Automotive key question

[i_b_larry]

I recently inherited a motorhome. The problem is that I live in Arizona and the vehicle is located in Kissimmee, Florida. No one knows where the keys are, but the vehicle is parked inside a locked yard so there is a possibility that the keys are sitting inside it. I really do not want to drive 2,000 miles on a chance that I will find them without having a backup plan.

I have contacted a few locksmiths in the area in the hopes that I could get keys made so when I go to pick up the vehicle the keys are ready to go. The locked gate has put the kabosh on that plan. The property owner has been less than cooperative.

The vehicle is a Class C motorhome, built on a 2005 Ford cutaway van chassis. I had the idea of going to my local Ford dealer with the VIN and getting keys made. The dealer said their information only goes back 7 model years and mine is too old. The dealer was able to confirm that this vehicle does not have transponder type keys.

So now I have this idea that I could pop out a door lock when I get there and take that to a locksmith and ask him to make a key for me. Is that feasible? The reason that I ask is that I recently came across another vehicle where the door and ignition key are supposed to be the same but they had a key that would unlock only the driver's door. I suspect that there are fewer pins or wafers in the door lock so that the ignition key will open all doors but not all door keys will operate the ignition switch. Am I off base with this thinking or is it a certainty that if the key opens the door it will unlock the ignition.

Any other ideas? Is there a source for key codes for a 2005 Ford van?

[billdeserthills]

You will find that the door lock doesn't match the ignition, except under very rare circumstances. In fact I usually find the door lock is
completely different from the ignition. Still this should be less than an hour worth of work for a competent locksmith, although I'm sure
you'll find plenty of compartment doors all around the motorhome that are lacking keys as well. I don't see why you should bother worrying
just have a locksmith meet you at the motorhome and wait the hour, what's the big deal about that?

[i_b_larry]

You will find that the door lock doesn't match the ignition, except under very rare circumstances. In fact I usually find the door lock is
completely different from the ignition. Still this should be less than an hour worth of work for a competent locksmith, although I'm sure
you'll find plenty of compartment doors all around the motorhome that are lacking keys as well. I don't see why you should bother worrying
just have a locksmith meet you at the motorhome and wait the hour, what's the big deal about that?

The problem is that all the locksmiths I have contacted in Kissimmee so far are whimps. And they all want to play lawyer. I have practiced law for myself in Arizona for 35+ years and I think I know AZ law fairly well. My brother lived here and died here but all these wannabe lawyers insist that I have to go through probate in Florida before they will accept the fact that I am the legal owner of the vehicle. I do not tell locksmiths how to do their job so I do not know where they all come off trying to tell me how to do mine. Arizona will not grant a title in my name until they can physically verify the VIN and that means I have to get the vehicle to AZ.

BTW, when I did an internet search for locksmiths in Kissimmee there were only a few hits. Two of the locksmiths claimed to have brick-and-mortar stores open seven days a week. I was impressed until I went on Street View and found that one address was that of a Target store and the other was a Walmart. No mention in either of their websites about being inside a big box store.

Also, I do not know why you find it very rare for the same key to operate both the doors and the ignition. It's pretty common. Every car I have owned in recent memory was that way except for the 20-year-old Chevy 1-ton. The parts guy at the Ford dealer also said they should be the same.

[billdeserthills]

Perhaps most of the RV's I have worked on have been class A, but
Most RV's I have seen do not use the ignition key for any of the doors and the sad fact is that in order to make an ignition key to fit
any of the newer Ford products you will need a door lock to get 6 of the tumbler sizes from. The remaining 2 or more
tumblers will be contained in the ignition lock. So you see, making a key without a door lock will not be possible, unless
you have a really rare type of vehicle here, unless someone stuck an old Ford 5-pin ignition lock into the steering column
That could be impressioned.

Sounds to me like the locksmiths you have been contacting are all scammers. They are famous around my area for claiming
to have stores all around my shop. In fact one year my little phonebook showed over 30 brick & morter locksmith shops inside
of a 5 miles radius of my shop, when in reality there is only one locksmith in my town & that is me.

I don't know about Florida, but if you called me out, I make the key to the vehicle and take down your drivers license--That
makes me your burglary tool, in the event that you are actually a thief. Why not look for a real, live locksmith in Florida and
quit telling everyone that you just inherited the motorhome and making Everyone Doubt You? Instead try behaving just like
a normal human being who simply lost their keys? Betcha you get much farther along that way.

[Squelchtone]

I_b_larry,

Bill's right in that this would go much smoother if you were already in Florida and THEN called up a locksmith and waited an hour while they made working keys on site. Either way you're flying out there to drive the RV home, right? Fly out there and plan to stay at a motel for a few nights, and find a real local locksmith shop or legit mobile service (maybe by calling AAA or the local police to ask who they use for automotive lock work) and I'm no lawyer but surely you have to show some proof to someone like a locksmith that, hey this is my vehicle now.. The less than cooperative person where the RV is stored right now is it someone's house or some storage facility or tow yard? Are they a sore family member who was expecting the RV and they dont want to turn the keys over?

Either way, you'll get more done with feet on the ground in Florida, here's a real mobile locksmith you can call and tell your plight: McMahon's Mobile Services Automotive Locksmith 407-396-7974

Good luck
Squelchtone

[i_b_larry]

Billdeserthills, I guess I misunderstood your original answer. You confirmed my suspicions that popping out the door lock would be futile.

