If you’ve lost your car keys and don’t have a spare to hand, you won’t be able to access your
vehicle. In most cases, car manufacturers provide two car keys and this is for two reasons. The
first being so that you have a spare key to use should the first be damaged or lost. Secondly, the
spare acts as a blueprint for someone such as an auto locksmith, to be able to make a
replacement.
But what happens if you need to replace a lost car key and don’t have a spare?
Being without a spare car key can leave you feeling frustrated, especially if you need your
vehicle to be somewhere. Years ago, car keys were universal but nowadays they are specific to
a particular vehicle, which is why it’s useful to keep a spare somewhere safe and to hand.
Hiring an Auto Locksmith
If you’ve read some of our other blogs, you’ll probably know that we often tell our readers to hire
an auto locksmith over the help from a car garage for replacement key assistance. This is
because it saves you time, money and expenses on getting your car (which has no key) to the
garage.
It is generally a lot easier to make a replacement car key if you have the original, however due
to today’s technology and the expertise and knowledge of auto locksmiths, it is possible to do
the job without it.
In order to determine the type of key your car uses the auto locksmith will ask you a few
questions such as, what type of key your car has e.g. traditional mechanical key, transponder
key or key fob.
Proof of Ownership and VIN
Once you know what type of car key you need, you’ll need to provide proof of ownership and
the VIN number of your vehicle - this can be found on your dashboard or the engine bay. If you
can’t find it, don’t worry, the auto locksmith will be able to locate it.
Once the VIN has been located, the auto locksmith will use this information to look through their
vehicle database and select the correct car key for you. They can then create a new one and
should it need programming, do this for you also.
Once you have your new car key, don’t forget to get a spare made to avoid any tricky situations
in the future.
For all of your auto locksmith requirements in South Wales, please get in touch.