What To Do When You Lose Your Car Keys
It's not uncommon to misplace your car keys, and after searching for hours, you realise that you've lost the keys. You've checked in your car, in your house, office, etc., but you can't find the keys. What do you do?
Before you approach your local dealer or automobile locksmith for a replacement, gather the following information:
- Vehicle make and model
- Your current location
- Personal identification
- Vehicle identification number
- Vehicle registration number
Most of this information is required to ascertain that you own the car in question.
Use spare keys
Always have spare keys stored somewhere just in case you lose some of your main keys. Having spare keys is great, but storing the keys in a place that you can access is even more important. This will help you in case you lose your keys. However, there are instances where you have lost both the original and the spare. So, what do you do?
Buy replacement keys
It's an expensive option as it involves programming and recoding to ensure that the keys are compatible with your car. This is mostly handled by car dealers and takes 5-10 days to complete. You can also hire an automobile locksmith to make a new set of keys for your car.
Also, the automobile locksmith doesn't need to change your locks; instead, they can reconfigure your locks to program out the keys you've misplaced. This would prevent anyone from ever using the keys to access your car.
Get a spare key
You've already lost one key and have one remaining; the most obvious choice is to have your automobile locksmith make you a spare. You can have the locksmith create two or three spares just in case you lose one key. This will help you avoid scenarios where you have a car but no keys.
How to safeguard your keys
Looking for lost keys is time-consuming and costly, especially if you have to reconfigure your locks to fit new keys. Try to find a way to secure your keys as you're bound to lose them now and then. You can select a place where you'll always place the keys every time you get home or at work. Get into the habit of placing your keys in the same place and ensure that your kids or pets don't play with your keys. Have a spare key and place it in a safe spot that's easy to find.
For more tips on what to do if you lose your keys, reach out to a local locksmith.