chefbpowers

just curious....does anyone know if you can modify a vw switchblade key or buy a switchblade key from an aftermarket company that will work the tc??

DOWNSHIFT

Nope

Chombi

Why would you want to jinx your TC by infusing a Volkswagen part into it. Volkswagens are evil cars! stay away from them!

So glad to be VW free
Chombi

surfcity40

you are apparently one of the few who feel that way. vw-ag engineers great cars. imo, german engineering is tough to match. the tc is my first japanese car. i love it but the fit/finish/power doesn't compare to the vw/audis i've owned....they are tough to match. (i understand we are talking about two different pricing markets so no flaming necessary). truly, one cannot compare the fit and finish of a tc and a jetta or an a4, nor should you.

so, in a nutshell, i understand you've apparently had a bad experience with vw but vws are not evil cars and from my experience, are engineered very sound. i own a tc now and love it but will go back to vw ag (audi/porsche) when i'm done paying this one.

apples/oranges

dieselstation

i guess you haven't seen any of the latest consumer reports on VW. they are HORRIBLY unreliable. overpriced. and the only redeeming quality about them is the interior. they have GREAT interiors.

Dregur

My brother has a Passat, and in the first 30,000 miles or so, he's had about 2-3 major problems with it already, even getting stuck on the road once because of the ECU.

-The Grinman :D

surfcity40

i only speak from my experience not from reading consumer reports. i have owned several vw/ag products since 1991(granted they were all audis except for the jetta i bought my daughter) until the tc . i have nothing but a great things to say about each of them. the tc is a break from a big payment. i love the car, but a 2.7 twin turbo a6 it ain't. (still love it).

Mainrodax

little known fact:
VW's first car (the bug) had originally been designed by Hitler. Hitler created the volkswagen in the hope of it being pretty much a "national car", cheap and affordable. The early design, the one Hitler personally drew up, was actually sort of sinister looking. It was just a big wedge with a rounded front. The VW engineers carefully modified it by sliding the cabin back and rounding the edges, enough to look much more appealing but not get themselves on a guillotine, making pretty much the same design as the bug has been for the last 60 years.

Chombi

Wake up and read all the recent trade publications all sounding the near death state of VW in the USA. Their sales have been down to as much as 29% compared to last year because of the lack of new and return customers. Sales are still falling and reliability ratings have barely improved from the second to last rating that they were getting from survey houses like JD Powers. A lot of people are jumping ship on VW in droves after continuous problems with their late model cars and the awful treatment from VWoA and their dealerships. Just in my workplace alone, out of the five people that own VW's four have already given up on ever buying another VW product. because their cars turned out to be pieces of junk that keep breaking down on them, the last holdout is now leaning towards dumping his VW because the VW service departments he has taken his car to still can't find out why his engine is eating oil by the gallons. VWs CAN be good and fun cars (mine was genuinely fun to drive for the first 223 miles, but after that, it was just continuous electronic and mechanical breakdowns), but the execution of their products have been flawed in a major way in the recent years because of substandard quality of components that they get from their suppliers. VW has in some way admitted to their quality control problems with statements from the last couple of stooges...ooops chairmen that controlled the company in the last three years, but VW AG has been slow to react and has bungled many attempts on turning things around by getting distracted by misguided forays into the high- lux market ( Pheaton, Toureg, W8 )! They should have used that developement money to improve the designs of their "regular" cars instead.
Do everyone a favor and quit spreading the tired old myth of the so called superior "German Engineering".
The only way you can change the minds of many dissapointed former VW owners like me, is if VW ever figures out how to design reasonably priced, reliable and fun cars like the Scion TC AGAIN! They used to make cars like the TC, remember the older GTIs?!

Re. fit and finish. One of the biggest flaws that the new MarkV Jettas that their new owners have been complaining about, is the horrendous fit and finish quality of their cars. Bad panel alignments and gaps in many units. I'll compare the great fit and finish of my first year Scion tC to any brand new VW MkV Jetta anytime!
Sorry for the long off-topic rant everyone, but I just hate it when I see these totally untrue posts about how so great VWs are.

Scion tCs forever! .........Actually, anything but VW forever!!!!!!

