Do you need a locksmith for a chip key?
Yes, if you want a key that actually starts the car. A chip key has two jobs: the blade turns the lock, and the transponder tells the engine computer that this key belongs to this car. Copy only the blade and the ignition will turn, but the engine either won't crank or starts and dies a moment later.
Your locksmith handles both halves at the vehicle, anywhere from Meridian across the Treasure Valley. The blade is cut on the key cutting machine we carry, and programming tools register the chip with the car. Each key is tried in the doors and with a real start before we leave.
How to tell if your key has a chip
- A thick plastic or rubber head instead of bare metal. The chip is sealed in there and has no battery.
- A security light on the dash, often shaped like a key or a car with a lock, that blinks when the car is off or stays lit when it refuses to start.
- The word immobilizer or anti-theft in the owner's manual.
- The age of the car. Most cars built since the early 2000s use a chip key, and plenty of late-1990s models do too, even when the key looks old-fashioned.
If there are no buttons on the key, the car may have come with a separate lock and unlock remote on the same ring. That remote is its own part with its own programming; if it's the remote that quit, see key fob not working. Buttons molded into the head? See remote-head keys.
Why a chip key stops starting the car
The chip has no battery, so it doesn't run down the way a remote does. Trouble usually comes from a cracked head that lets the chip fall out, a hard drop that damages it, a blade worn too smooth to turn the cylinder, or a copy that was cut but never programmed.
One thing worth trying yourself: take the other keys and fobs off the ring and start the car with the chip key alone. On some vehicles a second chip held close to the ignition confuses the reader. If the security light keeps flashing with the key by itself, that's the moment to call.
Spare, replacement or every key lost
Adding a chip key while one still works is the simpler visit. Our spare car key page explains why it pays to do it before the last key disappears, and if you just bought a car that came with one key, read our used car with one key guide.
If every key is gone, we can still make one at the car. On many vehicles the lost keys are removed from the car's memory during the same visit, so a found key won't start your car. The all keys lost page goes through that job.
What to tell us, and what we check
When you call, give the year, make and model, the car's location, and whether any key still works. If a store copy turns but won't start the car, say so; that detail tells your locksmith a lot. The price is explained on the phone before we head your way.
At the vehicle, we look at your photo ID and the title or registration before any cutting. If we find a worn ignition cylinder or some other problem, you hear the new price first, and no extra work starts until you agree.