How can i replace a lost set of keys for a 2004 Jetta?

if the key to the car has a chip in it it won’t work-a good locksmith will code your key ($160-200)

If you have the documents that came with the car, the code should be in there take it to the dealer and they will cut a new key. If its laser cut get ready to pay.If no docs the code is on a part on your car. I can’t tell you where it is,but if you call VW parts dept. they may..Good luck.If no luck email me at

Do you like your Jetta? We love ours. Great driving car. Mileage isn’t the greatest, but it does get about 30 on the highway and about 22 around town.

Replacing a key or adding a key is not simple anymore. You can’t go to the hardware store or auto parts store and have them cut a key. Computer chips are the problems and they are located in the key and have to be programmed to the car.

It depends on what type of key you want to replace. With either type, plain (key only) or switchblade key/remote fob, it’s expensive. You can try e-Bay, but it’s hit or miss on what you get. In a nutshell, suck it up, save your money, buy the key from the dealer and have them program it. You will save a lot of time and hassle, even tho that is the most expensive way to do it. I’m not kidding you, you will drive yourself crazy trying to defeat the VW system.

I just added a second set of keys to a used ‘04 Jetta I purchased last November and it cost a lot. I must have taken a really large “stupid pill” that day. I purchased the car at a dealership and forgot to ask if it had a second set of keys. DOH!! It didn’t. I had to buy a second key. Ouch!!!! It was a minor annoyance at the time and I love the car. It was low-mileage and in perfect condition when I bought it—32,000 miles, a GLS model, which at the time was priced cheap at $14, 795 (about $1,000 less than most places were asking).

I put off buying a second key for months and ended up paying about $200 overall. I got screwed one time on E-Bay and lost $45. One dealer tried to program an E-Bay key but said it wouldn’t work, but I still owed them $50 for the attempt to program. I would up buying a plain key from them for another $50, plus $50 to program it. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

The keys are very special. Look to pay about $50 or so on E-Bay for a key/remote fob combo unit. Then, you have to get the key programmed so it’ll start the car (you can get it cut at most lock smiths, but it’ll only start the car and then the car will stall and shut down.) There is a little computer chip in the end of the key fob that the key is mounted on. That chip has to be programmed to the car’s ignition system to allow the car to recognize the key to allow it to keep running. On the switchblade key/remote fob unit, the metal key “blade” actually can be easily removed from the remote fob by driving the little retaining pin out of the hinge pin area. It’s possible to buy a “key blank” on E-Bay for about $15 or $20 and then insert in in the remote fob.

There is a second computer chip in the other end of the key fob that controls the opening/locking of the doors and trunk. You can program that second chip yourself and it’s pretty easy, just a series of key turns and button pushes on the remote. I programmed mine myself, but you cannot program the other chip yourself, the one that “talks” to the ignition system. The VW dealers are all high-priced and want to take you to the cleaners for any key servicing. Look out!!! Write back if you want more information. I’ll be glad to try to explain more. The key fob pulls apart, separating into two pieces, by the way. You have to have the numbers inside the unit match what your car originally had.

you can buy the ebay one but it may not be able to be programmed to your immobilizer. A lock smith can cut the key but cant program it. You have to go to the dealer, they will program the key to the immobilizer which is done online thru an internal vw secure site. If you just need a key then you can get the one without the buttons. Here is the bad part about buying the key on ebay, you have it cut, take it to the dealer, it doesnt work with your immobilizer, now you just paid the dealer for nothing. Get it done at the dealer, pay the fine for loosing your key, then have a tracking system put on the key so it doesnt get lost again. Good luck

i would go with the dealer its your best bet