Normally I do not do business under false pretenses but given the suspicious nature of these locksmiths I may have to pretend to be stupid. My wife says I am good at that. And as much as I do not wish to patronize those guys with the phony addresses and the 800 numbers, I may call one of them just because I know they have no scruples.

[i_b_larry]

I_b_larry,

Bill's right in that this would go much smoother if you were already in Florida and THEN called up a locksmith and waited an hour while they made working keys on site. Either way you're flying out there to drive the RV home, right? Fly out there and plan to stay at a motel for a few nights, and find a real local locksmith shop or legit mobile service (maybe by calling AAA or the local police to ask who they use for automotive lock work) and I'm no lawyer but surely you have to show some proof to someone like a locksmith that, hey this is my vehicle now.. The less than cooperative person where the RV is stored right now is it someone's house or some storage facility or tow yard? Are they a sore family member who was expecting the RV and they dont want to turn the keys over?

Either way, you'll get more done with feet on the ground in Florida, here's a real mobile locksmith you can call and tell your plight: McMahon's Mobile Services Automotive Locksmith 407-396-7974

Good luck
Squelchtone

Actually, I will be driving a rental car to Florida. That way I can take plenty of tools with me. The motorhome has been parked in an unpaved lot for three years. I think we can assume a dead battery but my biggest fear is finding a Burmese Python wrapped around the steering column or some such problem.

The storage lot is in a mobile home park where my brother used to live. My brother told me the manager was going to try to sell the motorhome for him but the manager denied that. I do not know who to believe because my brother was seldom truthful. On the other hand, the manager claims that the motorhome is a piece of junk not worth even a thousand bucks. I suspect that his intention is to file for a title for an abandoned vehicle. There was nothing mechanically wrong with the vehicle; my brother parked it because he lost interest in it.

My hope was that I could get a locksmith out there to make keys before I arrive so I could just drive off right away. That is not going to happen so I go back Plan A, which is the same as your suggestion of go there and call a locksmith.

[billdeserthills]

One thing I learned about the locksmith without scruples is he doesn't mind damaging your property and then leaving you in the lurch
They also aren't usually very well trained, if at all, which is why they almost always need to destroy something to get their job done

Why not just try calling and telling less details, only tell the next guy that you misplaced your keys and get a quote. Don't discuss any
of the legal details. Fact is if You do own the motorhome it is Yours--and the details don't matter. It isn't the locksmith's job to decide
whether or not you are in the right, he isn't the policeman, or the judge.

[dll932]

As an aside, while you may not find a python you may very well find bugs and rats/mice inside. If rodents have nested in it, their urine is very corrosive to aluminum (big problem with aircraft). Also, it may be moldy inside so take precautions when you clean it out.

[Squelchtone]

i_b_larry: it would be good if you had someone out that way who could do some recon for you and at least take a few photos of this vehicle so you know what shape it's in before you drive all the way to Florida. I checked the membership map for anyone near by and nobody is listed for Orlando/Kissimmee Is there an estate or family lawyer who you are already working with who is local to there and could take some photos or a quick gopro video to upload and share with you?

good luck man, hope it all turns out in your favor
Squelchtone

[cledry]

In Florida the locksmith will ask to see your license and it must match the vehicle's registration or title. If it doesn't match or you don't have either the title or the registration you will have problems with any reputable locksmith.

If you have these things in order then I would be glad to put you in touch with some locksmiths in the area, I am just up the road in Orlando.

[MatrixBlackRock]

I recently inherited a motorhome. The problem is that I live in Arizona and the vehicle is located in Kissimmee, Florida.

Lock questions aside, since the motorhome has been sitting for such a long time I would recommend you have it towed to a local shop where the fuel tank can be pumped out and at the minimum the oil and coolant changed.

You don't want to run what is left in the gas tank, even if you top it off with fresh gasoline through the in-tank filter, the fuel pump and the injectors, doing so will walk you into a repair bill that will make a tow seem like a bargain.

And while it is at the shop you can solve the key problem and while there on solid ground don't forget to look under the unit for one of those magnetic key boxes.

Wayne

[kwoswalt99-]

You don't want to run what is left in the gas tank, even if you top it off with fresh gasoline through the in-tank filter, the fuel pump and the injectors, doing so will walk you into a repair bill that will make a tow seem like a bargain.
Wayne

Very good advice. I have multiple boat related stories of people who did just that.

[i_b_larry]

In Florida the locksmith will ask to see your license and it must match the vehicle's registration or title. If it doesn't match or you don't have either the title or the registration you will have problems with any reputable locksmith.

If you have these things in order then I would be glad to put you in touch with some locksmiths in the area, I am just up the road in Orlando.

I may have that problem solved. Arizona (my home state) will issue a 90-day permit without having everything needed to obtain a full title and license plates. It would an official acknowledgment of my claims of ownership. And the name on the permit will match my driver's license.

[i_b_larry]

This is the final chapter of this story.

I drove to Florida and found the motorhome unlocked but found no keys. Tom from McMahon's came out and made new keys. It started right up when jumped, but I bought a new battery rather than fool around with an old one. The gas tank was empty and I put a couple of gallons in before driving to the nearest gas station. I had the tires pumped up and I checked the fluids. Everything was OK, even the A/C blew cold air. 48 hours after arriving I was driving my motorhome back to Arizona. The trip home was notable for its lack of any drama.