$200.00 for a KEY! are you nuts?

[nortons]

I recently bought a 2000 V70XC and occasionally the ignition key would be difficult to remove or the key would just spin uselessly as though the lock cylinder was failing. So I found a new old stock, correct part number Volvo replacement lock cylinder assembly on Ebay for $30. Complete with 1 "service" type key, (without the large black plastic) and the Volvo key code on the label. Easy, right?
Not so fast. NONE of the local Detroit area locksmiths can cut a Volvo key!
Local Volvo dealer says I have to buy a complete new lock assy. from him for $340, PLUS $200 for an extra key! (But he offered a "deal" if I bought 2 for $245!!!)
Are you serious?
Ive made a couple of calls and sent a number of emails to parts suppliers and word is that replacement keys must be "programmed" to the car. And if I install my brand new OEM Volvo replacement lock cylinder assy., the car WON"T START WITH THE KEY SUPPLIED!
Model year 2000 seems to be starting point for this horse s%*t.
I have an Innova 3160 scan tool. Can this be used to reset/reprogram a replacement key?, (IF I can find one and then find someone to cut it!)
I've owned my '83 242 turbo for 26 years and loved it. I've owned this 2000 V70 for 4 months and I'm seriously beginning to absolutely hate this car for BS like this.
Does anyone out there have any ideas/tips/recommendations? Know of any suppliers for a replacement? Blanks are for sale on Ebay for $6 or so, but if I can't get it cut or " reprogrammed".....

[JRL]

Actually 99 is the first year.
Needs software and must be done at a dealer

[nortons]

So I have to have the car towed nearly 40 miles to the (closest) dealer, (only 3 dealers in entire Detroit/S.E. Michigan!) and pay this pirate $540.00 to get 2 bloody keys?
And I have a NOS, never used, correct part in my hand?
I found 1, (and only 1) locksmith in the entire Detroit/S.E. Michigan area who can/will cut a replacement key for this car; at $200.00 for the key PLUS the service call charge. He was vague about "reprogramming" cost.
This may well be the most PIA car I've ever owned due to BS like this. No wonder they can't sell cars around here. I live in Dearborn, center of the Ford empire and when Ford owned them, they were a common sight as they were available to employees for company cars, but once Ford dumped them they disappeared. Used Volvos are worth nothing around here; less than 1/2 of what a beat up Chrysler minivan sells for.
Car had transmission troubles when I bought it; NONE of the local auto trans shops would touch it. Reason? parts availability and prices! A number reported very bad experiences in the past with FWD Volvo and said "never again!"
I've owned 240s for 26 years, (have 2); parts are reasonable, they are fairly easy to work on and maintain, clean ones are worth good money. This car has been a monumental pain. I've owned it 4 months and I'm about fed up.
I have VADIS on my home PC, but I can't find info on keys. I have an Innova 3160 scan tool; will I be able to "reprogram" a replacement key with that?
I'm really getting sick of this car.
Any help/tips/recommendations, etc will be greatly appreciated.
Doug in Dearborn, Michigan

[JRL]

The recommendation is not to buy the key on Ebay
You order the CORRECT lock assy and key for YOUR car from Volvo.
Takes about a week to 10 days to arrive.
Your old keys should work and at about $300 you're done.

Most other modern cars are the same way BTW

[nortons]

JRL, Thanks for reply. To be clear; the lock assy from Ebay IS the exact same part number as the one the Volvo dealer wanted to sell me. On top of that he wants 1/2 hr. labor, (@$125.00hr), PLUS the charge for "reprogramming" the new key and any spare keys, (one for the wife and a spare to keep around the house would be nice) Plus, I have to shell out a couple hundred or more for the flat bed tow for the 40 miles to this pirate
This is idiotic. Oh,but wait; this is a "theft deterrent device". I already have such "theft deterrent devices" for my pickup, my van, my Aprilia scooter, my vintage Triumph motorcycle, all 3 of my Norton Commandos, the Harley, my snowblower, my toolboxes, and the doors of my house....they're called KEYS. And I can get the local hardware store to cut me new ones for a buck or two each.
Neighbor has some kind of new, absolutely silent, hybrid, 4 door sedan car, Toyota, I think. A generic looking blob with a sneering look to it's front. He pulled into the driveway not 3 feet away from me literally without making a sound. Didn't hear a thing until the door closed. It has no "key" but only a fob that allows the car to start in its' presence. "What do you do if the fob battery fails?" I asked. "Oh, it has this little metal thing that will open the door" he showed me. It looked like 1/2 of a conventional key. "but I don't think there is a place to use it to actually start the car" he said. "Guess I better not lose this" he said.
"Technology" is a good thing, but just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD or even that it is a good idea. This key foolishness is the kind of stuff that drives customers away. Like my brothers Cadillac that requires partial engine removal to replace 4 sparkplugs. Save 10 bucks because you only have to replace those plugs at 100,000 miles, but when you do....$$$$$$$$
I can understand 50 or 75 bucks to replace a lost or broken remote lock fob. personally I have no use for them, but my wife likes hers for her minivan. That van had ignition lock cylinder problems, too. On the way to Cedar Point with a car full of kids, the key would not turn the lock to start it or come out after a breakfast stop off I-75. Shelled out for a flat bed tow to nearest Chrysler dealer in Monroe. Cost? $145 including labor and still used old keys for new lock.
I would love to keep this car, but I'd be stupid not to fluff and buff it to make it pretty and sell it off to some other sucker. I'll gladly pour the money into my ongoing rotisserie resto of my 242 Turbo Volvo, but I've really soured on this V70.
Is this "reprogramming" download on VADIS? I can't find it. Is it on "VICE"?, (I think it's called). Should i buy this for my PC?

