Joined
·
49 Posts
Just bought a 96 sts does the gold key give us any special privilages?
gold key
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
Sounds like you bought a "One Owner" STS Nice Find! :spin: :banana: :spin:
Joined
·
49 Posts
A lot I don't know Mike but one thing that seems strange. I did a carfax look-up on it and it was originally purchased in prince Rupert Canada and the title was to a leasing company. they traded it in in portland this year. the strange thing I was referring to is the analog speedometer goes to 240 mph. says mph to the left at the bottom. LOL anyway what does the gold key do anything?SoundAdvantage said:
The "Gold Key" program was just a promotional tool used by Cadillac to make the original owners feel "special" by presenting them with a set (or two) of Gold Keys. They came in a little black vinyl pouch and looked REAL nice when new. We used to get them with our fleet cars, sometimes without being cut at the dealer. I pocketed a few sets and gave them to freinds etc over the years. I think I have one set left in my tool box for myself. Why? Who knows, maybe they'll be worth somthing someday. 
If you received them with your used car, it only proves the the preceeding owners never lost them.
If you received them with your used car, it only proves the the preceeding owners never lost them.
Joined
·
3,702 Posts
gold key is a confirmation for acceptance in our secret cadillac society. shh no one knows except for the few.cowboy cad said:
I've seen blanks on E-bay.AKPsiMC03 said:
I can't believe you think VATS is useless. It was the single largest reason for reduced car theft in GM cars when it was introduced. It's not fool-proof but until the aftermarket caught up with the technology and started producing gadgets for bypassing the system, it was pretty damn reliable.kcnewell said:
In our fleet, car theft was running at least 3-4 per year, and several more had been broken into and theives ripped the the column apart trying to steel the cars. Once the cars started coming with the "chip" (actually a resistor) keys, the cars didn't even get broken into since would-be theives knew they weren't going to get the car. It was a very real theft prevention tactic on our cars. And we very seldom had a problem with it from a failure point of view. We DID have a lot of problems with the second generation system with the proximity sensors and actual chips in the keys though.
Katshot said:
Kevin....Was is the key word here. When they were introduced, Keys were a fine theft deterrent for a while. VATS is so simple to get passed now that it's essentially useless as a theft deterrent. Another point is once these cars are a few years old the theft rate drops like a stone ( along with the value ) So it's no longer necessary to have a theft deterrent device such as VATS. The only thing VATS does in an older car is cause problems for the non mechanic types that have one fail in their own car at ( Usually ) the worst possible moment. It rapidly gets to the point where the system is not worth the increased cost of the keys.
So...We eliminate it, Get key blanks off the internet with no regard for the resistance in the little biscuit and....Happy motoring with your new gold keys!
The VATS is a great system regardless of age. Face it KC, if someone really wants your car, they'll get it. There's little you can do to prevent a SERIOUS thief. The average car thief is NOT a professional by any measure, they are generally people that are quite stupid and the VATS WILL stop that theft. As for having a VATS failure, they are few and far between and even a Harley mechanic like yourself should be able to repair the system cheaply and easily. Hell, the biggest reason they fail is from dirt and debris in the lock cylinder, or on the key. Beyond that, there's damage to the key and the lock cylinder being just plain worn out from use (high mileage cars). We sold our Caddys with well over 200K miles and had almost no failures over the years. I doubt it was just luck.
Without VATS, a typical GM car is so easy to steal that it's a joke.
Without VATS, a typical GM car is so easy to steal that it's a joke.
I bought a few gold keys last year for my 96 SLS; can't recall the source, but it was an easy to locate internet dealer.
For those who don't know, GM has 15 different resistors for the keys, and if you want a working key from other than a dealer, stop by a GM dealer parts counter anyway and have the dealer test your key and tell you what # resistor key you will need.
If you don't mind having a GM instead of a Cadillac crest on your key, then a non Cadillac GM dealer can make the key.
Tidbit of information: Have you ever noticed how the original owners, trading in their Cads......their keys have a fair amount of gold rubbed off the keys. These usually women have also developed a rare, blue hair color. Hmmm...Do you think I'm on to something? : )
For those who don't know, GM has 15 different resistors for the keys, and if you want a working key from other than a dealer, stop by a GM dealer parts counter anyway and have the dealer test your key and tell you what # resistor key you will need.
