From the title itself, you’d think nothing but sad, negative thoughts. Who would be delighted if they lost their car keys? It’s extra painful when you realized that you have no extra key, and you have to walk home. If you’d ask me what will I be doing if this happens to me; P-A-N-I-C! I’ve witnessed dozens of car owners go through this agonizing ordeal, and I’ve never seen someone be calm at this situation. You’d be paranoid.
Though this scenario may be chaotic, you’d need to stay focused, and relax. We get disoriented if we panic.
So if one day you lose your car keys and with sweat and tears trying to Google some solutions, and end up in this article, well, here’s a simple how-to on dealing with your lost car keys.
First off, you’d have to identify which type of keys you have for your car:
Traditional – a simple insert and turn key for your car. These keys are more common for older models of cars. These locks that use a traditional key are the ones that are very easy to pick. In addition to that, security is a big question mark for this type of key, as stealing a car with traditional keys can be as easy as 1, 2, 3. A competent Auto Locksmith will be able to pick the lock and make a duplicate key with ease.
Transponder Key – from the word “transmitter” and “responder”, these keys have a built-in chip inside of the key that send signals to start the engine. It’s much safer than the traditional key, but it’s harder when it’s lost, and you have no duplicate. Solution? Same as traditional keys; you either find your spare, or call a locksmith. There are locksmiths that specialize in Transponder Keys.
Key Fobs – Ah, technology, so simple, so cool, but if lost, so costly and stressful. Modern car keys may still have transponder keys but a lot are now adapting and relying to key fobs alone. It’s sometimes more secure having keys like these but it’s more pricey to lose one. If you have lost all keys, the minimum price you will be paying for a remote fob is around £120.00 or £140.00 for a keyless fob. These prices vary so much according on the Make, Model and year. On average the cost is around £200.00
So back to the dilemma, what will I do if I lost the keys to my car?
Rewind
Yes, sometime we’re like goldfish where our memory doesn’t span no longer than 3 seconds. So first step on resolving this issue is to trace back all your moves: from where you’ve been, to the people that you’ve interacted with. As William Shakespeare said:
“They say miracles are past.”
So, we hope and pray that looking at your past may lead you to a miracle, and hopefully finding your key.
Check Your Vehicle
After doing a rewind, you’d then realize that you left it inside your car. This is memory loss to a higher level. Any chance of getting my key back? Of course. Just contact your nearest locksmith on whatsthedamage.net
Contact Your Dealer or Locksmith (Here we go again)
If ever you’ll contact your dealer, they might ask you for your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). VINs are like fingerprints for cars, unique for every car. Where would I find it? At the dashboard on the driver’s side of the vehicle or other places.
At the end of the day, it’s best to always have a spare key for your car. As the famous saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” Now, if you did all the prevention, but still end up getting the disease, we have picked Auto locksmiths that are qualified to assist. At What’s The Damage, we’re here to help you. So, if ever you end up losing your key your car keys, click the Directory to start.
