Car Keys and Car Lockouts Around Columbus
Locked out of the car, down to your last key, or holding a fob that no longer talks to the car: these are locksmith jobs too. We handle vehicle lockouts, spare and replacement keys, transponder and fob programming, broken keys and ignition repair.
Car keys aren’t what they used to be. Most cars from the last couple of decades use a key with a chip in its head, a remote fob or a push-button start, and the car has to recognize the key before the engine will run. So a car key job often comes in two parts: cutting the blade, then programming the chip or fob to the car.
Keys, Fobs and Ignitions
Most car key work falls into a handful of jobs, and each starts from a different spot depending on whether you still have a working key.
| Job | Typical situation | What is involved | Information to have ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle lockout | Keys on the seat or in the trunk, doors locked | An air wedge and a long-reach tool to reach the lock or handle | Make, model and color, where the car is parked, a photo ID |
| Spare key cut | One working key and no backup | Cutting a new blade and, if the key has a chip, programming it to the car | The working key, plus the make, model and year |
| Lost-all-keys replacement | No working key at all | Cutting a key from the vehicle’s details or a lock, then programming it | The VIN, proof of ownership and a photo ID |
| Transponder key programming | A key that turns in the ignition but won’t start the car | Pairing the chip in the key’s head with the car’s computer | Every key you have, plus the make, model and year |
| Key fob replacement | A fob that is lost, broken or no longer works the locks | Matching a fob to the car and programming its buttons | The make, model and year, and the old fob if you have it |
| Broken key extraction | A blade snapped off in a door lock or the ignition | Pulling out the broken piece with extraction tools, then cutting a new key | Both pieces of the key, plus the make, model and year |
| Ignition repair | A key that won’t go in, won’t turn or sticks in the ignition | Freeing, repairing or replacing the ignition cylinder | The make, model and year, and what the key does or doesn’t do |
The make, model and year matter on nearly every job. They decide which blank the key is cut from, which chip it carries and how the car expects to meet a new key. Get the year wrong, and a key can look right and still not start the car.
When the Keys Are Locked Inside
A car lockout is frustrating, but it rarely calls for damage. If a child or a pet is shut inside, especially in heat or cold, call 911 first. Otherwise, stay with the car if it’s safe, check every door and the trunk release, and look for a spare at home before anything else.
Skip the coat hanger and the screwdriver. Prying at the door gap tears weather stripping, scratches paint and glass, and can bend the top of the door so it whistles at highway speed. A locksmith usually slips a flat air wedge into the top corner of the door, opens a small gap, and uses a long-reach tool to press the unlock button or pull the inside handle. Like any lockout, it belongs with our urgent jobs, so call rather than book.
Straight Answers on Car Keys
What happens if I’ve lost all my car keys?
It can be put right. A new key can be cut from the vehicle’s details or worked out from one of its locks, then programmed so the car will start with it. Expect to show a photo ID and proof that the car is yours, and to give the VIN.
If the lost keys could turn up in the wrong hands, programming the new ones is also the time to erase the old ones from the car’s memory, so they no longer start it.
How do transponder keys and fobs get programmed?
A transponder key has a small chip in its head that the car reads before it lets the engine run. A key cut perfectly but not programmed will turn the ignition, and the car still won’t start. Programming uses a tool that plugs into the car and introduces the new key or fob to it. Before you replace a fob that has stopped working the locks, try a new battery; that’s often all it needs.
Should I go to the dealer or a locksmith?
Either can make and program most keys. A dealer usually needs the car brought in, which can mean a tow when no key works, and may need to order the key. A locksmith can usually cut and program keys where the car is parked. Some newer models need equipment or codes only a dealer holds, and in that case the dealer is the right call.
When should I get a spare car key made?
While you still have a working key. Copying a key you have is a simpler job than replacing the last one, because there’s a key to work from and the car is already unlocked. Keep the spare at home or with someone you live with, not inside the car or hidden on it.
Keep These Handy for a Car Key Job
- The make, model and year of the vehicle.
- The VIN, from the registration or the plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side.
- Proof of ownership, such as the title or the registration in your name.
- A photo ID that matches the name on those papers.
- Which keys remain: how many, and whether they’re plain keys, chip keys, fobs or a push-button start.
Down to your last car key, or none at all? Give us a call.