Only one key left? Add a spare while it's still easy

Make the spare before you need it

With one working key, a spare is a planned errand instead of a roadside problem. The locksmith reads the cut straight off the key you have, and on many cars a working key makes programming the new one more straightforward.

Wait until that last key is gone and the job changes. The car then has to be taught a key from scratch, which is the all keys lost job, with more steps and more time at the car.

Figure out what kind of key you carry

The type of key decides what the spare needs. Hold yours up and compare:

• All metal, no plastic head: usually an older key with no chip, which normally just needs cutting.
• Plastic head, no buttons: usually a chip key. The blade is cut and the chip is programmed to the car.
• Buttons on the head, fixed blade: a remote-head key. The cut, the chip and the buttons all get set up.
• Blade that swings out at the press of a button: a flip key, set up much like a remote-head key.
• Nothing to turn, and a start button on the dash: a push-to-start smart key, programmed so the car senses it nearby.

Why a kiosk copy may open the door but not start the engine

A blade cut at a hardware-store machine can match your key perfectly and still leave you stuck. Most cars from the late 1990s onward carry a chip in the key head, and the engine will not run unless the car recognizes that chip.

So the copy unlocks the door and turns in the ignition, and then the engine won't crank or starts and dies. A locksmith spare is cut and programmed to your car, so it does both halves of the job.

Who should get a second key now

• You bought a used car that came with a single key; see our used car with one key guide.
• Two people share one car and hand the same key back and forth.
• A new driver in the house is ready for their own key.
• Your only key is worn, cracked or taped together. Deal with it before it snaps; see broken car key.

Where the spare should live

Keep it at home in a spot everyone in the house knows about. A spare tucked inside the car or under the bumper is a gift to whoever finds it, because a programmed key in a stranger's hand defeats the chip protection entirely. And two keys on one ring are really one key, so split them up.

How the visit goes

Call (208) 629-0482 with the year, make and model, the kind of key you have now, and where the car will be. The price is explained on the phone before we drive out. We meet you at home or at work, anywhere in Ada and Canyon counties.

Keep a photo ID and the registration or title handy, along with every key you have for that car.

Already ordered a fob online? Tell us before the visit. A lot of those fobs refuse to program, so we look at compatibility first and can't promise anything for a third-party key; the details are in buying a fob online.

Step by step

1. 1
   Call with your key in handTell us the year, make, model and the type of key you have now.
2. 2
   Price on the phoneYou hear it before anyone drives out.
3. 3
   Cut and programmed at the carID and registration are checked, then the spare is made at the vehicle.
4. 4
   Both keys testedOld and new keys are tried on the doors, the start and every button.