers cars by mistake. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/12 "2019-11-21T01:34:51Z")
OP always has the option of writing a letter of complaint to the manufacturer’s CEO. ---
**Author:** ![sgtrock21](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/sgtrock21/32/246_2.png) [@sgtrock21](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sgtrock21)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-programming-for-older-vw-beetle-year-2000/153076/13 "2019-11-21T01:44:54Z")
That could be the problem. I would compare it to bringing parts to a dealership and wanting them installed. Not likely.