Your car isn’t very helpful without the keys… is it?
What do you do when you have lost your car keys? How do you get keys made when you do not have a key to make a copy of? First you have to stop and ask yourself a couple of questions.
Have you lost all of your copies of the car keys?
When the answer to that question is “Yes”, the situation changes a little. How do you make a copy of a key when you don’t have a key to copy? You have a couple of options, but you will want to make sure to do your research!
Order From a Dealer
You always have the option to order a new key from the car dealership. The dealership orders a blank key, and an appointment will need to be made to have it programmed. Generally, the delivery time is one to two weeks, and the key cost is very high. A search of some local area key prices at the time this was written yielded these responses: Ford F-Series keys can cost between $120 and $380. A Chevy chip key can run anywhere from $75 to $275. And a BMW key can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000!
Hire a Professional Locksmith
Losing your car keys is definitely an inconvenience and can cause some serious headaches, especially if you don’t have a duplicate. It’s like that old saying, you just never appreciate something fully until it’s gone! The best way to avoid the hassle is to have an extra set of keys made BEFORE you need them, and keep them in a safe place. If it is too late for that and you need keys now, without a key to make a copy of, you will need to hire a reputable and competent locksmith to make a key from scratch. You will want to make sure you search for a locksmith that has the technology available to make and program auto keys.
Modern car keys have chips and require programming by a locksmith or auto company. Almost all newer car keys, like fob keys and laser-cut keys, will require you to go to an auto locksmith or dealership to have the key made. And if you have lost all your car keys, a car locksmith is your best option to originate a car key because they can do it at your location.
What Are Chipped/Transponder Keys?
If you don’t know what a chipped or transponder key is, it makes this a little more confusing. Check out our earlier post, What Are Chipped/Transponder Keys and Why Are They Used?, to learn more.
What Now?
The solution you choose will vary, depending on the price of the car key copy and how quickly you need the job done. The key is something that you will use every day. While it may be cheaper at first to have it done someplace else, make sure that you get it done right the first time, because it can cause a lot of headaches and end up costing a lot more time and money to have to get it done again!
We hope that this information on the necessary steps to make a copy of your car key, even if you have lost all of them, has been useful to you. And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.