Losing your car keys or leaving them inside can be expensive. Here we explain the steps you should follow if you find yourself in this situation.
You go shopping and when you try to open the vehicle you cannot find the electronic key or, even worse, you have lost it when you are on vacation hundreds of kilometers from your home and you do not have a copy of the keys to the car. No driver thinks this can happen, but unfortunately the keys can be lost or someone may have stolen them. In a year, more than 1,200 people require the help of RACE on average for forgetting their keys in the trunk, and 5,330 leave them inside the passenger compartment of the car.
If you are a member of the RACE and you leave the keys inside the car, we will send a car-workshop to open the vehicle so that you can keep going.
How much does it cost to make a copy of a car key?
The joke can be very expensive, especially if you drive a high-end car with a state-of-the-art key that works like a small computer. They are very sophisticated keys that connect to the mobile phone and tell you if the car needs to go through the workshop, among other functions. It is also not cheap to make a duplicate of the keys with an electronic chip or transponder, the most common today.
At present, you can find specialized locksmiths in vehicles that can duplicate electronic keys of a car, but for a last generation key you will be forced to ask for help from a dealer of the brand. Getting another set of keys can cost you from 30 to 300 euros, depending on the type of key, the make and the vehicle model.
I can’t find the car keys, but I have a copy
The first and foremost thing is to have two sets of car keys. On a day-to-day basis, one of them should be left at home and, if you are going to travel by car, it is advisable to take both sets with you, but always the copy that your companion carries or that is kept in the safest place possible. . If you are clueless, there are mobile applications that allow you to locate your keys thanks to a keychain with geolocation.
It is the simplest, quickest and most economical solution in the event of losing the keys or leaving them forgotten inside the vehicle. You may be thinking that the latter is difficult to happen, but it is not so strange to forget the keys in the trunk when you have taken or stored something and have closed it without realizing it. Big mistake! Keys always in your pocket or hand. Do not break the glass or force the lock if you do not want to raise the cost of the distraction. If you are a RACE member and you leave the keys inside the car, we will send a car-workshop to open the vehicle so that you can keep going.
Make a duplicate of the car keys as soon as possible
If you have lost the keys, the easiest thing is to call a relative who can come to your house and bring you the car keys. If this option is not feasible, you should go to your insurance company, which you will have chosen from among the best car insurance. Depending on the policy you have contracted, they may help you recover your second set of keys: they look for it and send it to you urgently.
The usual thing is that this mishap is covered with a roadside assistance service like the one that RACE has. The company in charge will try to solve the problem on site in case you have forgotten the keys inside. Otherwise, it will tow the vehicle to the place of your choice so that you can take the second game and open the car.
Another option is to call the brand’s customer service number, as some offer a second key collection service, copying and delivery.
If you are a RACE member and your car keys have been lost or stolen, if you have a copy at home, we will give you a rental car, a train, a taxi… to go and get the copy. If the place is far away and there are people at home, we will send you the keys by courier. In the event that you do not have a copy of the keys at home, we will tow your car to a workshop in the area, usually to an official brand service, where they will have to encode a new key for your vehicle.
I have lost the car key and I don’t have a copy
The problem is complicated when you don’t have a second set of keys. It is for this reason that we strongly recommend that, before losing your set of keys, make copies as soon as possible to avoid finding yourself in this situation: lost keys and no copies available.
In this case, your car insurance can give you a solution; Depending on the policy you have contracted, for example, they can provide you with a replacement car, as the RACE also offers to its partners, while you get new keys to open the car.
Before losing your first set of keys, make copies as soon as possible to avoid finding yourself in this situation: lost keys and no spare copy.
Both the insurer and the roadside assistance company can give you a temporary solution, but how can you get a duplicate of the car keys? You will have no choice but to call the brand of your vehicle where they will ask you to prove your ownership by showing the ID and documentation of the car where the chassis number appears – we advise you to have a copy outside the vehicle. It is important to have located the code of the key that the brand gives you along with the car documentation. With this code, the duplicate will be cheaper.
How to open a car with central locking without keys
Juan Manuel Llorente, RACE technical trainer, explains that for situations in which the remote control has run out of battery, or the car is in an area of frequency inhibitors or the car itself has run out of battery, the law provides that all vehicles must have a lock on the driver’s door, to the right of the handle, in which the sprat of a manual wrench.
However, some brands hide it more than others and its access is sometimes a bit difficult. They are located next to the door handle, they have a slot with a cover that must be removed (usually by turning the key 90º), sometimes with some effort. Once you have removed it, you already have access to the lock of a lifetime to be able to open your car.
How to start a car without a key
Today, keys are remote smart controls that open the car. If you have the key with the keyless system, but it has run out of batteries, manufacturers place somewhere in their cars (they are usually located near the glove compartment or in the central front area) an area where, by bringing the key closer to an antenna in the one with a key drawn with WiFi waves, the car recognizes the device and can start.
