A lot of times we get phone calls from customers who say "I don't know if you can help me but I lost all my car keys" the answer is yes and this how;
GETTING THE KEY CODE
Every lock cylinder on car has a unique key code that can be translated by your local locksmith to a key cut.
*some customers have the original key code in their glove box it's usually on a small tag that you receive when buying the vehicle.
in other cases we decode the lock with special pick tools which allows us to discover the biting and if all fail we can use your vin number to get that specific key code to your vehicle.
CUTTING THE KEY
We use special high end key cutting machine to cut the key for you, on site no matter where you are by the biting we acquired both regular and high security keys(laser cut).
*press the picture to watch a video of key cutting.
PROGRAMING THE KEY
Almost all vehicles that were manufactured after the year of 2000 has an immobilizer system; an immobilizer system means that the key fob or just that regular plastic head key that you have has a chip (transponder) inside that communicates with immobilizer system to allow you to start your car.
In order to complete that process we connect a car key programmer through your OBD port of your vehicle to communicate with the ECU / ECM some cars the BCM or another designated module such as Immobilizer Box or a Cluster or Central Electronics Module - in different car models the information is being held in different modules, to simplify we can use the term "the cars computer unit" (that holds the immobilizer data) and allows to let it know we want it to learn a new key.
Some Car Manufactures Restrict access to their immobilizer system and and the key has to be ordered from the dealer already containing the data to the immobilizer unit some examples are : BMW'S, LAND ROVERS, MERCEDES BENZ, VW, AUDI , PORSCHE AND MORE.
For an experienced automotive Locksmith it's still possible to make keys for some of the above but not all cars and makes are exactly the same and the process can be different sometimes requiring to remove a module and reading data directly without using the OBD (DIAGNOSTICS PORT).
Here in the picture on the left you can see how a Chip (Transponder key) gets authenticated or denied by the ECU.
Once the Chipped key is inserted to the ignition the antenna picks up the signal from the chip and sends the information to the ecu, if the key is stored and accepted the ecu will allow the car to start.
This image shows the process in a keyed ignition but the same thing applies for newer vehicles with a Push Button Start, the only difference is that the there is a proximity sensor that picks up the signal from the key fob anywhere inside the car.
*ECU = Engine Control Module
*ECM = Electronics Control Module
*BCM = Body Control Module