1998 Volkswagen Jetta
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

1998 Volkswagen Jetta Remote Flip Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Santa Susana Knolls sits up in the hills above Simi Valley where the streets get narrow and the driveways are steep. Not the easiest neighborhood to get a tow truck in and out of quickly.

A guy up there called me on a Tuesday morning. His 1998 Jetta had been sitting a few days and when he finally went to move it, the fob did nothing. No chirp, no flash of the parking lights, nothing. He figured the battery died while it was parked, which was reasonable. He swapped the CR2032 himself. Still nothing.

That is where it got interesting. The blade actually turned, the car started, so he knew the mechanical and transponder side was intact. But the remote functions were completely dead even with a fresh battery.

I drove up into the Knolls, found the steep driveway, and got into the fob. The battery contacts had corroded, the kind of surface oxidation that happens when a car sits outside in the marine layer that rolls in from the coast. The new CR2032 he installed was making contact, but only barely. I cleaned the terminals, reseated everything, and the remote came back right there on the hood of the car.

Then I walked the whole function set. Lock, unlock, and the other two buttons, all four working. Tested from across the driveway. Solid range.

He had already looked up what the dealer wanted. Said the number made him feel like he was being punished for owning an older car. He paid a fraction of that and never had to figure out how to get the thing towed off a hill.

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