Sercice/valet key query

[TomHom]

Hi,
does anybody know why the general key comes with seven holes whereas the service key only has six holes?

May I just copy the pattern of the service key to a blank general key and will it work as a general key?
What is the purpose of the seventh hole?
Thomas

 

[eriknetherlands]

From memory,
The general key must open all locks, so it is the "Parent". These originally had the black plastic/rubber cover and 7 dimples.

The Service (or "Vallet') key is the chrome one, has 6 dimples, and it doesn't open the trunk and glovebox. I expect thus that the trunk & glove box has 7 pins/tumblers, and the doors + ignition have 6 pins/tumblers. But I never counted that with locks in my hand.

So yes, you can copy the 7 hole key and it'll work on everything. Which is most logical to do for a spare key.
The 7th hole is always on the left side of the key, at the top of the row, near the hole for the keyring.

For originality sake you could choose to leave out the 7th hole and make a Service/ Vallet key out of it.

more info:

Keys for my 1974 3.0CS

Hi guys: I want to ask: How were these cars keyed originally? Mine has a salad of keys... I got a new ignition switch and with it I got a beautiful chrome key with a BMW logo on one side and PEBRA and a number on the other, plus I got two similar keys with a black plastic cover with a BMW logo...

e9coupe.com

 

[TomHom]

Hi Erik,
thanks for the detailed explanation, but
- like the doors and the ignition the trunk and the glove box also have six tumblers only
- so no extra 7th tumbler
- the seventh hole is not always at the same position

- anyhow trunk and glove have a extra horizontal pin/tumbler but no hole for that on the key. But this is another interlocking.
- you may convert the service/valet key into a general key by just cutting off the edges:

Source of picture: Gerhard R.
This would allow the service/valet key to slide as deep into the trunk/glovebox lock as the general key. (In fact the length of the inserting is the interlocking, not the seventh hole)
- and that's why I'm confused. Do I need hole no. 7 or can I just copy the six holes of my service/valet keys (which came with new locks) to blanks for general keys.

Thomas

 

[eriknetherlands]

Interesting! I never saw/realized that the shank of the valet and master keys had different lengths. Is it not just so that that key could be shorter?
Following your explanation, I must say that I fail to see then why BMW even made a 7th hole on some keys. if the difference between valet key and master key is not the 7th dimple, but the length is, then why?
I think the length that stick inside the lock is actually defined by the shoulder (the step just above the red and green shapes in the pic below), and not so much by the begin of round circle/grip section (your yellow lines).
I'm going to take a look at the few locks I have on my workbench in my garage this evening.

As to the point of the trunk and glovebox also having just 6 tumblers; could it be that they have 6 tumblers, but one position is left empty, and an additional 7th position is used in those cylinders?

As to the point of the location of the 7th dimple: I do think that the 7th hole is always in the same location on the key.
Any master key that I have seen, always has a hole in the the top of the left row (green square in my image). In the service key (right in the image), that space is never occupied by a dimple (red pentagon):

So this may be actually in line with the pics from Gerhard and both our observations as written in the previous posts.

 

[TomHom]

Interesting, i never saw/realized that the shank of the valet and master keys had different lengths.

As to the point of the trunk and glovebox also having just 6 tumblers; could it be that they have 6 tumblers, but one position is left empty, and the 7th position is filled in those cilinders?

As to the point of the location of the 7th dimple: I do think that the 7th hole is always in the same location:
Any master key that i have seen with 7 holes, always has a hole in the the top of the left row (green square in my image). In the service key (right in the image) , that space is never occupied by a dimple (red pentagon):
View attachment 196246

So this may be actually in line with the pics from Gerhard and both our observations as written in the previous posts.

....all service/valet keys except the very left one do have a hole on top left position

 

[eriknetherlands]

It could also be that in your pic you effectively have 3 master keys, and one valet key (the left one)? I base this then solely on the number of dimples.
Conflicting, yes, as for an original master key I would have expected them to have the rubber cover.
They appear to have been made from blanks with the shoulders indicating them to be a valet key. Possibly they were cut like this as spare/replacement parts?

fyi; this picture from a member here actually shows an ignition barrel, and shows to have space for 7 pins:
one side 3 holes, and other side 4 holes:

. OP also found just 6 pins:

Now this would confirm my theory that even though it has 7 holes, only 6 of them are filled with pins.

source:

Ignition key disaster

The longer pins should line up with the deeper holes in the key, shorter for shallower, I think there are three lengths, pins could either be harvested from a scrap lock or machined on a lathe, a small lathe! looks like there should be six caps, springs and pins, missing a few bits,

e9coupe.com

Thanks @Dick Steinkamp for sharing your disintegrated cilinder lock with us back in 2020!

 

[Breiti]

I could confirm that.
Got a just 2 preowned car with original keys as it seams.
With rubber all
w/o rubber service key.
Notice that just last week after I would show the car to a friend and picked the wrong key. :-(

Breiti

 

[eriknetherlands]

Thanks @Breiti for checking.

 

[Fritzie]

Interesting! I never saw/realized that the shank of the valet and master keys had different lengths. Is it not just so that that key could be shorter?
Following your explanation, I must say that I fail to see then why BMW even made a 7th hole on some keys. if the difference between valet key and master key is not the 7th dimple, but the length is, then why?
I think the length that stick inside the lock is actually defined by the shoulder (the step just above the red and green shapes in the pic below), and not so much by the begin of round circle/grip section (your yellow lines).
I'm going to take a look at the few locks I have on my workbench in my garage this evening.

As to the point of the trunk and glovebox also having just 6 tumblers; could it be that they have 6 tumblers, but one position is left empty, and an additional 7th position is used in those cylinders?

As to the point of the location of the 7th dimple: I do think that the 7th hole is always in the same location on the key.
Any master key that I have seen, always has a hole in the the top of the left row (green square in my image). In the service key (right in the image), that space is never occupied by a dimple (red pentagon):
View attachment 196246

So this may be actually in line with the pics from Gerhard and both our observations as written in the previous posts.

In those days ‘70 it was an option to leaf your car in a garage to the mechanic or in case of parking by an hotel to the parking- officer (piccolo) by giving the valet key. So the mechanic of parking-office could drive your car but he couldn’t open your glovebox of trunk.

 

[2000CS]

Unpacked a new set of keys and thought should post picture. The valet is undrilled at a different position than expected. Maybe they just randomly picked a spot?

 

[eriknetherlands]

Interesting!

 

[rsporsche]

valet keys can work in 2 ways - more pins in the cylinder / holes in the key ... or less pins / holes in the key. either way will prevent some of the cylinders from turning.