2004 Audi Allroad 4wd unlocking transmission

[Gito]

Posting for friend

He owns a 2004 Audi Allroad-4wd and wants to tow the car to auto body shop for body repair.
His son was in a fender bender a year ago and wants to start doing repairs.

He lost the ignition key and cannot tow because transmission is locked.
He says that all four wheels are locked.

He has the DMV registration under his name and so I told him to buy a key from the Audi dealer.
Friend says that they want 300 plus dollars for a new key (programmed).

He wants to know if there is another way to unlock the transmission from below so he can tow the car.

I'm thinking he will eventually have to get a key programmed so why not just get it.
Can he get the key (programmed) outside of the dealer?

 

[RooflessVW]

Remove the ashtray and look for a small white tab/button. This is the shift lock release.

You will need the vehicle towed to the dealer to have any new keys coded to the car. $300 sounds about right factoring Audi's typical labor rate.

 

[Rand]

If he ever wants to drive it again he will need a key anyway? Just get one? Not going to ask how you lose car keys.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Rand
If he ever wants to drive it again he will need a key anyway? Just get one? Not going to ask how you lose car keys.


He's in the (fairly common) bind of: no keys to unlock transmission so I can't tow it to have a new key coded to unlock the transmission so I can have it towed.

If the car truly sat for a year or so, I could see the key being lost to a junk-drawer clean out or other malady.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Rand
If he ever wants to drive it again he will need a key anyway? Just get one? Not going to ask how you lose car keys.


He's in the (fairly common) bind of: no keys to unlock transmission so I can't tow it to have a new key coded to unlock the transmission so I can have it towed.

If the car truly sat for a year or so, I could see the key being lost to a junk-drawer clean out or other malady.


Could possibly tow it with one of those repo type tow trucks on the front wheels and use dollies on the rear wheels? can you even get in the vehicle with no keys?

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Rand
If he ever wants to drive it again he will need a key anyway? Just get one? Not going to ask how you lose car keys.


He's in the (fairly common) bind of: no keys to unlock transmission so I can't tow it to have a new key coded to unlock the transmission so I can have it towed.

If the car truly sat for a year or so, I could see the key being lost to a junk-drawer clean out or other malady.


Could possibly tow it with one of those repo type tow trucks on the front wheels and use dollies on the rear wheels? can you even get in the vehicle with no keys?


I assume the vehicle was left unlocked.

You could tow the car the way you describe, as long as the car is not dragged along the ground while in park. You could also do 4 dollies and winch it onto a flatbed if it's parked on pavement.

 

[Lyman]

I have a friend that owns a tow company. Any tow company that has any good equipment can tow that car.