Dave Naffziger’s Blog

I recently purchased 2 Audi key blanks for my 2001 Audi S4 (The same keys used in the A4, A6, etc.) from an ebay seller. I have an old remote from my old A4 and wanted to have a new blade traced so that I could use the remote.

There are two primary differences between the key blade I received from gemworldd4u (after I had it traced by a locksmith) and the old Audi blade. They are highlighted in the photo below:

• Key notch not at proper location. The replacement blade has a notch that is closer to the end of the blade than the original. This is important because a pin through the notch holds the blade in place in the remote. While the pin still holds my blade in place, there is a lot of vertical travel (there should be none (the key wiggles in the remote).
• Bevel at tip is different. It is much wider in the replacement blade. The result is that it takes a little bit of wiggling just to get the key in the lock. The first tumbler seems to be running up the beveled edge instead of sitting in the channel.

I made a second purchase a few days later that worked perfectly. This blade was much closer to the original stock (identical?) and fit my remote perfectly.

Update: On a related note, I’ve been finding Frugal Mechanic to be quite useful for tracking down price comparisons on parts. Check out a sample results page for an A1 Cardone 30-20895 Ignition Distributor.