Ivan-
     
     Yi!  Another chapter to add to my love-hate relationship with Sears.  
     I love their tools, their deals, and the ease of whipping out the 
     charge card.  But I watch them "like a hawk" when it comes to car 
     stuff.  Been back three times questioning them about the Michelin 
     tires they put on the vanagon for the P.O.  Broke a socket trying to 
     remove a lug bolt they torqued on to "within an inch of its life" on 
     my old '66.  And the list, I'm sure, will grow.
     
     When you said that the key template wasn't the same, I had visions of 
     that part in every "slasher" movie where the soon-to-be victims 
     decide, "you go look there, I'll check behind that, etc."  (Did you 
     get the same feeling?)
     
     Anyway, you're back.  Every VW starter I've seen is self contained; 
     they don't have a separate "solenoid" like you used to find on some 
     cars (Ford comes to mind).  Before you start, you may want to creep 
     under the car and do a visual on all the wiring to the starter.  If 
     nothing looks visibly overheated, try the "screwdriver" test on the 
     starter:  make sure it's in neutral with the parking brake set; 
     momentarily bridge the large bolt-on terminal to the starter solenoid 
     terminal (make sure you got the right one - check the "book").  If it 
     works consistently, the starter is probably okay.
     
     If so, turn your attention to the ignition switch; you may have 
     charred the contacts or the heat generated might have caused the 
     starter contact to receed into the nylon body such that it will not 
     reliably make a circuit.  There's no easy way to visually check this, 
     but if you're electronically inclined, you may turn up some anomalies 
     with a volt-ohm meter.  If you need to replace the switch, be advised 
     that (if it's like all other VWs since 1968), there is the mechanical 
     portion (the key lock), and an electrical part.  The electrical 
     section is removable from inside the lock after you take out a 
     setscrew.  Again, I believe the Bentley manual has a good step-by-step 
     to guide you through this.  At a minimum, you usually have to remove 
     the plastic shrouding covering the steering column, and remove the 
     lock-switch assembly from the column in order to get to the screw.
     
     -Blaine