What to Do When All Car Keys Are Lost Without a Spare?
3 Answers
Call a locksmith company. Typically, you'll need to wait for about an hour and provide relevant documents such as your ID card and vehicle registration certificate to prove ownership of the car. Visit a store to get a new key made. You'll need to provide the car key code, which is unique for each vehicle and can usually be found in the documentation that came with the car when it was new. If the car is in a remote or special area with no other way to open the door, you may have to resort to breaking the passenger side window with a tool to gain access.
Oh, I ran into the same issue not long ago. My car was parked in a mall parking lot when I lost the keys, and even the spare one was nowhere to be found. At the time, I directly contacted the manufacturer-authorized 4S dealership, and they sent someone to tow the car back for handling. To get a replacement key, I had to provide the vehicle registration and ID card to verify ownership. The staff used a computer to read the VIN and reprogram the new key. It took about two days and cost around two thousand yuan. The crucial point is confirming whether the lost key has a chip—if it does, the car’s anti-theft system needs to be rewritten; otherwise, someone who finds the old key could still start the car. So, it’s absolutely essential to have the 4S dealership delete the old key’s data—this step is very important.
My neighbor Lao Wang encountered this situation last time and called me to ask what to do. I told him not to panic. A professional locksmith can open the car door, but without the key, the car cannot be started. The key factor depends on the car model and year. For example, older models can still use a temporary mechanical key to drive away, while newer models require electronic matching. I advised him to contact the 4S store directly. The store would check the factory data based on the vehicle's VIN code to reconfigure the key. The most troublesome are models with smart keys—some require replacing the entire car computer board, which is more expensive. He ended up spending 2,500 yuan and waited three to five days. So now he has developed a habit of hiding a spare key at home.
