It's been a while since I've worked on a VATS (Vehicle Anti-Theft System), GM's first-generation electronic security system, easily recognized by the visible chip (actually a resistor) on the key. Recently, a regular customer of mine who often buys cars at auctions asked me to make keys for a beautifully maintained 2000 Cadillac Eldorado.
Knowing that sometimes these systems require removing the steering wheel to make the key, I scheduled the job for early the next morning to avoid the midday heat, just in case the process took a while.
When I arrived at the car, I discovered that both the ignition lock cylinder and the door lock cylinder could be scoped, saving me a lot of time. What could have taken nearly an hour ended up taking only about 15-20 minutes. A great start to a locksmith's day!
In the video, you can see the security light on the dash, its the orange light blinking on the bottom left at the beginning of the video.This security light will either remain blinking, indicating that the circuit is broken or that the car isn't reading a value from the resistor for some other reason. If the car reads the resistor but it's the wrong value, the security light will stay on. In this case, the value the car is getting from the VATS key is correct, so the security light comes on for a few seconds when the key is first turned to the "on" position, then goes out, exactly as it should.
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