Lost car keys Replacement services - Charlotte NC
Losing your car keys can really disrupt your daily life and cause problems not just for you, but for your loved ones as well.
So, if it happens, you want an effective solution and you want it fairly quickly. First thing to do, before you call a locksmith, is to note down the make, model and year of your car, as well as what type of key you had. There are a few different ones in use today and each type will require different procedures to be replaced.
Magic Lock in Charlotte NC provide 24/7 replacement car keys services and automotive locksmith for all makes and model.
Now, lets review the different types of keys we deal with and that are in the market:
Types of car keys
Traditional keys - Non chip
Back in the old days your car key would look
very similar to your house key – just a standard metal key with a profile cut
into the edges. If you lost one of your keys, then you could easily get a
duplicate cut out from a corresponding key blank for as low as a few dollars.
This also meant these keys were more susceptible to illegal duplication,
increasing the risk of car theft.
Laser-cut keys
These are more modern, higher security type
keys and were created as a step up from the traditional metal keys – the
profile was no longer cut into the edges of the key blade, but rather engraved
into its flat surface with a laser creating small grooves of varying depths, making
it much, much harder to duplicate the key without specialized equipment and
machinery.
Types of car keys - Continue
Transponder keys, immobilizer or chip keys
As car theft by hot-wiring the ignition became more and more wide-spread, the car manufacturers started to add an extra
security feature to the vehicles called an immobilizer. It is a small electronic transceiver device (a transmitter that also acts as a radio
frequency receiver). It is installed in the car and it will prevent the car from starting unless a special corresponding RFID (radio frequency
identification) micro-chip is present in the immediate vicinity of the transceiver. This chip is called a transponder (a transmitter that also acts as
a responder – ‘responding’ to your car’s immobilizer with the correct radio frequency, telling it that it’s the right key and it can go ahead and allow the
car to start). This transponder chip is usually embedded inside the plastic or rubber covering on the head of the car key, so if your key has a black cover on
its head without any buttons – it is most likely a transponder chip key.
If you lose one of your transponder chip keys, a locksmith can make a duplicate key for you by cloning the chip from your remaining key. However, if you lose all of your keys, then it will be necessary to reprogram the immobilizer in your car to accept the radio frequency of a new set of transponder chips. You can use a trusted locksmith to do this for you as well, with the added convenience of them coming to your
location and not having to tow your car to a dealership.
Magic Lock can cut and program all types of transponder chip keys. Our locksmiths in Charlotte NC and surrounding areas
area ready with our mobile units.
Remote keys, key fobs, smart keys
A remote control for your car is a device
that works just like the one for your TV – allowing you to control your vehicle from a distance. Depending on the type of remote you have you can open or close door locks, open the hatch or the sunroof, turn on the interior lights, wind
down the windows or even start the ignition to let the engine warm up before you get into the car.
The electronics for the remote control can be encased in a separate device called a key fob, or they can be housed in a plastic casing attached to the actual metal key, along with the transponder
chip. With some remote-control key designs the key blade can be folded into the casing of the remote to save space, and these are called flip keys, switchblade keys or folding keys.
The later generations of cars are now using what’s called smart keys – these no longer use the metal key blade at all and just look like a key fob with buttons.
The electronics inside of these are a lot more sophisticated and allow the car to start just by pushing a button on your dashboard, without the need to insert an actual key into a slot.
Remotes, key fobs and smart keys are a bit more complicated to replace, as they need to be specially programmed to start working with your car. You can take your car to the dealership to do this, however, it is usually quite expensive and takes quite a bit of time. Another option is to get a trusted locksmith to come to you, which will save you time and towing expenses, plus the reprogramming itself will typically be a lot
cheaper compared to the dealer.
We offer our automotive locksmith services in Charlotte NC metro area and will come to you and make you a replacement key on site!
Need a new car key made? Contact Magic Lock in Charlotte
Just as with anything else – prevention
really pays off when it comes to car keys! So, it might be worth it to make it
a rule to always get a set of back-up keys every time you buy a car. Keep these
back-up keys somewhere safe, and you will always have a peace of mind that if
all of the car keys you use daily are lost or damaged you can first of all
still use the car, and you can also get a duplicate key made. Or, in the very
least, order a duplicate when you only have one of the original keys remaining
and all the other ones have been lost.
If your car keys have been stolen then instead
of making duplicates of the remaining key, in order to ensure your vehicle’s
safety going forward, it will be necessary to rekey the car, which will provide
you with a whole new set of keys to use, meaning the old keys will no longer
work, so whoever stole your keys will no longer be able to steal your car.
Whatever auto key related issues you find
yourself facing – if you need a fast response and reliable advice, give us a
call! Magic Lock is proud to be your trusted local automotive locksmith,
serving Charlotte, NC – and we can help with any type of auto key replacement,
be it reprogramming a new transponder chip, duplicating a laser-cut key blade
profile or coding a new key fob for your vehicle.
