Since rolls royce's alter ego Cheap Bastard mentioned the high cost of the custom keyed lock cylinder, I thought I'd share a bit of custom lock cylinder trivia. My 1986 300E came to us with only one key, so I anted up I think $30 at the dealer to have a key made from the VIN. Even back then the ignition was a little flaky and the key had to be wiggled sometimes before it could be turned. A few months later, the wiggling thing got bad enough that I decided to replace the lock cylinder. Ordered one of those, also custom keyed from the VIN for like $80, and when it arrived, I was surprised to find it came with a nice new key, our third. I told the parts guy if I'd known the cylinder included the key I would've ordered the cylinder instead of the key the first time and saved $30 in the long run. He said they don't *always* include the key, it is just that the way they make the custom keyed cylinders is to make a key first from the VIN, then match the cylinder to the key. Sometimes they leave the key in it, sometimes not. The moral of the story? If you're sure you need a new lock cylinder, and might need a new key, order the cylinder first. You might kill two birds with one stone. Oh, yeah. Getting the cylinder out with a homemade wire thingy ultimately worked, but I must've spent three hours at it off and on over several days before I heard the happy click and out it came.