I collected my 2006 vRS on Friday. When viewing the car I asked if they had both keys, salesman went away to check and told me yes they did.

Picking it up on Friday and the salesman isn't there due to a family emergency. Guy who's dealing with me can't find spare key as he doesn't know where the original salesman has put it. No problem I think, I'll just collect it another time.

Spoke to original salesman yesterday and he said he couldn't find it, and was checking with the person who traded it in that they definitely traded it in with both keys. I have since spoken to the previous owner myself and he said that he traded it in with one key - and never had a second while he owned the car.

I'm obviously concerned that someone has a key to my car, and could quite easily see it parked up (I'm temporarily staying near both the previous owners) and drive it away, or just take it off my drive.

Also the fact I've not got a spare key is slightly annoying.

What is the best way to proceed?

I spoke to a Skoda dealer and a complete lock change is about £425 - I'm guessing this is the most secure way to go? Obviously I'm hoping the dealer will pay after misleading me - I wouldn't have bought the car otherwise.

Alternatively, can the other key be 'removed' from the car's memory? I'm guessing it would still be able to open the door using the blade but shouldn't start it or work via remote? Is this even something I can do myself?

Any thoughts/advice welcome!

As an interim measure, get the dealer to reset the number of keys to 1 and relearn the 1 key.

I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over the remote possibility of one of the previous owners still having a key and using it to 'take' your car. If someone wanted to do that then they might have ordered a 3rd key - handed the original 2 over at the time of sale - and used the 3rd for removal.

Your best bet is to hound the dealer. The contract is vehicle supplied with 2 keys so it is up to them to do this. It's a common excuse that the second key cannot be found by sales reps etc. The supply of a second key will eat into their profit margin but that's not you problem.

Hope you get it sorted out ok.

Now sorted.

Cheers chaps.

How sorted?

New key ordered - garage paid most of the cost of it, but were being typical car dealer saying they never said there was definitely a second key etc.

It will be coded next week when I'm having some stuff fitted at Shark Performance which requires key coding anyway.

I had this problem when I bought mine. The garage I bought from wasnt a Skoda dealer but asked me to get a quote from Skoda and from anywhere else i could and he'd pay.

I picked up my new geinuine skoda key yesterday, coded to the car.

£112 inc VAT

Bargain compared to Skoda and 'other' places I was quoted from