35 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHVery Bad Key Loss Situation
Leading reported evidence
Check every place we visited
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
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Leading evidence: 'Check every place we visited' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'alarm/immobilizer will go off' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check every place we visited' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
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Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
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Discussions that suspect a cause
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Suspected cause
I suspect the alarm/immobilizer will go off, but that's the way it is.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
But, you could then open the hood and disconnect the battery.
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Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion
Use manual method to open frunk, disconnect battery, tow hook and pull it out with tow strap and other car that will fit in the garage - could still be tricky - I've seen some pretty tight garages in London for example
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Suggestion
Use manual method to open frunk, disconnect battery, tow hook and pull it out with tow strap and other car that will fit in the garage - could still be tricky - I've seen some pretty tight garages in London for example
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Suggestion
If you get a key cut by VIN and unlock the car, I know you can't start it, but will opening the door and putting it in neutral and pushing it set the alarm off?
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Suggestion
if car ever needs moving when locked and lost key, use 4 wheel dolly's under wheels - the car can be pushed by 1 person easily - but have 2-3 people on hand to make sure the car rolls in direction you want
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Suggestion
Use manual method to open frunk, disconnect battery, tow hook and pull it out with tow strap and other car that will fit in the garage - could still be tricky - I've seen some pretty tight garages in London for example
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Suggestion
Why wouldn't this work: Get a new key cut from the dealer, open the car door, turn off parking brake, push the car out of the spot, install tow hook on the bumper, and use a regular car to strap tow it up and out of the garage and then put it on the tow truck.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
35 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T011819Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
Lost my only 996 key. Why do I only have one? That's all I got when I bought the car and I was too complacent to get another made. Anyhow, only key is gone.
Main problem is that the car is in an underground parking garage, wedged into a parallel parking spot at such an angle that it is going to be extremely hard to get out. One tow company couldn't even get their truck into the garage. Car is 7 levels underground.
Anyway, I know that I am going to pay a huge amount of money for the new keys, but can someone explain to me what's going to happen if nobody's tow truck can get in there to remove my car and actually get it to the dealer?
I know I can get a key cut using my vin number and ownership documents, but as I understand it, the car needs to be towed to a dealer to get the key programmed. If I am unable to somehow start the engine, it's looking like the car will not be leaving the garage.
I would buy a set of wheel dollies and get it out of the spot. Then, I would rent a pickup truck and tow dolly from U-Haul and put the back wheels on the tow dolly as long as it's not a C4. One would need to jack on the outside area of the chassis to get the tow dolly under the wheels but I think I could get it done without damage. I suspect the alarm/immobilizer will go off, but that's the way it is. Then, when you get it out of the garage, tow it to Porsche and let them handle resetting and rekeying it.
Amazon.com: 4 12" Tire Skates Wheel Car Dolly Ball Bearings Skate Makes Moving A Car Easy: Automotive
Amazon.com: 4 12" Tire Skates Wheel Car Dolly Ball Bearings Skate Makes Moving A Car Easy: Automotive
dgjks6: Yes, I've always had my eyes on a 996, because 13 year old water cooled Porsches are all the rage, and are at the top of every potential car thief's dream list of cars to boost.
It's a GT3, with full race suspension, fairly low to the ground. We are going to wait until the dealer has the keys cut (but not yet programmed) before we call any more tow truck services. The height clearance on the garage is good, it's the angles of the turns that are preventing tow trucks from getting inside. Worst case will be using a non-flatbed to pull it out, which will likely damage the wheels and front bumper.
As for they key, it fell out of my pocket somewhere. We searched for 5 hours, left our phone number everywhere. Checked every place we visited. Had to spend over $100 on a taxi to finally get home. Thankfully the key was lost in a different part of town from where I parked the car, so would be thieves basically won't be able to locate it.
What about those roller things that clamp to the wheels and slightly raise the car? People use them to move stored cars around. Then slowly pull the car out of the garage with the tow hook?
I was going to say this or maybe find a used set on ebay, or some you can borrow. There is another type (more expensive, so hence the ebay/rent/borrow idea) that has the jack built into it.
Is the car an MT or Tip? Is the parking brake set? Maybe there is a way to get it out of gear and release the parking brake (even if you have to cut the cable from underneath) to roll it out enough to push/pull/winch out?
I'd imagine that the garage clearance isn't probably enough for any rollback to load/haul out. Maybe call/specifically request a traditional tow truck that is shorter/lower, and more likely to be able to get to it and put a sling on the back wheels. They would also have a front wheel dolly that can deal with turned/locked front wheels, and will provide some clearance for the front end to minimize damage.
