EricUSC

This morning, my mom's '93 Legend's ignition switch was having problems. When you turn the ignition to start the car, the engine would start up and quickly shut down as soon as you take your hand off the key. She called AAA and they towed it to the local gas station. We made sure they replaced it with all OEM parts which they did. When my mom went to go pick up her car, the mechanic gave her a new key told her that the ignition key is now different from the door key. Now I'm thinking wtf? Is it possible to order a new ignition with the same key combination or does everything have to be changed when replacing an ignition switch? Fortunately, we still have the old ignition switch (the one that broke), so I was thinking if it's possible for the mechanics to combine the parts from the two switches so the key for the door and the ignition would still be the same? Or is she just stuck with having to use two keys?

keithg

The electrical part of the ignition switch usually screws to the back of the lock and key portion. On some (but not all) honda/acura cars this is available separatly (from the dealer), so you don't have to buy the whole thing (key, lock, switch). That being said...you should be able to install the electrical part (the "switch") from the new assembly onto the origional lock and key. Or, You could remove the lock cylinder from the origional and install it into the new lock housing. The whole assembly (key, lock, switch) is usually a couple hundred dollars or more. You might want to see if the "switch" (electrical part) is available separatly (from Acura), if it is, you might talk to the station owner about it.

keithg

I checked with my local Acura dealer today and the electrical part of the ignition switch is available separatly. Acura calls it "switch, steering" and it lists for about $60.00. The Acura part number is 35130-SPO-305. What this means is that it was not necessary for them to change the whole assembly including the lock and key. I think you have a legitimate complaint against the garage! Good Luck.

EricUSC

Thanks for the help, keithg! I'll look into it and see what I can do about it. My mom called the Acura dealer and they told her that they would have done the same thing the gas station did, except they would re-key the new switch. The dealer would have charged over $200 for labor white the gas station charged only $80.

keithg

Sounds to me like the Acura dealer would have sold your mother parts that she didn't need too. I wonder what their reason is for not only replacing the bad part, but replacing the whole thing. I can understand this on cars where the electrical switch is not available separatly,(for example 92-5 Civic, or 94-01 Integra) but it makes no sense to me to replace the whole thing when the part is available separatly.