The dealer lost the key after maintenance
 

Hi all.

I got some stupid case. I brought my car to the dealer for some routine maintenance and some diagnostics and they gave me a loaner and told me they need a car for a few days to check everything and replace.

A couple days ago I got a call from the dealer and they told me my car is ready and I can take it back. I came to the dealership and take a look for all papers after that service adviser told me she will move my car to pick this up, she went to get my key and disappeared. I found my car on the lot opened it through the mobile app and she came to me 25 minutes later and told me "I'm sorry but we lost your key" - I was not nervous and tried to understand what happened. They've taken a look for surveillance cameras in order to find who was last that person who touched my car. After 2 hours of investigation, they found that person.

The story they told me: A guy who parked my car after the car wash took another car to move to a customer for pick up and went out of that car without my key. He just forgot my key in that car. A lady who took her car back did not take her phone when the dealer called her. 2 hours later I took the loaner again and left.

Later in the same day I called them and they told me they were able to contact that lady but she was super busy and did not get a chance to take a look for key fob in a car. She promised to do so later.

I do have a 2nd key but I'm not going to use it till the dealer will cut out the 1st key and to program a new one, I gave them 2 days to resolve that issue.

So, my thoughts about that situation it was not a coincidence and now I'm really worried about the car. I will take an official letter from the dealer why they put a new key into my car and etc. and will report about that to my insurance company as well but also I don't want to let it go without consequences and trying to figure out what I have to do in this situation?

Also, the general manager of that dealership doesn't know about that situation because I've been talked only to advisers and to adviser's manager.

So, do you guys have any ideas what I have to do here and how?

Thanks.

Typically when they program keys they have to resync the old key too. So if they issue a new key, they will have to re-pair your spare key. At least that is the case with some other brands. I don't know about Mercedes because I have never lost a mercedes key.

I would just tell them to start this process and you want your car back for the weekend with both keys.

what kind of worrying you fear ? You mean someone will copy your fob key & code ?

As long the dealer gives you a new or orig FOB key back, then it's all good. No ? If you insist the dealer to reprogram a new code, then you should ask and see how the dealer responds.

Hmmm, I thought they will give me just new key instead of the old one. But they will cut out both my keys and will reprogram 2 new key, right?

is there any chance to copy my key that has been taken by another customer? That only one concern in my head right now about this and I'm afraid it will help to steal my car, no?

They don't need to give you two new keys, because they only lost one key. They need to issue a new key, and may need your existing spare key to ensure both are synced to the car.

actually (well resourceful) thieves these days may not even need your fob key at all, they have their hand held decoder and somehow only needing perhaps 1-2 mins and take your car (if it is sitting outside). In other words, they will take it no matter what, if they want it bad enough.

No. Because when they issue the new key they should reset the key sequence which is why they need your spare key. Essentially the new key and your reprogrammed spare key will be on a new encryption code than the old key.

Oh ok, thank you. Will call them later hope they will give me my car back today.

Any ideas about this situation at all? should I contact mbusa and let them know?

Yeah, I know about those devices which help to steal cars these days. I do have full coverage of course but don't want to spend my time and deal with that in a bad scenario if an employee of the dealership did it in order to steal this.

What about the physical key itself? The one you can pull out by pushing the little button on the back of the fob.

Are those keyed as a set for the car? Seems unless the car is re-key'd for the physical key too, then there would be three physical keys out there for the car.

In the case of one of my KTM motorcycles, to add a new key you need all the old keys because the process to add a new key wipes all the previous key synchronization.

Each of the keys gets added, one after the other, in the new learning process.

Sounds like the process is similar for the Merc.

Start with DAS3 on page 59.

http://benzbits.com/DAS.pdf

Unless the W213 has gone to a vastly different encrypted key scheme, this will explain quite a bit.

Does it mean, a physical key will be deactivated as well or need to change the door lock itself in order to be protected?

When the dealer lost my key when the car was brand new it had to be ordered from Germany and at the time they were backordered and it took a couple of months. I'm sure they must have them in stock at this point. Before I signed the paperwork I insisted they give me a free two year maintenance plan or I was not going to buy the car, they did. I was nervous the whole two months of waiting though that I was going to loose the one key I had. When the new one did come in it was programmed by a different dealer as I was in another city and the old key was rendered useless as the code was changed. There again I can blame Viti Mercedes in Tiverton Rhode Island for this whole fiasco. Also the chrome strip around the passenger rear window was damaged when I took delivery of the car, it took Viti a whole year to get that squared away.

Thank you all,

I went to the dealership yesterday and they removed the lost key from my car. Also, they've ordered a new key which one should come on next week and will re-programme a new key into the car.

Unfortunately, there is nothing they can do with a physical key itself and need to change the whole door lock.

I've checked my dashcam footage which is working 24/7 and found a few interesting things and the guy who last touched my car. The story they told me matched to dashcam's footage, I hope this is only the stupid coincidence and nothing else.

AFAIK you get something like eight keys per car then the ECM bricks. I would see what they have to say about diminished resale value.

24 actually. 8 key tracks, 3 slots per track. Original keys are track 1 and 2, slot 1. When you order a pre-programmed replacement, they will assign it to the next open track. If you block out a lost key, that slot will be locked, but when you rolled around to that track again, it will use slot 2. If the dealer programs the new key for you, they can easily disable and lock the old key anyway so it's not a risk. We have to do that all the time.

We even had a break in at the dealership that resulted in the theft of about 50 sets of keys. Aside from the cost to replace and reprogram all the keys, we don't worry about the cars being stolen as once the key is blocked, it's 100% useless.

I wouldn't worry. One of the biggest issues at my dealer is that our Valets are retarded. I can't understand how they lose so many keys and cars. I'm sure there was no malice behind it, just stupidity.