Most drivers know how frustrating it feels to lose one’s keys. Being unable to drive one’s car is a huge inconvenience. Cars help us to get from one point to the next every day. After losing one’s car keys, there are two main locations where one can get new ones. One of these is the car dealership and the other is a locksmith. Which one of these is better? Read on to discover.
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The truth about lost car keys?
If you have a modern car, then your car key is special. It is known as a transponder key. This is because it has a cut key and a computer microchip inside it. When you put it into the ignition, the chip inside the key communicates with the on-board computer in the key and the key is verified as the correct one. If you lose this key, it is pretty expensive to replace at the car dealership. At most of the dealerships, it will cost you up to $200 to replace the key. One would wonder why they are paying this much. Actually, cutting a new duplicate key for you costs only 2 or 3 dollars. The rest goes into programming a brand new microchip for your car keys that will be accepted by your car’s on-board computer. If this microchip is not well programmed, then you can put the key into the ignition and your car will not start at all. Thus, the microchip must be very well programmed. As such, getting a replacement key from your dealership is quite costly. How about getting it from a locksmith?
A locksmith has all the equipment that your car dealer uses to replace transponder car keys. The locksmith can even come to your home with the equipment to replace the key in your garage. This is far more convenient than having to go to a car dealership to get the same done. In addition to this, a locksmith will charge you much less than a dealership would. They can even charge you half of the price you would have paid the car dealer. The locksmith has a device that they use to cut the key and also to program the microchip inside the key. The locksmith can come to your place and complete the job there. However, in a case where you have to go to them, make sure that you collect details about your car such as the make, model and VIN number of your car. These are all important details that the locksmith needs to replace your transponder keys. However, there are some fraudulent locksmiths. They can make new keys for you that don’t work, accept your money and disappear. Thus, make sure that you only go to a reputable locksmith.
We have observed that getting car keys replaced by a dealership is far more expensive than getting the same done by a locksmith. Moreover, the locksmith can come to your home. This is very convenient. As such, if you need a new set of car keys, a locksmith will get them for you at a lower cost and conveniently than the car dealer.
Lost car keys and insurance
There are some insurance cover policies that can assist you to get your car keys back in case you lose them. There are some types of motor policies that cover replacing your car keys. All that you need to do is claim on the insurance and they will effectively pay for replacement. Examples of these are Nationwide and Co-op Bank standard car insurance policies. Nationwide car insurance covers the cost of replacing your car keys to an unlimited cost. Co-op bank pays you $1148.55 for replacing your car keys if you are covered by their standard motor insurance.
You can also get the cost of replacing your car keys covered by a key cover policy. There are companies that offer insurance for your car keys. If they get lost, damaged or malfunction, these companies can cover the cost of restoring them to good working order. This is a stand alone type of policy that is offered by insurance companies such as Keycare and Boomerang-Tagbut. You can have this type of insurance added upon your existing car insurance policy. The AA also offers Warranty Key Protection insurance.