Spare Car Key Duplication: preparing for the visit

A car sits at the cottage all season, and the only key to it lives on a ring three hours away in the city. Every visit begins with the same small worry about whether that ring made it into the right bag.

Worth answering before the call

Do you currently have one working key, or more than one? Do you want the spare to match every function, or just start the car? Do you know the VIN, or can you access the door jamb?

What testing happens before I leave with the new key?

Every door lock, the trunk or hatch, the ignition or start button, and any remote functions are checked with the new key on its own, apart from the original, so neither key is quietly helped along by the other's signal. The vehicle is started more than once to rule out an intermittent issue, and only once both keys pass independently is the visit considered finished.

Can a spare be made if the vehicle has an aftermarket alarm or remote starter installed?

Generally yes, though it is worth mentioning any aftermarket system when you call, since a factory immobilizer that has been wired into a third-party alarm or remote starter sometimes behaves differently from the standard setup the locksmith expects. Knowing this in advance lets the visit account for it rather than discovering it partway through programming.