Losing or misplacing the car keys is a common issue, and so is damaging the car keys. Now you might be heading to replace the car keys and wondering about the cost to replace your car keys. Well, if you are headed to the authorized dealer, not only will he take more than $ 600-700 with extra charges to program the key by removing the dash, you might also have to do without the key job for at least another two or three days.
Yes, the keys do contain smart transponder chips and the chip needs to be programmed appropriately for the car to open with the newly cut key. However, that doesn’t mean that you end up spending thousands of bucks on the keys. Solution? Approach a car key provider.
How much is a replacement car key cost?
It is true that all the cars have smart immobilizer systems now and there is no way that a simple $20- 30 key cutting will suffice. Frankly speaking, getting a new pair of keys for your car might cost you anywhere between $30 in the best case to $250 in the worst. If you have only locked yourself out of the car, you just require a mechanical duplicate key cutting with no programming at all, saving you your precious money as well as time.
However if you have somehow damaged the chip of your car key or completely lost the car keys, the replacement can go up to 250-300$, depending on the amount of work done on your key programming. The process, however, remains the same, as followed by the authorized dealers of the car you own. It is necessary to ensure that your car key is entirely programmed which is why you should not shy away from such expenditure.
However, if you go to an authorized dealer for the same work, the cost is likely to increase more than five times. So if you could have gotten the job done in $300 at maximum, it will cost you more than 1500 bucks at the authorized store. The car key provider only charges for making the key and completely programming it. They get several assignments of this kind in a day which is why they charge less and experts in what they do. At your authorized dealer, however, you will need to pay for every task done. For example, even opening the dashboard and taking out the old system will have its service cost.
What should I choose?
Definitely, the car key provider should be your first choice for getting a replacement of your car’s smart keys. No, there is no compromise in the quality of the keys delivered by local car key providers. They are durable and work as efficiently as any pair bought from authorized dealers and stores. Thus if you have lost your keys and you need an immediate replacement with complete reprogramming, we would recommend that you set aside $400 for safe side. And if all you need is a replacement of a component in your old key, the cost will be cut down drastically.
So, avoid going to the authorized dealer or store for the new pair of keys and prevent yourself from the long ordeal of waiting. Get a cheap yet efficient replacement for your car keys anywhere, anytime with your local car keys provider!