As far as I know, the profile is the same for the valet key and the
master key. The difference is the length. I believe you can cut a master
key from a valet key, but you have to line up the tip of the blank with
the tip of the valet key. The way the machines are set up, the operators
will line up the shoulder of the blank with the shoulder of the
original, and you'll end up with a new valet key.

I have had good luck with Home Depot for cutting keys. They seem to have
a wide variety of blanks, even oddball ones.

Richard Thomas wrote:
>
> I just bought a Jetta but it only came with the valet key. I took it
> to Walmart and explained to the key cutting drone that I wanted a key
> but that it would have a different profile than the key I was handing
> him. He then proceeded to try to jam my key into each of the 'it's
> this key' holes behind the counter and then handed it back to me
> saying he didn't have a match. I asked him if he understood that the
> key would be different and he said he did.
>
> I'm not saying he was dumb but either way, there was some kind of
> miscommunication going on and I don't have much patience for that so I
> took my key and left (or rather continued shopping but that doesn't
> sound as dramatic).
>
> Does anyone know if Walmart can cut master keys for '98 Jettas and if
> so, what number key blank to use?
>
> Thanks
>
> Rich
> --
> An animal so poor in spirit that he won't even fight on his own behalf
> is already an evolutionary dead end; the best he can do for his breed
> is crawl off and die, and not pass on his defective genes.
> --R.A.Heinlein