How to get a replacement car key

Car keys are fundamental pieces of kit, yet we rarely give them a second thought. They spend most of their time in pockets, in handbags, or on a sideboard. But without them you are not going anywhere! But what should you do if you need a replacement car key?

There are a range of reasons why drivers need a replacement key for their car or van. For instance, car keys can break – sometimes the key can snap off in the lock or the chip in the transponder can malfunction – although this is rare these days. Occasionally the lock itself breaks and the key won’t fit anymore.

Of course, if keys get lost or stolen, then you will need replacement keys – and quickly too in order to ensure that your vehicle is fully secure.

Finally, we at Auto Locksmiths always advise customers to have a spare set of car keys available – in case any of the former happens so you aren’t stuck without any keys.

Whatever the reason for needing a replacement car key, you need to contact Auto Locksmiths, who will be able to come out to you wherever you are in the East Midlands and cut and programme a new set of keys for you while you wait.

Types of keys

There are a wide range of car keys used by various manufacturers over the past 25 or so years. Key technology has moved on quickly in that time, and the traditional key – where you put it into the lock and turn to open the door – is now a rarity, unless it’s on a car that was manufactured before 1995.

Today, many cars have keys that are operated with a transponder chip – where you hit a button to operate the central locking mechanism – but there are a wide variety of others available, from proximity keys, which open the doors when you are close by to keyless entry.

But whatever the type of key you need replacing, Auto Locksmiths’ team of experienced professionals have been trained in keys for all makes and models of car or van that is on the UK roads today. This training is regularly refreshed so that they keep up-to-date with any new models and new innovations in key technology that come onto the market.

Why use an auto locksmith?

If you need replacement car keys there are a several places you can go to. Firstly, you can go to your local car dealership. While this might seem the logical option, it could end up costing you more than it needs to. A dealership could say that things like the car’s immobiliser or Engine Control Unit (ECU) also need replacing – and all that adds significantly to the cost of the job. In addition, a dealer can take anything up to a week to get your replacement car keys to you and, in general, they don’t come out to you – you have to get the car to them.

You could take it to your local garage, but some will charge you just to use the diagnostic software that is used to programme keys.

But qualified and experienced auto locksmith, such as those employed by Auto Locksmiths, are fully mobile and carry in their vans a wide range of blank keys, as well as the latest equipment that means they can come out to you and cut and programme replacement keys in less than an hour. Our prices are transparent – we will give you a full quote up front and won’t charge extra for things like diagnostics – and we are a lot cheaper than any other provider of replacement keys.

How we make replacement keys

At Auto Locksmiths, our team are equipped with the latest key cutting equipment and programming tools. For keys with a transponder chip, we can extract the security data from your car’s ECU and then input that information into a new transponder chip, which is then fitted to a new key, which will have been cut bespoke to your vehicle.

If the member of our team is replacing a key that has been lost or stolen, then they will then, using specialist software that is bespoke to auto locksmiths, tap into the car’s ECU and delete the data of the lost or stolen car key from its memory and replace it with the new key’s information, which will stop anyone that has found or stolen your keys from being able to drive away in your car.

For spare keys, our technicians are again cheaper than the alternatives, and they can come out to you and cut them while you wait so you can get back on with your day as quickly as possible. 

What we need from you

However, in order for one of the Auto Locksmith team to replace your car keys, they will need you to provide a few details first:

• What make and model your car or van you drive is and which year it was manufactured in
• Proof that you own the vehicle – this is just a precaution but there are some criminals out there who try to pass off car as theirs when it isn’t!
• Proof of who you are – things like your passport or picture driving licence.

Call Auto Locksmiths now!

So if you need replacement car keys cut and programmed – no matter what the marque, model or age of the car – then call Auto Locksmiths on … or email … today and we can arrange for one of our qualified professionals to come out to you.

We cover all areas of the East Midlands from Coalville to Kettering – see our page to find out more about all the towns and cities that Auto Locksmiths covers [link]. In an emergency one of our team can be with you in less than an hour.

Click here [link] to find out more about the other services that Auto Locksmiths provides.

The cost of replacing your car keys will depend on the make, model and age of your car – call us or send us an email for a no obligation quote.