If you don't mind having a GM instead of a Cadillac crest on your key, then a non Cadillac GM dealer can make the key.
Tidbit of information: Have you ever noticed how the original owners, trading in their Cads......their keys have a fair amount of gold rubbed off the keys. These usually women have also developed a rare, blue hair color. Hmmm...Do you think I'm on to something? : )
Is it possible to easily remove the chip and spray the keys with a gold color? When the chip is removed, does it just leave a hold in the middle of the key?
1997 Cadillac STS (BOSE w/AUX In, Massage Seats, URPAS, "Z")
Joined
·
6,405 Posts
For any key questions (PasskeyII) have a look at this link.
1. You can buy all day long for ~$33 a set of gold blank keys of eBay.
2. Before purchasing you need to know your VAT value. This is done by measuring the resistance of that pallet at the base of the key blade (from one side if the blade to the other). There are 15 standard VAT values (each value is specified with an accepted tolerance); you must be within thesis tolerances.
3. Once you get the key blanks is just a matter of finding a locksmith to cut the blanks following the pattern of your original keys.
I had hard time to find such locksmith as they were afraid of liability (usually they deal with $2 key blanks). At the dealer I was told I have to purchase the blanks from them otherwise no cutting, yet are not able to sell me gold plated keys (they don't have). The one dealer I was able to find willing to cut the keys for me told me their machine is not quite accurate and there are chances the keys will not match and I have to take the risk. Like I said I found it much more easy (and a bit of a challenge for my skills) to just purchase a $7 set of small files I used to do the cutting.
Anybody willing to disable the VAT system instead of fixing it is just wrong. Is a very simple system, a key with a resistor in (very visual no need to be a rocket scientist to asses if is good or not), a set of 2 small contacts inside the ignition cylinder and 2 thin white wires going to the IPC. The IPC is nothing but a glorified ohmmeter (from this point of view).
You may hear the dealer has a “machine” to test your key, that machine is just an ignition cylinder with the VAT contacts connected to a simple ohmmeter. Since the people using these “machines” are not necessarily educated in the electronic field and my not be able to read a value from an ohmmeter, the “machine” has in memory these 15 values and compares the reading with the stored values displaying the VAT number. For example 5 – meaning your key resistor it within the tolerances for what is called VAT no 5 (i.e. the resistance is between 1.085 KOhm -1.195 Kohm).
You can consult the VAT values in here.
1. You can buy all day long for ~$33 a set of gold blank keys of eBay.
2. Before purchasing you need to know your VAT value. This is done by measuring the resistance of that pallet at the base of the key blade (from one side if the blade to the other). There are 15 standard VAT values (each value is specified with an accepted tolerance); you must be within thesis tolerances.
3. Once you get the key blanks is just a matter of finding a locksmith to cut the blanks following the pattern of your original keys.
I had hard time to find such locksmith as they were afraid of liability (usually they deal with $2 key blanks). At the dealer I was told I have to purchase the blanks from them otherwise no cutting, yet are not able to sell me gold plated keys (they don't have). The one dealer I was able to find willing to cut the keys for me told me their machine is not quite accurate and there are chances the keys will not match and I have to take the risk. Like I said I found it much more easy (and a bit of a challenge for my skills) to just purchase a $7 set of small files I used to do the cutting.
Anybody willing to disable the VAT system instead of fixing it is just wrong. Is a very simple system, a key with a resistor in (very visual no need to be a rocket scientist to asses if is good or not), a set of 2 small contacts inside the ignition cylinder and 2 thin white wires going to the IPC. The IPC is nothing but a glorified ohmmeter (from this point of view).
You may hear the dealer has a “machine” to test your key, that machine is just an ignition cylinder with the VAT contacts connected to a simple ohmmeter. Since the people using these “machines” are not necessarily educated in the electronic field and my not be able to read a value from an ohmmeter, the “machine” has in memory these 15 values and compares the reading with the stored values displaying the VAT number. For example 5 – meaning your key resistor it within the tolerances for what is called VAT no 5 (i.e. the resistance is between 1.085 KOhm -1.195 Kohm).
You can consult the VAT values in here.
Yea, it secretly unlockes the car door, and if you behave, by inserting the cut key in the ighnition will allow you to start the car and go. FREEDOM!!gold key is a confirmation for acceptance in our secret cadillac society. shh no one knows except for the few.
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
