Broken Insignia Car key ? Read On
We’ve written at length about the problems with broken Vauxhall and Opel car keys. Amongst the worst offenders is the broken Insignia key, which we see most days at our shop in Lincoln. It’s not normally your fault that you have a broken Insignia key, unless you’ve been mis-using the key!
(Opening tins of paint, and opening up parcels are common ways to break keys). However, if you’re using them correctly, how can you buy them with confidence, when they break so easily? After all, they’re not very cheap.
The problem you have is the design of the key. The hinge part is weak, and the pin that secures the blade, has a hole too close to the edge of the metal. If the key is dropped with the blade extended, the shock can cause the hinge to crack and the blade to fall out. This is covered in detail in our previous post. Click Here for more
When will the design change?
This is a classic case of a company that doesn’t listen to customers feedback. The internet is awash with Vauxhall and Opel owners that have a broken Insignia key and need help.
Click Here to read more at the Vauxhall Forum
The keys from the latest version of Vauxhall Insignia have the same design, ten years after they first appeared. Therefore, a lot of cars are at risk of broken keys and lost blades, so we’ve have decided to try do things differently.
Don’t blame the dealer for your broken Insignia key.
The problem is that no-one is accountable. When your car key breaks and you’re stranded, you want to take it out on someone, after all, someone has messed up. When you visit the Vauxhall dealer you’ll see the service or parts team.
We know both teams from our local dealer and they are filled with friendly helpful staff, however, what can they do about your problem? When you show them the broken Insignia key, that’s just a few years old, they know deep down that the keys are terrible.
You’re probably not the first person this week to complain. However, they can’t agree with you because it’s not company policy to agree with you. The company line is that it’s ‘wear and tear’ and not covered under any warranty.
So, you want to see the manager? Sure, he’ll tell you the same thing. Yes, they understand, they’re sorry to hear about your big recovery bill, and the cost of getting new car keys, but unfortunately, it’s ‘wear and tear’. How about a new car, it comes with new keys!
Even if you contact the head office, what can they do? They’re working within a framework that only allows them to follow the rules and tell you what they’re allowed to tell you. It’s worth a complaint, but we’ve not heard of anyone getting any compensation.
Doing things differently.
So, the key design is out of our control. The quality of the metal has been decided years ago, and how you use them is what it is. They’re keys, they’re picked up, put down, occasionally dropped but you can’t really change how you use them
The only thing that you have control over is what happens when they do break, because eventually, they probably will. This is when we have introduced our ‘Just in Case‘ warranty. We hope this type of warranty will set the standard amongst independent Auto Locksmiths in the future.
What is ‘Just in Case’?
When you buy an Insignia key from us, it has a special warranty, included at no cost. Fortunately, there are repair kits that are available to fix your broken Insignia key. When you buy a key from us we know that it could break. So, if it does, we’ll put it into a new case, for free. This means that you can buy your car key with confidence, use it normally and get on with your life.
What does the warranty cover?
Damage to the casing, that causes the blade to fall away from the key.
What do I need to do about my broken Insignia key?
When you buy a key from us, simply register with us and then we’ll have a record. Then just keep an eye on the key and call us if it breaks
What if the key blade gets lost before I notice it has been damaged?
No problem. If you have the key number, we’ll cut a new case and blade from that number and then transfer the parts over.
How long is the warranty for?
All the time that you own the car, you’re covered.
Why are you offering this when the dealer doesn’t?
Being in business is about people and we have so many good regular customers that we’ve got to know over the last fifteen years. We want to be better than the dealers and offer something that they cannot offer. We hope that this becomes the industry standard among independent Auto-Locksmiths and car key cutters.
Let’s see what happens.
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