Lost every key to your car: what actually happens next

13 October 2026

Losing the last key feels like a disaster because the car has become furniture. It is one of the most routine jobs we do.

A key is two things

There is the metal, which lifts the pins in the lock, and there is the chip, which tells the engine that this key is allowed to start it. A key cut without the chip will open the door and turn in the ignition, and the engine will not run. Both halves have to be made.

What happens at the kerb

• We read the code from the car or from its records and cut a blade to it.
• We connect to the car and program the new key to it.
• Where the car allows it, every old key is wiped, so the ones you lost will not start it.

Why not the dealer

A dealer can do the same work, but the car has to get there. That means a tow, then a wait for an appointment, then the key. We bring the cutter and the programmer to the car instead.

The part worth doing afterwards

Have a second key made while we are there. It is the cheapest insurance in motoring, and the reason most people call us a second time is that they never got round to it.