I know the 96 cars have the micro chip built into the key and the car shouldn't start if the chip isn't there, but I have a situation where someone might be with holding my key to make a copy of it for possible theft later on. First how easy is it to duplicate one of these keys and does Ford still do it? Also in case the key is copied is there a way I can have the cars VATS reprogrammed to a new microchip to avoid having my car stolen? I am contemplating Lo-Jack or some sort of GPS tracking system for the car after this event.
Back story:
I crashed my car last week and it was towed to a body shop that I did not want but I wasn't given a choice by the officer, but he didn't know the story behind this shop. Well I went to the shop the next day to get my stuff out of the car in case it got totaled and sign a release form in case it was totaled and they asked for the key and I handed it over (I have a witness to this) so they can move the car without having to use the wrecker. While I was there the owner of the shop was trying to buy my car, a Mystic Cobra from me if it was totaled or not and I said if its totaled you can talk to the ins. company. He also tried to get me to sign a work order which I refused because I was not going to let him do the work because of his shady history.
Well fast forward to Monday when the car got estimated and was not totaled and I needed to get the car moved to the new body shop. Well come to find out the shady shop lost my release form that I signed so I had to go back up there yesterday and sign another one, only this time they are claiming I never gave them the key to the car. Well when I confronted them about it they changed their story and said yes they did have it and just misplaced it and will find it before the new wrecker driver shows up to deliver it to the new body shop. Well when the wrecker driver gets there they tell him I never gave them the key again, but he towed the car anyway since I have backup key and I had to again confront the shady body shop about this since they aren't answering the new shops calls. They tell me the owner says he has they key and they will have it either delivered to the new shop or have them come pick it up. Well I have since contacted my ins. company about this and I am awaiting to see what they recommend I do, I'm planning on contacting the Sheriff's office today once my ins. is aware of what's going on.
As to what makes this other body shop shady, well besides the non sense they pulled in the paragraph above they also have horrible reviews online from a lot of people from incomplete work, and I know first hand a few of the cars they have ruined. I have a close friend of mine who has known the owner of this shop for years and when he found out my car was towed there he warned me about what they did to his RSP Supra, but I couldn't move the car until my ins. company estimated the damages. Also another red flag is my car has right rear damage and that's it, but we can see where they were under the hood of my car and then when I signed the release form yesterday they mentioned they thought the car was in for engine work. If that doesn't send a huge red flag when I was there getting the radio face one of the workers said if you're taking the radio face you might as well take the whole radio because we can't do anything with it then, that is the point you shady ****.
Back story:
I crashed my car last week and it was towed to a body shop that I did not want but I wasn't given a choice by the officer, but he didn't know the story behind this shop. Well I went to the shop the next day to get my stuff out of the car in case it got totaled and sign a release form in case it was totaled and they asked for the key and I handed it over (I have a witness to this) so they can move the car without having to use the wrecker. While I was there the owner of the shop was trying to buy my car, a Mystic Cobra from me if it was totaled or not and I said if its totaled you can talk to the ins. company. He also tried to get me to sign a work order which I refused because I was not going to let him do the work because of his shady history.
Well fast forward to Monday when the car got estimated and was not totaled and I needed to get the car moved to the new body shop. Well come to find out the shady shop lost my release form that I signed so I had to go back up there yesterday and sign another one, only this time they are claiming I never gave them the key to the car. Well when I confronted them about it they changed their story and said yes they did have it and just misplaced it and will find it before the new wrecker driver shows up to deliver it to the new body shop. Well when the wrecker driver gets there they tell him I never gave them the key again, but he towed the car anyway since I have backup key and I had to again confront the shady body shop about this since they aren't answering the new shops calls. They tell me the owner says he has they key and they will have it either delivered to the new shop or have them come pick it up. Well I have since contacted my ins. company about this and I am awaiting to see what they recommend I do, I'm planning on contacting the Sheriff's office today once my ins. is aware of what's going on.
As to what makes this other body shop shady, well besides the non sense they pulled in the paragraph above they also have horrible reviews online from a lot of people from incomplete work, and I know first hand a few of the cars they have ruined. I have a close friend of mine who has known the owner of this shop for years and when he found out my car was towed there he warned me about what they did to his RSP Supra, but I couldn't move the car until my ins. company estimated the damages. Also another red flag is my car has right rear damage and that's it, but we can see where they were under the hood of my car and then when I signed the release form yesterday they mentioned they thought the car was in for engine work. If that doesn't send a huge red flag when I was there getting the radio face one of the workers said if you're taking the radio face you might as well take the whole radio because we can't do anything with it then, that is the point you shady ****.
