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Car key coding,programming & replacement
Cutting a blade is the easy half. Coding the chip and pairing the remote so a modern car accepts the key is the part most people get sent to a dealership for — including push-start and proximity systems on recent models.
Send your vehicle details
Make, model and year is all Nick needs to give you a straight answer.
Cutting is halfthe job. Coding is the rest.
A modern car key is two things at once: a shaped blade and a chip the car has to recognise. Get one without the other and the door opens but the engine will not turn.
That is why a hardware-shop copy of a car key so often ends in a phone call to us. Nick cuts the blade to the vehicle and codes the chip and remote to match, then tests it before he leaves.
Thirty years in the trade, with the programming equipment kept current as the vehicles changed — so newer cars with encrypted transponders, rolling-code remotes and push-start fobs are part of the normal work, not an exception.
Push-start, proximityand encrypted keys
The systems changed; so did the equipment. These are the jobs people are most often told can only be done at a dealership.
- 01Push-start & keyless fobsProximity fobs programmed to the vehicle, including recent models with no blade to cut.Request
- 02Encrypted transpondersNewer immobiliser chips coded so the car recognises the key and starts.Request
- 03Rolling-code remotesRemotes paired to vehicles that change their code on every press.Request
- 04All keys lost, newer modelsA key built and coded from scratch with no original to copy from.Request
A handful of models are still locked to the manufacturer. Send your make, model and year and Nick will tell you which side of that line your car falls on before anyone comes out — rather than after.
What Nick doeswith vehicle keys
Tap a line and the form at the bottom opens with it filled in.
- 01Spare car keysA second key cut and coded while you still have a working one. Always cheaper than the alternative.Request
- 02Lost car key replacementA new key made and coded to the vehicle when the original is gone for good.Request
- 03Transponder programmingThe chip in the key coded to your car so the immobiliser lets the engine start.Request
- 04Remote key programmingCentral locking remotes paired to the vehicle so the buttons do what they should.Request
- 05Replacement remotesA replacement remote supplied and programmed when yours is broken or lost.Request
- 06Broken & worn keysKeys that have snapped, worn smooth or broken in the ignition — removed and replaced.Request
- 07Vehicle openingKeys locked inside? Nick opens the car where it can be done without damage.Request
- 08Key cutting to codeBlades cut properly, so the key turns smoothly instead of chewing the lock.Request
Regularlycut and coded
The badges on the side of the van are not decoration. Not every model can be done on site, so send your make, model and year first and you will get a straight answer.
Have this ready
Two minutes of preparation saves a wasted trip and gets you an accurate answer on the first call.
- 01Make, model and yearOff the licence disc if you are not sure.Request
- 02Whether you still have a working keyThis changes the job completely.Request
- 03Where the vehicle is standingDrivable, or locked where it stopped.Request
- 04Your ID documentStandard for any key job.Request
- 05Proof the car is yoursLicence disc or registration papers.Request
That last one isn’t red tape. Proving ownership is exactly what stops somebody else having a key cut for your car.
Car keys,answered
I’ve lost my only car key. Can you still make one?
In most cases yes — a new key can be cut and coded to the vehicle without the original. Send Nick the make, model and year on WhatsApp and he’ll tell you whether your car is one he can do on site.
What is the difference between cutting and coding?
Cutting shapes the metal blade so it turns the lock. Coding programmes the chip or remote so the car accepts the key and will start. Almost every vehicle built in the last twenty years needs both.
What do you need from me?
The make, model and year, your ID, and proof the vehicle is yours — a licence disc or registration papers. Any locksmith should ask for this before cutting a car key.
Can you fix a remote that has stopped working?
Often. Sometimes it is a battery or a worn button, sometimes the remote needs re-pairing to the car, and sometimes a replacement is the sensible option. Nick will tell you which one it is.
Is a locksmith cheaper than the dealership?
Usually, and normally faster, because the vehicle doesn’t have to be towed in. Some models still have to go to the dealer — if yours is one of them, Nick will say so rather than waste your time.
Should I get a spare before something goes wrong?
Yes. A spare cut while you still have a working key is far quicker and cheaper than a replacement made from scratch after the only key is lost.
My car is nearly new. Can you still code a key for it?
Usually, yes — new and late-model vehicles are the bulk of this work. Push-start and proximity fobs, encrypted transponders and rolling-code remotes are all part of the normal job. Send the make, model and year to 072 481 3352 and Nick will confirm your specific car before anyone comes out.
Two numbers.One right person.
Locksmith work goes to Nick. Electrical, gates, CCTV and compliance go to Ruan. Choose on the form and it reaches them directly — no switchboard, no message taken and never passed on.
Nick
072 481 3352Keys, coding, lockouts, locks and safes. Emergency call-outs 24/7.
Ruan
079 666 6003Power, DB boards, gate motors, CCTV and COCs. Normal business hours.
Tell us what you need
Pick a side, leave your name and number, and it lands on the right person’s WhatsApp. Two fields is all we actually need.