Car keys

Start with the key in your hand

Pick the key that looks like yours. Each page shows how to recognize it, what tends to go wrong and what happens at the car.

Call (208) 629-0482 Ask for a callback

Four kinds of car key

Look at the key head and the dash. A start button means a smart key. A blade that folds out means a flip key. Buttons molded around a fixed blade mean a remote-head key. A plain head usually hides a chip.

Push-to-start smart keysProximity fobs for cars with a start button: spares, replacements and all-lost, programmed at the car.Read more Flip keysSwitchblade keys that fold into the remote: spares and replacements, cut and programmed at your car.Read more Remote-head keysOne-piece keys with a fixed blade and buttons in the head, cut and programmed at the car.Read more Chip keysPlain-head transponder keys the engine checks before it runs, cut and programmed at the car.Read more No key left at all?When every key is gone, the new one is made from the car itself, not from a copy.All keys lost

How a new key is made at the car

First the blade. It is cut to fit your door and ignition locks. A working key, if you still have one, serves as the pattern; if not, the cuts are worked out at the car.

Then the electronics. The chip or fob is programmed to the car so the engine accepts it. On many vehicles, lost keys can be removed from the car’s memory during the same visit, so they no longer start it.

Last, the test. Locks, remote buttons, trunk and start are tried with you before we leave.

Before we make a key

We look at your photo ID and the car’s registration or title. A car key starts the car, so it is only made for someone who can show the vehicle is theirs.

Makes we see often

We work on most makes and models. These come up a lot around the valley:

Ford
Chevrolet
GMC
Dodge
Ram
Jeep
Toyota
Honda
Nissan
Subaru
Hyundai
Kia
Mitsubishi
BMW
Cadillac
Volkswagen

Yours is not listed? Call with the year, make and model and we tell you on the phone whether we can make the key.

Or start with what happened

All keys lostNo working key left? A new one gets cut and programmed right at the car. Nothing to copy from, no tow.Read more Spare car keyDown to one key? Add a second at the car while there's still a working key to copy.Read more Locked keys in carKeys inside a locked car or trunk? We open it at the vehicle, 24/7. Child or pet inside? Call 911 first.Read more Key fob not workingButtons do nothing, or the car can't find the key? Sort out battery, fob or programming, then call us.Read more Broken car keyKey snapped, bent or stuck in a lock? We take the piece out and make a working key at the car.Read more Ignition won't turnKey goes in but won't turn? Rule out the steering lock, then find out if it's the key or the cylinder.Read more

Start with the key in your hand

Four kinds of car key

How a new key is made at the car

Before we make a key

Makes we see often

Or start with what happened

Ask for a callback

Pick a time. We call to confirm it.

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