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A new car key, made where the car is.

Keys go missing at the shore more than anywhere: sand, surf, a bag left on a boardwalk bench. The replacement is cut and paired at your car, not at a dealer.

Lost at the shore, made at the car

A key lost on the beach is gone for good, and the car is usually sitting in a lot a few blocks from the water. The technician comes to it with blanks and programming equipment, cuts a new key to the lock, and pairs the chip or fob before leaving.

Keep the spare off the beach

Once the new key works, a second one made on the same visit can stay at home or at the rental, so the next day at the beach can't strand anyone.

Locksmith opening a locked car door in Toms River, NJ
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Transponder keys

Blades cut and chips paired for most makes and years.

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Smart fobs

Push-start fobs added to the car, lost ones removed.

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Extra copies

Spares for everyone driving the car this summer.

Car key programmer plugged into the OBD port, NJKey cutting machine in the service vehicle, NJ

Making the new key

Here's the order it happens in.

  1. The car's details

    Year, make and model, and whether a key still exists. That decides what comes out of the truck.

  2. Ownership check

    Registration or title and a photo ID. A rental car needs the rental agreement.

  3. Cutting and pairing

    The blade is cut to the lock, then the key is paired to the car's computer.

  4. A test drive of sorts

    Doors, ignition and the remote buttons are tried with you there.

A lost key can also be erased from the car so nobody can use it if it washes up.

When the dealer is the only way

A few recent models, mostly some European brands, can only be keyed by the dealer. That's said on the call, before anyone drives out. For nearly everything else on the Parkway, from work trucks to minivans, the key gets made at the car.

Keys, salt water and sand

Keys and fobs don't do well at the beach. Salt water gets into a fob and corrodes the board, sand packs into the grooves of a blade and into the lock, and a key in a pocket at the water's edge is easy to lose for good. If you're parked near Seaside Heights or Ortley Beach, any of the three can end the day early.

What to have ready: the registration or title, a photo ID, the year, make and model, and any piece of the old key, even a broken one. For a rental car, the rental agreement and the company's OK. Tell us exactly where the car is, the lot or the street, and whether you'll be waiting with it.

Year-round drivers have their own version of the problem: a key worn thin from years of commuting on the Parkway, or a fob whose buttons have been pressed smooth. Replacing a worn key before it fails is a short visit, and much better than finding out in a dark parking lot.

What you leave with: a working key cut to the lock and paired to the car, the lost key erased if you want it gone, and a spare if you asked. A spare kept at the house instead of in the beach bag is what turns the next lost key into a small problem.

Car key questions

Can you replace a key with no spare at all?

For most cars, yes. The key is cut to the lock and paired right where the car is.

It's a rental car.

Call the rental company first; many want their own process. If they OK it, bring the agreement.

What do you need from me?

Registration or title and a photo ID. No key is made without them.

Can you erase the key I lost?

Yes. The lost key is removed from the car's memory when the new one is paired.

Do you make keys for motorcycles and boats?

Some. Say what it is on the call and you'll get a straight answer.

The key still turns, but the buttons quit.

Usually the remote's battery or its circuit, not the key itself. The battery is checked first; if the remote has died, a new one is paired to the car.

Our old truck has a plain metal key. Can you copy it?

Yes. Keys without a chip are cut to match, and that's among the quickest jobs we do.

Sand got into the ignition and the key sticks.

Don't force it. Grit in an ignition or a door lock can snap a key; the lock and the key are checked, and a fresh key is cut if the old one has worn down.

Should I get a spare before the summer season?

Yes, it's the easiest time. Copying a working key takes a short visit and means a key lost at the beach doesn't end the day.

My fob went through the wash.

Sometimes it dries out and works again, often it doesn't. If it's dead, a new fob is paired to the car and the old one erased.

Can the key be made while the car is at the mall?

Yes. The Ocean County Mall lot, a driveway or a side street all work; the key is made where the car sits once ownership is shown.

Is the estimate free?

Yes. You'll know what the key takes before it's cut.

Call and it's handled

Tell us your street and we send a tech.

Call now
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