Lost car keys: Replacement can be very expensive

Created: 06/27/2022, 14:44

By: Simon Mones

Losing your car key is annoying and can quickly become very expensive.

But how do you get a new key?

Munich – If you lose something, it's often annoying.

Either because the item has a high emotional value or because the thing was simply expensive.

It's particularly annoying when it's the car key that can't be found, after all, the vehicle can't usually be moved without it.

If the key turns up after an extensive search, a replacement must be found quickly.

But that is easier said than done and often very expensive.

After all, what was once a simple car key has now become a real high-tech object.

Radio remote control and transponder chip for the immobilizer have long been standard.

Thanks to the keyless-go system, which is not entirely uncontroversial, the key often no longer has to be in the lock, but can remain in your trouser pocket.

Thanks to the touchscreen and display, some keys are more reminiscent of a smartphone than the good old car key.

At Tesla, the vehicles can also be opened with a cell phone or a special card.

But this system can also be bypassed.

Keys from older cars can be duplicated at the locksmith.

(Iconic image) © Friso Gentsch/dpa

Lost car keys: Replacement can be very expensive

However, all these functions make it much more difficult to quickly find an inexpensive replacement for the lost car key.

Accordingly, according to the ADAC, drivers should first consider a few things.

• The spare car key should be kept in a safe place where it is protected from access by strangers who may have obtained the lost key.

• If there is no spare key or if this has also been lost, breakdown workers can help bring the vehicle to a safe place.

  This could be a garage, for example.

• If there is a suspicion that the car key has been stolen, the loss should be reported to the police immediately.

• In any case, the car insurance should also be informed about the loss of the key.

  Whether it was misplaced or stolen.

Lost car keys: Up to 20 euros for a key without electronics

If it is a classic car key without electronics, a replacement can be obtained relatively quickly.

Provided there is still a spare key.

This can be used to obtain a new copy from any locksmith.

The costs are around ten to twenty euros.

If there is no longer a second key, the only option is to go to the authorized dealer or the manufacturer.

In the worst case, the entire lock may even have to be replaced.

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Lost car keys: Replacement for modern cars takes time

However, most cars in Germany can now be opened with a key or locking card with an integrated radio remote control (remote key entry).

The locksmith cannot help here, so after losing a key, drivers must contact the authorized dealer, a specialist workshop or the car manufacturer to have an individual key copied for the vehicle model.

In modern cars, a new key quickly costs money.

(Iconic image) © Westend61/Imago

"If other data such as error codes, mileage or the electronic service book are added to the radio remote control, immobilizer and central locking, the procedure becomes even more complex," explains the ADAC.

In this case, coding and teaching in the new key can take up to five working days.

However, there are a few points to keep in mind:

• Ask a car dealership, manufacturer or specialist workshop to have the key duplicated.

  The code of the lost key in the immobilizer may be pre-cleared so that the car cannot be opened or started.

• In addition, identification documents, vehicle documents and the second key (if available) must be presented, as these must also be reprogrammed.

• The dealer, manufacturer or specialist workshop then uses the vehicle number to order the key (or both keys if the second key is no longer available).

  Both the key and the car are then reprogrammed.

• If the original key turns up again, it can no longer be used.

Lost car keys: Four-digit sums for replacement possible

However, the new keys are not cheap in this case.

The prices vary depending on the manufacturer and vehicle model and are in the three-digit range.

On average, replacing a modern car key costs from 150 euros.

The cost of coding is another 30 to 50 euros.

If the comprehensive insurance requires the locks to be replaced, a four-digit sum can even be due.

"The reason for this could be the potential misuse of the small mechanical emergency key, which can be 'fiddled' out of any key, no matter how modern it is," explains the ADAC.

The car cannot be started with this, but it gives criminals the opportunity to rob the vehicle.

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The prices are a little cheaper with free providers on the Internet, but the purchase can quickly backfire.

The key bits are sometimes sloppily milled or the remote control has not yet been programmed.

This then – like the complicated electronics – has to be learned by yourself using instructions from the Internet.

In addition, this is often only possible if the manufacturer has approved them for this in a cooperating workshop.