Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 Car Keys Price and Problems

Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 Car Key Price and Problems

Looking for information about Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 car keys? Here is our factfile, covering price, problems, speed of replacement and how difficult lost keys is to overcome.

Vauxhall Astra H

Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 Basic Information

The Vauxhall Astra uses two types of key, both have buttons. The first remote key has a blade that folds, and is the most common. The other type has a blade that stays out.

Vauxhall Flip Key

These keys can be a problem. Unlike the earlier Astra G which used a small solid transponder, this model of Astra uses a transponder chip built into an integrated circuit. This means that if the circuit board gets damaged by getting dropped etc, the car won’t start. When the key plays up, the car won’t crank, and the small key light flashes. This also happens when an unprogrammed key is put into the ignition.

Corsa Key Light

When the keys behave ok, they’re fine, but when they start to play up, it won’t be long until they leave you stranded. Check out our video below that explains how to spot a dodgy key.

Vauxhall Astra Car Keys Factfile Scores

Spare Keys

Most Vauxhall Car keys are reasonably priced and the Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 is fairly cheap in our opinion. Dealer keys are readily available and they’re easy to programme as long as codes are available. Expect to pay around £130 for the remote key, cut and coded.

These keys have two problems. Firstly the flip out blade becomes loose and wobbly. It also stops flicking out like it should. The second problem is more serious. If the key is dropped or gets wet, the circuit board inside gets damaged. When this happens, the car won’t start. We’ve found the keys last between five and six years, which earns three stars.

For spare keys, the Vauxhall Astra of this year is a dream. Nearly all of the varients will allow a good Auto Locksmith, with good equipment, to retrieve the codes from the car memory. This means you shouldn’t need to order codes from the dealer. However, if codes are needed to cut and programme the key, there are a few hoops to jump through to get them from the dealer. This is the same throughout all the Vauxhall range.

Two types of Car Pass

Vauxhall Car Pass Style 1

Vauxhall Car Pass Style 2

In order to get the codes from the dealer, you’ll need to present the V5 ( logbook), driving licence and a utility bill. Make sure that all three documents have the same name and address. The codes will need to be paid for in advance, at around £30, and you’ll normally be waiting 24 hours. Remember that a good Auto Locksmith will not need these codes, making the job much quicker.

Speed

Any decent Auto Locksmith or key cutting shop should keep these in stock. Therefore, for a spare key, you should be able to get a spare key very quickly. If the codes are available, or the then it’s a nice easy job. However, if you choose the dealer and there are no codes, then they’ll need to wait for the codes. You may be waiting a couple of days overall.

Lost Keys

The good news is that unlike some manufaturers, such as Ford, it is possible to get the codes when all the keys are lost. Unfortunately, as we outlined above, you do have to jump through a few hoops and this can slow things down, which it why they score three stars.

There are two problems to overcome when dealing with the problem of Vauxhall Astra lost keys. Firstly, the door locks can be difficult to pick and decode, according to experience of the locksmith you choose. This means it may be difficult for an Auto Locksmith to make a key, unless you have the codes. Likewise, the dealers cannot order a key without the codes. However, if you ask the question, before you ask for a call-out then, you should find a company that can make the key without codes.

Next, you need the security code to programme the key. Again, there is specialist equipment that will extract the code from the car memory, however it’s expensive. Therefore, you need to ask the question before choosing who helps you with lost keys. If you choose correctly, replacing lost keys is tricky, but achievable, without codes. The dealer will not be able to programme a new key without this security code.

Therefore, we give the Astra three stars, simply because there are several obstacles that stand in your way of replacing your car keys when all are lost.

Click here to Find out here how the Vauxhall Astra keys, compare to other car keys we’ve reviewed

Watch Out For

If you have a Vauxhall Astra, and sometimes the car won’t crank, it may be the start of the key playing up. This problem will start off with it happening just occasionally, and then worse, week by week. It’ll be much cheaper to get the key sorted out while the car still starts, instead of paying someone to come out, or pay for a breakdown lorry.

The good news is these keys car be repaired easily and cheaply. Your local Auto Locksmith should be able to do this for you.

See what Auto Express Magazine think about the Astra H reliability

This video shows the symptoms of a faulty key.

Vauxhall Astra H Key Battery change

Here’s a video to show you how to change a Vauxhall Astra 2004-2009 key battery