Hammerthrow

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.

phil996cab99

Call some dealers. I don't think your car needs to be taken to the dealer. I think you can take the immobilizer there, or something like that.

jhbrennan

Call a repo man - I bet they can get it out. Seriously, find a better tow company.

docmirror

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.

dgjks6

I think he is asking us how he can steal a 996.

kmagnuss

Forklift

LexVan

Find the key. It's not lost, only miss placed. It will be precisely in the last spot you look.

Hammerthrow

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.

LexVan

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?

RGrove

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.

porsche951

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.

alpine003

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.

garrett376

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.

dgjks6

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?

garrett376

yes