You are on your way back to your car from an evening stop at the store and realize that your car keys are missing! You must have accidentally dropped them as you hurried inside! It’s been raining hard so the parking lot is a muddy morass of puddles, searching for them is going to be impossible, especially in the dark! A check of the store finds that no one has turned in your keys, so what do you do? It’s getting late and you are locked out of your car while still kilometres away from home!
The answer is to call your trusty local locksmith! They are more than willing to come to your rescue any time of day or night because they well understand the frustration and feeling of helplessness that being locked out of your own car can cause! Don’t worry about the car key replacement cost, it’s really quite reasonable and well worth it to be back in your car with a new key and on the road home!
There are a number of different ways to obtain key replacements depending on the make and model. Here are some of the main types of car keys, and how to have them replaced if they go missing!
Conventional Car Key – The conventional mechanical car key is the most commonly used type on the road. It’s very simple, you stick the key into the ignition cylinder, turn it, and your car starts! If you lose it, the locksmith can usually come to make you a replacement on-site. But, if you happen to have an unusual or really old car, they might not be able to make a new key and will have to replace the entire lock cylinder for you.
Car Key Fob – Beep-Beep! This is the little plastic device that unlocks your car at the press of a button. It can lock and unlock your car, but can’t actually start it, you need the real key for that. Losing the fob isn’t a big problem, you still have the key itself hopefully, but if you do want a new one your locksmith can make it and program it for you.
Key Fob And Switchblade Key – This plastic key fob is paired with a spring-loaded metal key that folds into it like a switchblade. If you lose this combo your locksmith can replace it, but expect to pay a bit more for the fanciness.
Transponder Key – This is a key with an anti-theft plastic head that contains a computer chip. Basically, the transponder key calls up your ignition via wireless, gives it the correct password and the car starts up! This sounds really neat, but if you lose this one prepare yourself for a major headache! Your car needs to be towed to the dealership where their locksmith will verify your ownership and make your new key.
If your car was manufactured in the last twenty years, or even if it’s one of those newfangled electric vehicles, help can be had if you lock yourself out or lose your keys! All you have to do is call your friendly locksmith and the key will come to you!
