78 • AUTOLOCKSMITHS
PROUD SPONSORS
OF THIS PAGE
Ask the Expert
In this, the first article of ‘Ask the Expert’, renowned industry
Auto-Locksmith expert Martin Pink answers a series of genuine
questions sent in by our Locksmith Journal readers.
Question
My cut to code machine will not decode a
VA2/VA6 key using the 1234Q5678H series
found on a Clio 3, Toyota Aygo, Citroen
C1, Peugeot 107 and the later phase three
Renault key card bypass keys and I am
struggling to site read these and enter the
correct key cuts to cut the correct key?
Answer
Site Reading or measuring the VA2 key
using the 1234Q5678H series and cutting
correct key
The aim of this guide is to dumb this
down making reading a key simple,
accurate and very quick to do.
This lock series has caught a lot of
people out due to the complex way the
manufacturer has arranged the series
and the use of inverted wafers in the
lock, causing many to try to figure out
whether they need a 5-6-7-8 cut entered
or 1-2-3 or 4 cut entered. Many find it
hard to understand the numbering and
the introduction of the values H and Q
in the series. An accurate key reading for
both the Clio 3 double sided key and the
Renault phase three single sided key has
been introduced by Keyline.
A typical double sided Clio 3 key using
this system
OEM manufacturers code of QH7376
The Use of Values H and Q
These values have little significance
other than to confuse users, H is exactly
the same cut as an 8 cut and Q is exactly
the same as a 4 cut.
The values H and Q are only used if you
have consecutive 4 cut or 8 cut sat next
door to each other, 44, 48, 84 or 88.
The OEM manufacturer code for the
image is QH7376 this code can be entered
in a good machine and will cut the perfect
key, however if entered in direct cuts the
code should be reversed the code, so if
inputting direct cuts, 6737HQ should be
entered and cut the correct key from bow
to tip.
H and Q readings can be changed to
cuts, Q will be a 4 and H will be an 8, so if
you inputted the following code instead
of 673784 you would cut the exact same
key.
READING THE KEY
Below is a picture of a key with its true
value in each position
The next images shows you a key with
bow to left and tip to right, this image
shows the measurements as well as the
values in each position of this key, from
this you can see from the code of 673784,
means the key is reading positions 1, 2, 4
and 5 on top row and positions 3 and 6 on
bottom track.
locksmithjournal.co.uk | SEP/OCT 2015
Sponsored by TradeLocks
Let’s look at the keys cuts - you will
notice that the cuts on the top track have
the same heights as those on the bottom
track of the key, just the number values
differ in the series, the top track uses
values 6 to 8 and the bottom track uses
values 1 to 4, basically the following is
true:
• No 1 cut on bottom track is same
height as a 5 cut on top track
• No 2 cut on bottom track is same
height as a 6 cut on the top track
• No 3 cut on bottom track is same
height as a 7 cut on the top track
• No 4 cut on bottom track is same
height as a 8 cut on top track
They just have different values
depending which track they sit on, one
significant rule in this key series is that
every cut will have its opposite cut sat
opposite it, to show this in simple terms
I’ve changed top track values to 1,2,3,4 to
show this in the next picture:
You will notice how every cut on the
bottom track has its exact opposite cut on
the top track.
Continues
on page 80...