What kind of car key do you have?
Four kinds exist and the difference is not cosmetic. It decides whether the key can be made at the roadside, how long it takes, and what it costs.
Mechanical key
Metal blade, no electronics. Cut to shape and it works. Older vehicles, and most motorcycles, trailers and work equipment. This is the only type a self-service kiosk can reliably duplicate.
Transponder key
A metal blade with a chip in the plastic head that answers a challenge from the car's immobiliser. Cutting the blade correctly is not sufficient - an unprogrammed transponder turns the ignition and the engine stays dead. Standard from the late 1990s onward.
Remote head or flip key
A transponder key with remote locking built into the head. Two systems in one object, and either can fail on its own, which is why a key that starts the car but will not unlock it is common and fixable.
Proximity fob and push-to-start
No blade, or a hidden emergency blade. The car detects the fob and a button starts the engine. Programmed to one specific vehicle, and it generally has to be present.
A key-copying kiosk can duplicate a mechanical key. It cannot program a transponder, a remote head key, or a proximity fob - and kiosk pages currently rank near the top of search results for car keys in Brockton.
Lost your only key, or lost a spare?
A spare still exists. The work is duplication. An existing key supplies the cut, and programming a second transponder is usually quick because the car can be accessed and started. A single short visit for most vehicles.
Every key is gone. The work is origination. Nothing supplies the pattern, so the code comes from the lock itself or from the vehicle's onboard data. The blade is cut to that code, the chip is programmed, and on many vehicles all previously programmed keys are wiped and re-enrolled.
Two practical consequences: expect the total to be confirmed before work begins, and expect to show proof of ownership.
Replacement and reprogramming
Three different faults get reported as my fob stopped working.
A dead battery is the most common and the least serious - the car usually still starts, often by holding the fob against the start button or using a hidden emergency blade. A failed fob, dropped or soaked, needs replacing and the replacement needs programming. A lost fob is the origination case above, plus removing the lost fob from the car's memory so it cannot be used.
On fobs bought online: the part may be genuine and still useless without programming. Some are locked to a single vehicle the first time they are programmed, which makes a used one a gamble.
Lockouts, broken keys and ignitions
Keys locked in the car
A different job, frequently confused with the one above. If the key is inside and working, nothing needs cutting or programming - the car needs opening. Faster, simpler, different quote. Details on the lockout page.
If a child or a pet is shut inside a vehicle, call 911 first. Interior temperatures climb fast and that is an emergency service response, not a locksmith call.
Broken keys and ignition trouble
A key that snaps in the ignition or a door lock is an extraction - stop turning it and leave the piece alone. Worn keys and worn ignitions look similar and need separating: a key that has to be jiggled is usually a worn key, and a fresh one cut to the original code fixes it. A key that turns freely without engaging, or will not turn at all, more often points at the ignition cylinder. Cutting a new key will not fix an ignition, which is worth establishing before paying for one.
Mobile service around Brockton
Most automotive locksmith work happens where the car is, for the obvious reason that a car with no working key cannot be driven anywhere.
In Brockton that means commuter lots most often. The MBTA Fall River/New Bedford Line runs three stations inside the city - Montello, Brockton and Campello - and cars sit in those lots from early morning to evening. A key lost during a workday in Boston becomes a problem in a Brockton parking lot at six. The Westgate area, Massasoit Community College and the hospital campuses generate the same pattern.
Vans, work trucks and motorcycles
A lost van key is a business-continuity problem, not an inconvenience - the vehicle is the job site. Commercial keys are often mechanical or simple transponders, which makes them comparatively quick, and fleet vehicles can frequently be keyed alike so one key covers several. Motorcycle keys are usually mechanical and can often be cut from the lock code with no key present at all.
Locksmith or dealership?
Both can produce a car key; the difference is logistics. A dealer has manufacturer data for its own brand and generally needs the car on site, which for a vehicle with no working key means arranging a tow - and that towing cost is the part people forget when comparing. A mobile locksmith comes to the car and covers many makes. Some high-security and recent luxury models genuinely do require dealer-only data, and a locksmith who says so about a specific vehicle is being straight rather than unhelpful.
Frequently asked
Can a locksmith make a car key with no original?
Yes, for most vehicles. With no key at all the code is originated from the lock or from the vehicle's onboard data, the blade is cut, and the chip or fob is programmed.
It takes longer than copying an existing key, proof of ownership will be required, and on many vehicles every previously programmed key is wiped and re-enrolled as a security measure - which is why a spare that turns up later may no longer start the car.
Can a kiosk copy a transponder key or a key fob?
No. Self-service key kiosks duplicate mechanical keys, the plain metal-blade kind with no electronics. A transponder key, a remote head key and a proximity fob all have to be programmed to the specific vehicle, which needs equipment that communicates with the car.
A kiosk copy of a transponder key will turn the ignition and the engine will not start.
Why does a new key fob need programming?
Because the vehicle only accepts fobs it already recognises. The fob and the car exchange a coded signal, so a replacement has to be introduced to that specific vehicle before it will lock the doors or start the engine. This is true of a genuine manufacturer part bought new - the part and the programming are two separate things.
How long does car key replacement take?
Copying a key when a working one exists is usually a short single visit. Originating a key when every copy is lost takes longer, because the code has to be read, the blade cut, the chip programmed and on many vehicles the existing keys re-enrolled. The make and model is the biggest factor.