07 March 2007
The cost of a key
We have a minivan and a Saturn sedan. My wife drives the Saturn to work - it gets great gas milage, and we've got Blizzak all weather tires on it for the snow. It's a great little car.
When we take our son places, we use the minivan. I usually drive. But on Tuesdays, the wife has her day off and takes the little one to the library and sometimes on other errands and trips, driving the van, of course.
We only received one set of keys with the van. This wasn't a problem until a couple of months ago, when she left the keys in her coat pocket, and the next day, she left for work. I was packing our son up, getting ready to take him to day care, and couldn't find the keys. A phone call later confirmed my fear - the keys were still in her pocket, and there was no way she could get back home before the afternoon.
The next day, I took the keys to a hardware store to get a copy. The reference book they had said it was a transponder key (a small microchip in the key has to be present for the ignition to start), but it didn't look like one to me or the key guy. The chips were clearly visible on other transponder keys I had seen before. So I got a copy made. It fit in the door and operated the locks, but it wouldn't start the ignition.
So I called the dealership. A year ago, I ordered a new remote for the locks as my other one was falling apart. That was nearly $50. The transponder key? $85. I told my wife we'd just have to remember to make sure she left the keys.
Well, we forgot again today. So it looks like I'm forking out the money for a key.
When we take our son places, we use the minivan. I usually drive. But on Tuesdays, the wife has her day off and takes the little one to the library and sometimes on other errands and trips, driving the van, of course.
We only received one set of keys with the van. This wasn't a problem until a couple of months ago, when she left the keys in her coat pocket, and the next day, she left for work. I was packing our son up, getting ready to take him to day care, and couldn't find the keys. A phone call later confirmed my fear - the keys were still in her pocket, and there was no way she could get back home before the afternoon.
The next day, I took the keys to a hardware store to get a copy. The reference book they had said it was a transponder key (a small microchip in the key has to be present for the ignition to start), but it didn't look like one to me or the key guy. The chips were clearly visible on other transponder keys I had seen before. So I got a copy made. It fit in the door and operated the locks, but it wouldn't start the ignition.
So I called the dealership. A year ago, I ordered a new remote for the locks as my other one was falling apart. That was nearly $50. The transponder key? $85. I told my wife we'd just have to remember to make sure she left the keys.
Well, we forgot again today. So it looks like I'm forking out the money for a key.
Labels: flexible scheduling, lame, money
