The perks of hiring a car locksmith
The perks of hiring a car locksmith
The more sophisticated technology becomes the harder it seems to hack it without advanced knowledge and tools. If you owned a car back in the ‘90s, you used basic keys that had no security feature other than their unique cut. They were easily replaceable and losing them wasn’t alarming situation. You could get a spare key at any hardware store, locksmith shop or at the car dealership, of course. This was, unfortunately, a weak spot of the vehicle, because it was quite easy for thieves to hotwire you car.
Modern vehicles are equipped with modern technology. Nowadays, automotive industry produces various key types, such as: smart keys, laser cut keys, switchblade keys and, of course, an old fashioned basic keys.
On most modern cars, an electronic key fob is an integral part of the key set. Also, numerous car manufacturers place a transponder chip in the plastic head of the key. This chip emits a signal to a receiver in the ignition. If the wrong signal is detected (meaning that the wrong key is in the ignition or transponder wasn’t programmed properly), the vehicle will not start. Both a transponder chip and a key fob need to be programmed at the dealership.
All these advances in technology have made cars more difficult to steal, but replacing the lost keys has become more complicated and dramatically more expensive.
So, if your car keys get lost or damaged in any possible way or simply end up “missing in action”, you’ll face a high cost of replacement. Most car dealerships will charge for both, a key fob replacement and a new transponder chip key, but on top of that, they will charge an additional labor fee to program your new chip key and key fob.
Fortunately, there is a way around. You can save yourself a lot of time and money by going to your trusted local automotive locksmith.
Like most aftermarket products, the quality varies, but the licensed car locksmiths have numerous advantages:
If your locksmith doesn’t have a specific device you need, you can purchase aftermarket products online and go to the locksmith for programming assistance and services. It’s a wise thing to always test your new key before leaving the locksmith shop or if it was a mobile service ask them to wait while you test the key more than once.
It’s true that it’s always better safe than sorry. But official, “by the book” solution isn’t the only one when it comes to lost car keys. If you find licensed and reliable enough locksmith company, you’ll get professional, easier, faster and a lot less expensive solution.