Car keys · Toronto
Car Key Replacement
The engine cranks, catches for a second and dies, and a small key-shaped light keeps blinking on the dash.
In plain words
Most replacement keys are made where the car is parked. A mobile locksmith carries blanks, a cutting machine and programming equipment in the van, plugs into the diagnostic port and does the work on your driveway, in a parking garage or at the roadside. For most vehicles there is no need to move the car to a shop, and you watch the key cut and tested on the spot; a few systems still need a dealer or an equipped shop, flagged by the VIN check. The locksmith needs the vehicle's identity, proof of ownership, and what the old key could do, so the right parts are on board.
How the visit goesYou bought the car privately and it came with a single key on a shoelace. Every time it leaves your hand you notice, and you would like a second one made before the first goes missing.
Car Key Replacement
How the visit goes
Do you still have one key that works?
The most important fact after ownership is whether a single working key exists. With one in hand, the visit is an add-a-key: the existing key proves the immobilizer is healthy, the new blade can be checked against it, and programming is usually the shorter routine. With none, it is an all-keys-lost job: the blade has to come from the lock or the code, and the immobilizer has to be reset before new keys are stored. A key that opens the doors but no longer starts the engine counts as no working key for programming purposes, though its blade is still useful as a pattern.
All keys lost: reset first, then reissue
When nothing remains, the sequence changes. The car is opened, the blade is produced from the lock or the code, and then, where the system supports it, the immobilizer memory is reset so every stored key is erased; others follow their own maker-specific route instead. New keys are then registered one after another, and registering two gives the car a spare from day one. On some vehicles this stage needs a longer security timer or manufacturer data, which is arranged in advance. The old keys, wherever they are, are now unknown to the car. Each new key is then started and driven a short distance to confirm the reset held.
Looking after the mechanical lock you rarely use
On a keyless car the door cylinder can go years without a key in it, which is exactly why it seizes with salt and grit. After the visit, use the emergency blade in the driver's door once a season so the wafers keep moving, and follow the vehicle or lock maker's own maintenance instructions once the salt is off the roads in spring, since automotive locks more often need cleaning than added lubricant. In a cold snap, a small tube of lock de-icer in a coat pocket does the job; hot water only refreezes inside. A lock that has been freed during the visit stays free with this little attention.
Car Key Replacement
In the van
Fob coin-cell battery
OBD programming tool
Transponder chip
Remote frequency tester
Laser-style milling cutter
Car Key Replacement
What affects the quote
Functions on the fob
Locking and unlocking come with every fob. Trunk release, panic, remote start and power liftgate depend on the fob part number, so a fob with more functions is quoted differently from a basic one. Phone-as-a-key is quoted separately, set up through the vehicle's own software rather than by fob choice.
Year, make and model
The vehicle decides the blank, the chip and the programming route. A twenty-year-old sedan with a plain transponder key and a recent proximity-start model are different jobs, and the quote follows the VIN rather than a flat figure.
Extracting a broken key
Drawing a snapped blade out of a door or ignition cylinder without harm to the lock is a separate piece of work, done before the new key is cut, and it appears on the quote as its own line.
What to have ready
- How many keys would you like to leave with?
- What is the year, make and model, and can you read the VIN from the windshield or the permit?
- Does the car start with a key in the ignition or with a push button?
Car Key Replacement: questions
QuestionsCan you make a key if every key to the car is gone?
Often, yes, for vehicles with a supported conventional key system: the car is opened, a blade is produced by decoding the door lock or retrieving the factory key code, and the immobilizer is reset so the missing keys are erased before new ones are stored. A key-card or phone-key vehicle, or one needing a dealer procedure, follows its own route instead, which is why the VIN is asked for on the first call.
What is a transponder key, and does my car have one?
A transponder is a small chip in the head of the key with no battery of its own. When the key is in the ignition, or the fob is inside the cabin, the immobilizer sends a signal and the chip answers with a code; if the code is unknown, the engine is prevented from running. Every new light vehicle sold in Canada since September 2007 has been required to have an immobilizer, so almost any car from that time on uses one.
Does the car have to be towed to a shop?
Often not. The cutting machine, blanks and programming tool travel in the van, and the work is done where the car sits: a driveway, a parking garage, the roadside or a workplace lot. The locksmith connects to the diagnostic port under the dash and cuts and programs on the spot. An unsupported or dealer-only system may still need the vehicle to go to a dealer or a suitably equipped shop, which the VIN check flags beforehand.
Related services
- Spare Car Key DuplicationA teenager just passed a driving test and reasonably wants a key of their own rather than negotiating over the family's single copy every time the car is needed.
- Key Fob ProgrammingA new driver has joined the household, and the one existing fob is the only key anyone has ever had cut for this vehicle.
- Transponder Key ProgrammingThe car came with a single key when the sale went through, and that key is the only thing standing between the household and being stranded.