Chombi

English

seriously
IS300>Jetta
Tc>2.slow Golf
Prius>Beetle

boostedscion

whoa...thats interesting... what about the chip?

xnevergiveinx

switchblade key most likely won't work because of the transponder that is built into the key. the transponder is a small black piece that is somehow connected to the key. you can see this if you open up one of your tC keys (remote key), valet key doesn't open up, but it still has the same transponder in it

punxnotdead

Another little known fact:
The "cabriolet" aka the "convertible" was Hitlers design as well...so he could ride while standing to salute his Soldiers,I mean..."mindless followers". Pretty much every vehicle used by the ***** was manufactured by VW.

crayonBOX

as to be ON TOPIC, i agree w/ xnevergiveinx

the transponder would limit you..

but there are switchblade blanks available somewhere out there in a toyota format...

raWr215

VW sucks face it, i knew this chick that had so much problem with it and she sold it and got something else and now she's happy

chefbpowers

wow....this got turned way off topic....just wanted to know about a switchblade key....thanks for those who replied to such

Lonely_Raven

Mostly True.

Actually Hitler had Porsche do the bug.

Hitler wanted an inexpensive, fuel efficient, car that anyone could work on with
typical tools. He wanted a car that the people of Germany could all afford, so should
Germany be invaded the people could mobilize and fight. He wanted a car for the
people, and thus the Peoples (Volks) Car (Wagen) was born.

Porsche was already working on rear engine air cooled and very aerodynamic cars.
It wasn't difficult for him to make Volkswagen for Hitler.

And for those of you who keep PMing me telling me I'm full of crap, here is the first
thing that pops up when you google this question:

Did Hitler really invent the Volkswagen?
David
San Francisco, California

Dear David:
Well, not exactly invent, but Adolf Hitler was indeed the driving force behind the car. In the 1930s, cars cost more than most people earned in a year. When Hitler became the chancellor of Germany in 1933, he promoted the idea of a car affordable enough for the average working person. The Volkswagen, which means "people's car" in German, was essentially a political promise to win the public's goodwill.
Hitler met with automotive designer Ferdinand Porsche in 1933 and charged Porsche with creating the new car. The chancellor required that the Volkswagen carry two adults and three children, go up to 60 miles per hour, get at least 33 miles per gallon, and cost only 1,000 reichsmarks. Hitler may also have named the car the Beetle.

In 1938, Hitler had the KdF Wagen factory built to produce the cars designed by Porsche. But by the time the factory was complete, Hitler had invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland. The factory was dedicated to building military vehicles, and the people's car fell by the wayside during World War II.

After the war, the factory ended up in the British section of occupied Germany. The British military re-opened the factory, named it Volkswagen, and finally gave control of the company to the German government.

After 1948, Volkswagen introduced new models across Europe. By 1955, over 1 million cars had been built. The VW beetle started selling in the U.S., and in 1972 the people's car overtook the Ford Model T to become the most popular car ever made.


Source: http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20050308.html

HKSpeed

wow. so much hatred against vw.

i used to be a "dubber" until recently. vw's have a cult following that i've never seen with any other non-exotic car brand. i think scion and mini are trying to create a consumer culture that vw has been enjoying for years. there's a common saying among dub owners that true dub owners are willing to accept and deal with vw's crappy quality.

regards to this hitler thing. who cares? some dubbers poke fun at vw's past by referring to their rides as Hitler Haulers lol.

regarding the key thing, you'd have to cut out the scion key and grind in a slot for a metal pin to make it fit in the vw switchblade. MK2 and MK3 owners have been doing this for years, but the fitment sucks (loose, wobbly keys) and the remote isnt compatible. most people try it and go back to using the standard/original key.

Lurker_Steve

I know a few VW owners. Well, I should say ex-owners... most have gotten rid of their cars.

One guy I know has a Golf with about 80K on it, and he thinks it's on its last legs. Other friends with Jettas have had many problems - mainly electrical, which are very expensive to fix.

I'd much rather be driving a GM or Ford than a VW.

indecisive311

iTrader: (1)

A little VW history: In the 70's VW made the VW Rabbit after sales of the beetle sucked ___. Anyway the Rabbit got such a bad rap from its poor quality that no one bought it. VW was forced to redesign and change the Rabbit's name ---> Golf.

Not saying that VW is a bad automobile, but they have had a lot of issues with product quality in the past.

Oh but the keys are sweet!