NASTF Information Requests

Volkswagen of America appreciates the opportunity to address your issue. We are the importers of both Volkswagen and Audi vehicles for the US and Canada. The Complaint included your concerns- "I was contacted by Kim Petronick at resolve Corp. The program to obtain VW immobilizer numbers is discontinued. I paid $100 a few months ago just to register. Now to provide duplicate keys for VWs, I must purchase a $6,000 device and set up a high speed internet connection. I suppose this new program may be discontinued in a few months. If there is a reasonable person who does not find this absurd, I would like to know." We apologize if the information you received was misleading or frustrating. We will look into re-stating the published information right away. Volkswagen and Audi vehicles sold in the US and Canada have been equipped with Immobilizer beginning with model year 2000. Originally, a Personal Identification Number(PIN)was obtained outside of the diagnostic tester, as you describe to allow Immobilizer access. Audi Immobilizer codes have been delivered exclusively by an online connection, called GeKo, direct to the VAS 5051 or VAS 5052 diagnostic testers for almost a year now. In a short time, Volkswagen will replace the PIN with GeKo, too. GeKo will remain in place for the foreseeable future. GeKo requires a persistent 256K connection. High-speed connection is not needed. The one-time $100.00 registration fee and $25.00 fee per vehicle are unchanged with the GeKo program. VAS 5051 and VAS 5052 Diagnostic Testers are available for sale, as you already know. While the cost may seem great, please remember that they are designed as complete diagnostic systems for the entire vehicle and provide functionality far beyond adapting duplicate keys. It is not necessary to purchase a tester. VAS 5052s are also available for rent through the Immobilizer program. Renting is an option we enabled to give independent shops a chance to "test" use of the testers and for other temporary uses. If you are an infrequent user, this may be a working alternative. If you feel participation in the GeKo program is not helpful to your company, we will gladly refund the $100.00 registration fee you previously paid. We welcome the feedback and will ensure our published information is accurate. Please let us know if this information is helpful and if there are any additional questions you may have about Volkswagen or Audi Service information. Volkswagen of America Service Publications