Easy Tips to Save Money on Car Key Replacement

Locksmith services can be expensive, or at least more than you expected depending on your needs and the seriousness of the problem. To avoid spending more time and money on these services, the best thing you can do is prepare yourself ahead.

Car keys can get broken, lost or even locked inside of the car. Some of the locksmith services that cost the most are car key replacements. Luckily for you, we have some tips on how to save money on these occasions.

1. Keeping an Extra Key

Nowadays most car keys are created to match the car’s locks, and these kinds of keys can be expensive. Prepare yourself in advance for times of emergency and get yourself a spare key. Having a spare key, a locksmith service will cost less because you’ll only need to get a duplicated key. This will cost less than creating a new one. Getting a spare key on your own and hiring a locksmith to program it to your car will save you some money that you’d rather spend on other things.

2. Check Your Car Insurance

If you suspect that your car keys got stolen or maybe you lost them, contact your insurance company and fill out a complaint. But, before you do that, make sure that your conditions are met with your insurance company’s policies. Depending on that, you might be able to cover some or even all of the costs of your car key replacement by the insurance company. Just make sure you’ve carefully read and are aware of the conditions of the contract before you’ve signed it.

3. Check Your Local Locksmith Services

One more way to save some money for your car key replacement is by going to a regular locksmith and checking your local locksmith services rather than getting things done by a dealership. Bring up with you the registration of your car and some proof eg. a photo identification card to make things clear and prove that the car is yours and not stolen. If you happen to live somewhere in the region of Southern Highlands or Macarthur, there's a great car key replacement service offered by experienced locksmiths. These professionals come to you, making things easier considering that you won’t be able to access your car at that moment.

4. Key Locator

If you often lose your keys, then maybe you want to consider getting the key locator device. This is an electronic device made to locate stolen or lost objects such as tools, luggage or keys. You’ll know you’ve found your keys the moment this device starts to beep or lights up.

5. Waterproof Protective Cover

It’s advisable to get yourself a waterproof key case that will protect your car key from water, shocks or dirt. If you’re into surfing, diving or maybe kitesurfing, you won't have to worry if someone might steal your key while you do some of those sports you enjoy. With this case, you can carry the car key with you and it will still be protected and functional.

Some Other Tips

• Try to find the vehicle identification number—VIN—which is used for identification of a car model. This special number is located on the driver’s side of the dashboard and it consists of 17 digits. After you find it, take the VIN to a locksmith who will help you out.

• If your car key doesn’t work properly, make sure you check its batteries. Sometimes the problem is less complicated and it’s just dead batteries. In this case, a simple replacement of batteries will make your key car work again. To replace them, use the screwdriver and unscrew the back of the key, take out the old batteries and simply but new ones.

• There are also garage technicians who are not experts, but if you’re running out of ideas, you can consider this option as well. Just bear in mind that they usually don’t have proper, expensive equipment like locksmiths.

• If you're worried about burglars and want to protect your home and a car, you can try installing a surveillance camera. This could be expensive, but you could just do a little trick in order to scare off potential burglars - put a surveillance sign and hope for the best.

Summary

Losing or getting stolen your car keys can be frustrating and stressful, especially when you're in a foreign country or an area where you can't find and get proper help and replacement. For traditional car locks, it's easy to break in and make a car key replacement. The situation is a bit different if you have electronic keys because the process of making a key replacement of this kind takes more time and skill. If you need proper help, first check out locksmiths since they'll provide you with an economical solution with sophisticated machines.