What to Do If You Lose Your Car Spare Key?
2 Answers
If you lose your car spare key, you can adopt the following methods: 1. Contact a specialized car key replacement company to make a new key: If you choose to make a new key, you will need to provide the vehicle and the owner's identification documents. Depending on the vehicle model, the owner may need to provide the anti-theft password for the key configuration, or obtain this password through decoding equipment to configure a new metal key. Additionally, the parameters of the onboard computer can be modified to set the lost car key as an illegal key. 2. Replace the entire lock system directly: Choosing to replace the key still carries the risk of losing items inside the car, as the door can still be opened with the remote control, and the cost is significantly higher than making a new key. Depending on the vehicle model, the number of locks that need to be replaced varies. Some models use the same key for the door, trunk, glove compartment, and fuel tank cap. In such cases, replacing the entire lock system would require changing multiple locks. Generally, the total cost of making a new key ranges from approximately 300 to 2,000 yuan depending on the vehicle model, while the cost of completely replacing the lock system could be four to five times that of replacing the key. Moreover, key replacement and lock changes are usually not covered by insurance claims, making the expense relatively high.
I was really panicked when I lost my spare key last time, so I immediately checked if the main key was still with me. If even the main key was missing, I would have had to contact a professional locksmith or the 4S shop right away. Fortunately, the main key was still there, so I called the 4S shop to make an appointment for a new key. It turns out there are several types of car key replacements nowadays: ordinary mechanical keys require recutting the teeth, remote keys need signal rematching, and smart keys are even more complicated as they require programming. The most troublesome are high-end cars—replacing a key can cost over a thousand yuan. The 4S shop suggested I replace all the lock cylinders in the car so that the lost old key couldn’t open the door anymore. Though expensive, safety comes first. I remember that week I didn’t dare park my car in unsupervised areas, afraid someone might find the key and steal the car.
