Vauxhall Corsa E 2015 onwards Car Key Problems Prices

Vauxhall Corsa E 2015 onwards Car Key Problems and Prices

The new Vauxhall Corsa E, is the latest version of the very popular small car. It’s the latest in the Vauxhall range to adopt the truly terrible flip key (that falls apart), and causing problems for Vauxhall owners.

We all just want two things ,a key that works, and a key that is tough and long lasting. However, the key they’ve chosen for the Vauxhall range, including the Vauxhall Corsa E, is badly designed and produced, in our opinion.  So  our car key review explains why it falls short.

 Background

The key they chose for this new model of Corsa is ten years old. It really should have evolved into a hard wearing, well built flip key. However, through either laziness, or budgets, they have kept supplying this second rate key.

It’s based on the older Astra H and Zafira models, but it’s much worse and is more prone to breaking. As a result, owners are left stranded because the key flip breaks, and the blade drops out, and gets lost.

Another problem is with the buttons wearing through, becoming unusable. Lastly, the chip just stops generating a transponder signal, meaning the car won’t start. Read more about the problems by clicking here.

Vauxhall Corsa E Spare Keys

Fortunately, Vauxhall Corsa E keys should be fairly cheap, depending on where you buy them. From the dealer, expect to pay £185. Alongside this, you may need to pay for the code that allows the key to be cut and coded,which is an extra £30. However, from an Auto Locksmith, they should cost around £135-£155. This is average for modern car keys and so is awarded three stars.

Changing the key battery, need help?

We’ve not seen a broken Corsa E key yet, bearing in mind they’re still only two years old. However, we’ve seen many broken Mokka, Insignia, Astra and Zafira keys that are only two or three  years old. Therefore, we expect it won’t be long. This is a frustrating problem for so many Vauxhall car key owners. They should be lasting longer than just a few years.

In our opinion, even a new key feels below standard, the design feels flawed, and yet unchanged in ten years. Therefore they score just one star.

Firstly look in your book pack. If your car is fairly new, it really should have the codes inside and we’ve shown these below. However, half of all cars go to lease from new and often the book pack goes missing. More frustrating is when the code card is removed and kept ‘safe’, never to be seen again. So if codes are needed to cut and programme the key, there are hoops to jump through to get them from the dealer. This is the same throughout all the Vauxhall range.

Vauxhall Corsa E Security Car Pass information

To get the codes from the dealer, you’ll need the V5 (logbook), driving licence and a utility bill. All three documents must have the same name and address. On top of this, the codes need to be paid for in advance, at around £30, and you’ll normally be waiting 24 hours. Before you let that sinking feeling put you off getting a spare, any decent Auto Locksmith won’t need these codes for just a spare key, making the job much quicker and cheaper. So think about this when choosing who you buy your car key from.

If the codes are available, then this is a nice easy job. In fact, any decent Auto Locksmith should keep these in stock, simply because they break so often! If you’re waiting for more than a day for a spare key, then that’s a day too long.

However, if there are no codes, and the Auto Locksmith you choose has limited experience, or you choose the dealer, then they’ll need to wait for the codes and a key to be ordered in. In this case, you may be waiting a couple of days overall. Therefore, we give it three stars.

Vauxhall Corsa E Lost Keys

A good Auto Locksmith should be able to make keys for a car, without any codes. The Vauxhall Corsa E uses the standard Vauxhall type of Lock, on the market for ten years now.

If an Auto Locksmith needs codes, then he or she hasn’t been about in the game too long. Saying that, it doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it’s like any job. If you do it enough, it looks easy. So If you have the codes, great. However, when Vauxhall tell you it can’t be done without the codes, have a ring around to find a local car key expert.

There are two problems to overcome when dealing with the problem of Vauxhall Corsa E lost keys. As we’ve already explained, firstly, the door locks can be difficult to pick and decode.

This means it could be tricky for an Auto Locksmith to make a key that turns the locks, unless the codes are available. Likewise, the dealers simply cannot order a key without the codes. However, if you ask the question before you ask for a call-out then, you’ll find a company that can help.

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 Vauxhall Corsa E 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 new Corsa three stars, simply because there are several obstacles that stand in your way of replacing your car keys when all are lost.

Vauxhall Corsa E Bad News

Good for us, but terrible for you, the owner. If you’re looking to buy a new Corsa, or have already have one, just allow some money in the budget for new keys, or key repairs. The good news is, these keys can be repaired easily, and this will extend the life of the key by a few years.

If you already have a Vauxhall Corsa E, keep an eye out for small cracks in the hinge, where the key is attached with a small roll-pin. If you see these small cracks appearing, the blade is ready to fall out and get lost, so you should look to get it fixed, before it becomes a drama.

Read about the problems Insignia and Astra owners are having in this Vauxhall owners forum.

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