Losing the only key is the most stressful car key call we get, and also one of the most common. Here is exactly what to do, in order, so you are driving again the same day.
1. Make sure it is really lost
Check the obvious places twice: jacket pockets, the bottom of a bag, the couch, the car itself if it is unlocked. If you were at MainPlace, a restaurant or the office, call and ask if someone turned in a key. It costs nothing and saves you a new key.
2. Get your paperwork ready
No honest locksmith will make a key for a car without proof that it is yours. Have your driver's license and the registration or title ready. If the paperwork is inside the locked car, tell us when you call; we open the car first, check the papers, then make the key.
3. Write down the year, make and model
The year, make and model tell us which key the car uses and what it will cost. If you can read the VIN through the windshield, take a photo of it. That is the fastest way to get an exact price on the phone.
4. Do not tow it to the dealer yet
Many people tow the car to the dealer, wait several days and pay for the tow on top of the key. For most cars a mobile locksmith can cut and program the key where the car is parked, whether that is a driveway in Floral Park, an apartment garage off Bristol Street or a lot near the Civic Center.
5. What happens when we arrive
We confirm ownership, cut a new key from the VIN or by decoding the lock, program the key and the remote to the car, and then erase the lost key from the car's memory so it can no longer start it. You test the key before you pay.
While we are there, ask for a spare. A second key made in the same visit costs much less than another lost-key call later.
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