duplicating keys and key codes

["Spire, Ed" <ed.spire@missioncritical.com>]

My wife lost her key to der UBERWGN.  It's not the kind of key I can get
copied down at the local hardware store.

My Houston dealership told me that without key codes I am out of luck,
and that they weren't really written down anywhere formally or
obtainable in any simple manner.  What a surprise, I would think that
there must be a way for the dealership to be able to get them, based on
the VIN perhaps...

The Chicago dealer where I bought the car said that the key codes were
not written down on the deal folder, so they didn't have them either.
But the Chicago dealer told me that any dealer could copy a key.

Further, I thought that the driver and passenger keys were different, so
that they triggered memory seat positions one and two.  The Chicago
dealer told me that the keys didn't do this, only the infrared remotes
do.  I can no longer test this theory, having only one key (plus the
valet key) remaining.

Anybody out there have any useful knowledge about any of this?