please help...snapped key/ignition..

[e30trooper]

yea AAA took off 100 for the locksmith to comeout to my car the other night. 100 off is better than nothing off. still gunna cost you like 100-200. better than braking stuff

[mkcman17]

BEN, AGAIN, AAA REFUSES SERVICE ON MY CAR. i've called them twice. otherwise my shit would already be fixed, dude.

anyways, i think either way my cylinder is fubar now, so i went and ordered one. i'm lucky that BMA is having a 20% off sale, so i picked it up for $41 with keys. i no longer care about damaging the cylinder. does this give me any easier options for removing it?

[bernzpeed]

This is what I did to remove it. Try to force twist the ignition with a screwdriver to the START position and push the nail in the pinhole.

[mkcman17]

oh, shit. nice! as long as that doesn't fuck up the housing, i'm game. if i can come out of this out $40 and a new ignition, i'll be 'happy.'

[Ryann]

I realize that they're probably what the car came with, but avoid this situation in the future by using OE quality keys vs. the dept. store junk that your frat boy homie twisted off.

[mkcman17]

yes, this is my fault.

[harm]

Maybe my noob posts count for more if I qualify them by telling you I do this EVERY DAY for people.. I've been a locksmith for nearly five years, and a lot of people let morons use their keys and break them off.

Ryann, Ilco (the "dept. store junk") brand is actually OE quality stuff. They're a HUGE supplier of products for the lock & key industry. MUCH better quality compared to axxcess+ and all the ACTUAL store brand crap.. they're OE quality keys for most applications. Sometimes actually better than OE.

The problem looks more like an asshat frat boy stuck the wrong key in the ignition, maybe not even all the way into the ignition, and cranked it until it snapped. Because turning harder is definitely the answer to 'this key won't turn'.

mkcman, if you're going to drill the ignition out, make sure you mark your drill bit.. roll some tape around it so you don't drill past a certain point. Easy measurement is from the tip of the key to just past the shoulder (where the key 'stops') - you don't need to go further than that and throw a drill bit through the back of that housing. I'm going to reiterate, AAA will reimburse most locksmith-originated claims, at least partially, so if you haven't called a locksmith, it might be time to check.

Good luck. And seriously, at least make your frat boy buddy feel like shit if he won't pay you back. Obviously schooling hasn't helped develop his common sense.

[mkcman17]

Thanks for the advice. I did a lot of drilling, more progressively aggressive as I still couldn't get it to turn. Anyways, my cylinder is pretty well torn up, and i'm where I started. My new cylinder is being shipped, I just need this thing out. Is there a rambo method to get it out? Forcing screwdrivers has resulted in a couple broken handles. The car is now moved out of the street and tucked away, so I have time. Should I just hack off the wheel lock and cylinder and buy a new housing?

[Ryann]

Ryann, Ilco (the "dept. store junk") brand is actually OE quality stuff.

Ilco might be O.E. quality for a Chevy or Chrysler product, but they're not nearly as sturdy as a Huf key. I know this from experience. Had homie tried to force a Huf key it would've probably twisted and deformed a bit, but I seriously doubt it would've broken off.

I do respect your knowledge and totally agree with you so far as the meat head is concerned, BTW.

[antil33t]

Yeah, I refuse to use "cut" keys, Silica keys are Brass, which is softer.

the Genuine BMW keys are Steel, which is much tougher. Unfortunately I got no OE keys for my car... so I just got one cut... which isn't cut very well.. only works one way in the ignition.

Need to get the code to have someone cut the key for me.

[blackhawkimpact]

This is what I did to remove it. Try to force twist the ignition with a screwdriver to the START position and push the nail in the pinhole.

That's what you'll neeed to do. Insert the pin into the hole and insert the broken key into the cylinder. While pushing the pin, turn the key and pull.

I have a OEM lock set for an e30 (two keys, ignition, front doors, and trunk) For a coupe of course. PM me if you're interested.

[harm]

Ryann - Actually going to have to agree with you there.. the Ilco BMW keys are actually pretty sturdy, but the Huf keys ARE tougher..tempted to test how much force it takes to break each of them, actually.

So I typed up a nice long post and the computer ate it; I'm trying to find the thread with photos of a disassembled ignition to point out what needs to be removed to turn the cylinder and remove the beast.

Basically you need to get the moving parts out of the ignition.. that's the 10 or so wafers that line up with your key to allow it to turn.. if you've drilled straight down the center of the cylinder, you may be able to pry out the little mangled brass chunks that are left; they're the offending pieces keeping you from being able to turn that cylinder freely. It's tough to drill straight down the middle, though, especially when there's a chunk of key in there.

Pictures of where the ignition is at now wouldn't hurt..

[mkcman17]

i'll post up pics tomorrow when it's light, but it's a pretty big mess. i had my dad come play with it while i was at class, and he just kept using bigger bits, so i doubt if any of the mechanical pieces in the cylinder are any good anymore. if we dremel out enough internal components, will i end up with a frozen or free lock? we tried to rambo it over with a flathead, but didn't get anywhere. thanks for the offer blackhawk, but i've got a fresh cylinder with coded keys already on the way.

[harm]

Haha..ouch. The mechanical pieces don't have to be any good, they just have to be gone.. drilling can be a bitch!

[IRON-E]

Mike, I'll be out a little early today, I can try to help. Maybe you can try some tweezers, I'll see if some small needle nose pliers will do also.

Good luck in the mean time.