- Do one careful search of the likely places before you call anyone.
- A new key can usually be cut and programmed at the car, without a tow.
- Once you are driving again, have a second key made so one lost key does not strand you again.
Step 1: Search once, carefully
Losing every key to a car is much worse than a lockout, because there is no spare to fall back on. Before calling anyone, do one careful search instead of three frantic ones. Keys turn up most often in the last place you sat down, the last bag you carried and the last store you walked through.
- Coat pockets, the bottom of bags and backpacks, and between couch cushions
- The spot where you set things down when you came in: a counter, a table, a hook by the door
- The customer service desk or lost and found of the last store or restaurant you visited
- The ground around the car, under it and along the curb
Step 2: Think about where the car is and whether the keys were stolen
Take stock of where the car is sitting. If it is in your own driveway, there is nothing else to arrange. If it is in a store lot that closes at night or on a street with parking limits, let the property owner or the parking office know the car may stay a little longer than planned.
If your keys were in a bag or jacket that someone took, report the theft to the police and keep the report number. Tell us about it when you call. On many cars, when we program a new key we can also clear the lost keys from the car's memory, so they no longer start the engine.
Step 3: Understand what a new key involves
Most car keys today have two parts working together. The metal blade turns the door lock and the ignition, and a small chip in the head talks to the car before it lets the engine run. Push-button cars use a fob that does the same job without a blade in the ignition. When every key is gone, the new key or fob has to be made from scratch, and that is exactly what our lost car key replacement service does at the car.
If you are curious why that chip matters so much, our article on what a transponder key is explains it in plain terms.
- We check the car, its locks and its ignition or start button to confirm which key or fob it takes.
- We cut a new key to fit your door lock and, on cars with a turning key, the ignition, unless one of them has been replaced and takes a different key.
- We program the chip or the fob with transponder key programming, so the car accepts it.
- We test the doors, the trunk and the ignition, and start the engine a few times before we leave.
Step 4: Keep the car secure in the meantime
Until the new key is made, the car stays where it is, locked if you were able to lock it. If the lost keys had anything on the ring that points to your car or your address, such as a dealer tag or a name label, mention it when you call. That helps us plan, and it tells you whether your house locks deserve a look too.
If you still have one key but it is cracked, bent or only works with jiggling, you are not starting from nothing. That job is car key replacement, and having a working key in hand makes the new one simpler to make.
What to tell us when you call
The more we know before we drive out, the better prepared we arrive. These answers shape which key blank and which programming steps your car needs.
- The year, make and model, and whether it has a turning key or a push-button start
- Where the car is parked: a driveway, a street or a lot, and the town
- Whether every key is gone, or you still have one that is damaged or unreliable
- Whether the keys may have been stolen rather than lost
- Whether the ignition or the door locks were ever replaced, if you know, because replaced parts may not match the original key
Once we have that, we tell you honestly when we can reach the car. Call us at (484) 488-7719 and keep your phone close in case we need to ask about the car.
How to avoid this next time
Most people who lose every key were driving around with only one. The fix is simple and it lives in your kitchen drawer, not in your car.
- Have a second key made with car key duplication once you are back on the road.
- Keep that spare at home, in a place your household knows, and never in the car itself.
- Put a bright tag or a small tracking tag on your ring so it stands out in a bag or on the ground.
- Leave your home address off the key ring and any tag attached to it.
If the more likely problem for you is shutting the door with the key on the seat, read what to do when you are locked out of your car as well.
Questions people ask
I lost the only key to my car. Do I have to get it towed to a dealer to get a new one?
We come to the car and make the new key where it is parked, so in most cases there is no tow involved. Tell us the year, make and model when you call, and we bring the key blank and the programming equipment that car needs. When we finish, you can usually drive away with a working key, and we can make a spare during the same visit.
My keys were in a bag that got stolen. Could the old key still be used to start my car?
Report the theft to the police, then call us and mention it. When we program a new key, on many cars we can also clear the stolen keys from the car's memory, so they stop starting the engine. Tell us on the phone so we plan for that step before we arrive and, where the car allows it, leave the new keys as the only ones that start the engine.
I still have one car key, but it is cracked and barely works anymore. Should I replace it before it breaks?
Call us while that key still works. Making a key from a working original is simpler than making one from nothing, and a cracked key can snap off in the ignition at a bad moment. We can make a fresh key and, if you like, a spare in the same visit, so you are not relying on one tired key.
How can I tell whether my car key has a chip in it before I call for a new one?
Tell us the year, make and model, and in most cases we can tell you on the phone. As a rough guide, most cars built since the late 1990s use a chip key or a fob, and a key with a thick plastic head usually hides a chip inside. Either way, we bring what is needed to cut and program it at the car.
