The majority of individuals start to worry when they lose their car keys. Knowing that it was the only key you had to your vehicle and that there was no other way to start it may be the only thing worse than losing your lone car key.
When your only car key is lost forever, you suddenly realize there is a car in your driveway or parking lot that you cannot use. You must now figure out how to contact a locksmith who can come out to unlock your car and make you a new key without using the original key as a guide.
On top of all the troubles brought on by losing your only car key, you now need to figure out how to pay a locksmith to create a new key from scratch.
Unfortunately, calling a locksmith out to make a new key for you that will function to start your car is usually extremely expensive. Fortunately, you don’t have to take that route every time; a few alternatives may help you save money and time and get back on the road as soon as possible so your day can return to normal as soon as possible.
Unbeknownst to most people, most cars come equipped with a number code that you may use to avoid having to pay a locksmith to come to your location. The actions you must take to get a new key for your car as quickly and painlessly as possible are listed below.
Step 1: Get your owner’s manual out
Obtaining your owner’s handbook should be your first step. Ideally, you have this in the glove compartment of your vehicle or a secure location at home. Find the original sales invoice from when you purchased the car at the dealership if you do not have or have misplaced the owner’s manual.
Find the key code for your car by looking just inside the cover of the owner’s handbook after discovering it. Once again, if you still need the owner’s handbook, you should be able to find it on the original sales receipt you received from the dealership.
Step 2: Remove the Door Panel
After finding the key code in the owner’s handbook or sales receipt, you must find the inner door panel. The inner door panel and the locking mechanism should have the key code you discovered in the handbook.
Step 3: At this point, contact a locksmith
You may immediately dial the number of your neighborhood locksmith. If you have the key code, provide it to them when they ask if you do. They can easily manufacture a copy of your vehicle key using the code you provide them to find what it looks like.
Step 4: What If I Need A Key Code?
So you could be thinking, “I don’t know where the owner’s manual for my car is, and I don’t have the original sales receipt!” Although your car was probably constructed some years ago, you still have both of those items. If so, there is nothing to worry about!
You still have another choice you may use as a fallback. The next step is to determine your vehicle identification number, often known as a VIN, by glancing at the metal plate on the driver’s side dashboard or windshield.
Step 5: Visit the auto dealer where you purchased the vehicle
Once you have your VIN, call the dealership where you bought the car or go there and visit the service area. You may ask the auto dealership to produce a new key by providing them with your VIN. As dealerships often charge a little more than a locksmith would for making a new key, this choice will be more expensive.
However, since it is a vehicle off their lot, they can do it without a problem, and you will be guaranteed that it will function without any problems or other difficulties on your end.
Step 6: Remove the door lock if everything else fails
You may still choose another choice if you cannot complete any other alternatives for whatever reason or if all your digits are difficult to locate. This method to enter your vehicle and create a new key is less ideal since it will take a little bit longer and involve more physical effort than the other choices, but it will still function.
After removing the door lock, You must personally take it to your neighborhood locksmith’s shop. They can manufacture a key out of your door lock by using it. The same key that opens the door lock starts the car when you insert it into the ignition. While this key will work and get you back on the road, it has one disadvantage: if your prior key included automated buttons or locks, you will no longer have those choices and must operate your car manually.
Conclusion
While being locked out of your car is regrettable and will undoubtedly make you feel miserable for a while, it does not have to be the end of the world, and it does not necessarily imply that you will have to give up and get a brand-new vehicle. If you follow the advice above, you can save time and money even if you lose one or two hours of your life.
These are rather easy methods; locksmiths and car dealerships can quickly make you a key using those straightforward numbers. Never again worry while spending time and money waiting for a locksmith to arrive! If you act and see them, you may quickly get back on the road with a new key.
The original vehicle key is optional, and not having it does not necessarily imply that you are out of luck and will never be able to drive your car again. However, having the original key on hand would simplify things and prevent your blood pressure from going too high.