How much does it cost to replace a car key?

Car keys are extremely important to obtaining entry to your car. And yet these particular keys have a greater chance to get lost inside our purse or under the bed covers. It is great to know that there is a profession that could solve that problem and that is no other than a locksmith.

Things have changed now that technology has contributed to the major advances and changes. Today, car manufacturers are using technology to enhance the security of modern cars. The new and modern cars are now more difficult to steal, and at the same time, key replacements are costlier too. Modern cars have smart keys that are the most advanced and also the most expensive to replace.

If you’ve either lost or misplaced your car keys, if you’re the sort of person who carelessly puts your keys anywhere, a qualified locksmith will give you a lot of rundown of the amount you’ll be charged for changing the car key.

 Old Model Cars are cheaper than the new model cars.

Old model cars still have basic keys to them. Aside from the unique cut it has, these types of car keys have no other safety feature. The part of the key which is the long metal, also known as the shank, has grooves and cuts similar to a house key. Those keys are the simplest to substitute and duplicate. A locksmith will do the job without any further equipment besides his / her regular machine used for cutting and copying other keys.

If you lose the key and the fob, depending on the car and key configuration, you can expect to pay $200 or more to repair and configure a supplier. A Lexus dealer quoted $374 for a new key, fob, and configuration and a BMW dealer said keyless substitute fobs could cost as much as $500 depending on the brand.

Car manufacturers started to place transponder chips in the key’s plastic head. These chips emit a signal to the receiver that is placed in the car’s ignition. The vehicle will not start if the immobilizer detects if the signal is wrong, which means the key placed in the ignition is wrong.

The transponder key shank can be either a laser-cut key, as well as a basic key. The main difference between a transponder key and a basic key is the chip placed in the transponder key, which must be programmed before the key can start the car first. Most car dealers have the device that’s required to program the device. While some dealers provide free service, you may be charged for labor by others. Some auto locksmiths own these machine types too.