Do you know if the key programming is only to make the remote lock/unlock and alarm work, or is it also to the anti-theft pill in the ignition? If its the former, then you could always get the key cut and drive it with the alarm honking all the way to the dealer?
Sorry if you've thought of these already; tough spot to be in.
My daughter lost her one and only key to her BMW 525 years ago and I contacted my local BMW dealership. Fortunately the service manager knew who I was so I gave him the VIN and he had a new key FedEx to me in 24 hours.
I don't know your location but there is a local guy here that comes out to where the car is stuck, uses a special tool to get the right lock cylinder combination, cut the key, and program it to your immobilizer/ecu, all right from his Smart car. Yes, he has all the equipment/tools in the back of his smart car. I used his services a couple times already. His services are very specialized and unique but you may want to check to see if one exists in your area.
Why wouldn't this work: Get a new key cut from the dealer, open the car door, turn off parking brake, push the car out of the spot, install tow hook on the bumper, and use a regular car to strap tow it up and out of the garage and then put it on the tow truck. If the alarm is yelling, just disconnect the battery.
Ok. Real question. If you get a key cut by VIN and unlock the car, I know you can't start it, but will opening the door and putting it in neutral and pushing it set the alarm off?
if car ever needs moving when locked and lost key, use 4 wheel dolly's under wheels - the car can be pushed by 1 person easily - but have 2-3 people on hand to make sure the car rolls in direction you want
But, you could then open the hood and disconnect the battery. I'm saying that in ignorance, since I'm assuming the frunk does not go into lockdown if the alarm is blaring.
My local dealer will not have a key made unless you show them proof of title. Registration won't do, since here in TX anyone can register a car.
I bought four wheel dollies from harbor freight with a coupon. Surprisingly good quality and very easy to move cars. I would probably do that. What a royal PITA, sorry to hear about your situation. Some of these replies are hilarious.
Your problem is they keep sending flatbeds. You need a regular tow truck that's lower and shorter. The normal tow bar supports the front wheels and the wheel dolly things they have supports the back wheels. None of your wheels are on the ground and both axles (you now what I mean) are supported.
For anyone curious, this is how it played out at the dealer:
Dealer has a special tow service they use for 911s and AWD cars that require special attention. Tow guy came (standard truck this time), got into garage but after measuring turn radius with car potentially on back, was very hesitant to try it. He said, worst case scenario, he could absolutely get it out but no guarantees about front bumper and aftermarket wheels not being damaged. I can't describe the garage well, but there is a sharp 90 degree turn at the top of a steep incline, and this has the tow truck driver nervous.
So anyway, went to dealer today with my registration and ID card. They ordered keys from Germany. Will arrive after about 3-4 weeks (I'm in Asia). Dealer said if they can't extricate the car, they'll send a tech to the garage to program the key, which is somewhat relieving.
Mine is not a C4, it is a GT3. I just mentioned that the dealer has a special guy they call for the C4 models because AWD cars are not common here, and a typical tow service would likely mess it up, so they've got a guy who specializes in towing exotics, lowered vehicles, and 4WD vehicles, who I assume has developed a bunch of tricks and methods over the years dealing with these types of situations.
And yeah, you guys were all correct, extricating the car from its resting place isn't a problem at all. They've got rollers and other tools. They can move the car around in the garage. It's the exit from the garage that was the issue.
Yeah now it makes sense. I don't know too many here in the states that keeps a gt3 in a public parking garage, let alone buys or sells a gt3 with only one key.
I could’ve sworn I had a key made in a few minutes at the dealer without having the car there. Just the VIN #, registration (North Carolina, USA), and a borderline unreasonable amount of money. But from memory, they made the key including the immobilizer without the car. I want to say you can have up to 5 keys before they need to reprogram the car, and the first 3 are used up by default (two keys + valet from the factory).
And you could probably just slim Jim the door open. Use manual method to open frunk, disconnect battery, tow hook and pull it out with tow strap and other car that will fit in the garage - could still be tricky - I've seen some pretty tight garages in London for example
I love how people are trying to pick this apart. I mean, this is the dumbest idea for a fake/prank thread in the history of the internet.
Dude lost his key in a bad spot. Just accept that. It's not a joke.
I've been to the windy city, if you pay attention to the posting. It's reference an ungrounded parking structure. The only place I've been where land / space is a premium would be HKG.