[BEJinFBK]

It's not about the lock itelf. It's about your keys.
The keys that you originally started with have tiny
chips in their heads. Each one is uniquely coded.
There's an antenna ring right at the ignition switch
that reads the codes of any key inserted.

The car has been "taught" that these are the only keys
that it should recognize and is programmed to start only
if it's one of YOUR keys. It's a pretty common type of system.

What Jim is trying to tell you is that the most cost effective way
to repair a bad ignition switch in a '99- Volvo is to have your
VIN handy, contact Volvo, and have them send you one that's
been custom made to use your existing keys. No reprogramming
should be needed. All you'll pay for is the ignition switch and the
labor for the installation. Or you may want to install it yourself.

Since the one from eBay uses different keys, they have to be
programmed into the car. AND they won't work in the doors...
( This all assumes that the car still has all the factory locks,
including the ignition switch key cylinder...)

Don't hate the car, man - It's just doing it's job!
Just think of the Heated Seats and how well it goes in snow...

[nortons]

So what you're telling me is the NOS original Volvo lock assy that I have is basically useless to me as it uses a different key? (No, my old key will not turn the lock cylinder). That sucks
Maybe another alternative is to prowl junkyards to see if my key works in the ignition of one of the wrecks and pull that one. The idea of paying $325 for this is really pi#%ing me off. At half of that it's a rip off. Volvo dealer prices for parts, (flimsy, brittle cheap crappy plastic trim bits have abysmal quality from Volvo) and stupid things like this are just one more reason to dump this car.

[nortons]

I really hate this car.

[JRL]

Prowling the JY will do no good.
Essentially ALL are different
I think one in 20,000 may be the same.

You would actually save money doing it the way I said.
I can buy a lock cylinder coded to your VIN for about $225-$240 (IIRC) or so, install it yourself and that would be it.
It comes with this little short metal key that works so you actually would have a spare key.
Doing it your way will require you have two different keys, one for the ignition and one for the rest of the car.
THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON ON NEWER CARS

[nortons]

Who is IIRC? $225 is a LOT cheaper than what it will cost to do this through the closest Volvo dealer to me. (40 miles!) I've worked in car and bike dealers for 20+ years and I'm telling you, I don't like this place. I actually feel sorry for the guy working the parts counter, I've been in his shoes.
If I had been quoted $225 for the part in the first place, I would have griped but I would have driven out there and ordered the part. Instead, they acted like we were in prison and they were reaching for the hand lotion.
I have the exact part in my hands, though unfortunately it has a different key code. Even $225 is too expensive for this by about 1/2. Dealer replaced ignition lock cylinder on wife's minivan which is visually very similar, functions the same and includes the electrical portion, (the actual ignition switch), for $145 including labor. The difference? The lock cylinder can be removed from the housing and re-keyed to fit the old key.
I bought this car in non-running condition and with a beat up interior. I've spent a lot of time looking for parts, phoning dealers and rummaging around in salvage yards. Today I replaced a L/H front corner light with an aftermarket copy which actually allowed you to push down on the plastic retainer with out it instantly snapping off like the Volvo original. I've had most of the interior out of this car and quality of anything plastic in this car is horrible. Clips, retainers, mouldings, trim pieces are brittle, flimsy and are one-time use only. You're not going to take it apart again without breaking it; need to change a bulb? Better just buy a new lamp housing, too, because it will snap off and be useless if you try to remove it. The quality of the leather used to cover the seats is awful, too. Every one of these cars has seat skins that are coming apart and wearing out at very low mileages.
Oh well, sigh, I guess I'll go out to my shop and sit in one of my 242s. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.