Re: GTV6 (or any Alfa for that matter) Door locks and keys

[George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>]

As to the GTV-6, the answer is, most likely no. The funny, complex, and
expensive 'coach' key (for the doors and trunk) was an attempt by Alfa Romeo
in the Eighties to address the growing problem of car theft and break-ins in
Italy at that time (especially south of Rome). Little more than lip service,
this special coach key was supposed to be difficult to duplicate, and the
matching lock, difficult to jimmy. Unfortunately, even though the former
proved to be true (try to get one made. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there
is ONE locksmith (AFAIK) who has the blanks and a duplicator for the key),
the latter was not. The same techniques for breaking into a car with a
normal key also worked on GTV-6s, (I'm not sure about the Milano [75] or the
4-cylinder Alfetta that preceded the GTV-6 for that matter) so I suspect
that Alfa dropped the idea.

Generally speaking, the only time it is really possible (without extensive
car modifications) to make all the keys the same is if they all use the same
key blank. Then, any good locksmith should be able to re-index all the
tumblers to be the same. I have a VW GTI which was stolen. When I got it
back the both the driver's side door latch and the passenger side door latch
had been lunched as well as the steering-column lock/ignition switch.
Insurance paid to replace the ignition switch and both outside door latches.
For a number of years. I went around with TWO identical looking keys. One
for the doors, one for the ignition (and if I wanted to carry a third, my
original key for the rear hatch - I left it in the glove box). Then, one day
my VW mechanic asked me why I had two keys, so I told him the story. He
mumbled something about lazy VW agency mechanics, and set about taking both
door latches and rear-hatch latch off the car and using the ignition key,
began to re-index the latches so it fit them. When he was complete, I could
throw the other key(s) away.

George Graves 

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