Car Key Replacement in Santa Monica, CA

What car key replacement really involves

People call us about a car key for a handful of reasons. The only key was lost. A spare was never made and the one working key is wearing out. The key snapped, or the remote stopped responding. Or the car came with one key and the owner wants a second before something goes wrong. All of these fall under car key replacement, but they are not the same job, and the work and the cost differ from one to the next.

On most modern cars, a replacement key is two jobs in one. First, the metal blade (if the key has one) has to be cut so it turns the locks and the ignition. Second, the key often has to be programmed so the car's immobilizer recognizes it. A blade that turns the ignition but has not been programmed may do nothing, or the car may crank and then shut off. A programmed key with a badly cut blade will not turn at all. Doing both properly, at your car, is the whole point of mobile car key replacement.

We are a Los Angeles locksmith company that has been in business since 1987, with a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and mobile vans that serve Santa Monica. We do this work on site: we come to where the car is parked, cut the key there, and program it there. You do not have to tow the car anywhere to get a working key.

What kind of key does your car use?

Before we can quote or plan a job, we need to know what kind of key the vehicle takes. This is the part that surprises people, because two cars that look alike can use very different keys. We do not guess from a make and model alone. We confirm by VIN and, where needed, by looking at the car and the key in person.

Here are the common types we deal with:

• Traditional cut keys: a plain metal key with no electronics. These are simply cut to the code or copied.
• Transponder keys: a key with a chip inside the head that the car must recognize before it will start. These need cutting and programming. See our page on transponder key programming for more detail.
• Remote head keys: a key blade combined with lock, unlock and trunk buttons in one housing.
• Key fobs and proximity keys: push-button start systems where the fob stays in your pocket. These have their own programming requirements, covered under key fob replacement.
• Emergency or valet keys: a simpler key some vehicles ship with, which may not operate every function of the car.

How we replace a car key in Santa Monica, step by step

Here is how a typical call goes. The details shift with the vehicle, but the order stays the same.

1. You call (213) 577-1366. A person answers, at any hour, any day of the year. You tell us the make, model and year, where the car is, and whether you have any working key at all.
2. We talk through what your car probably uses and what we will need to see. If something about the vehicle is unclear, we say so plainly and tell you we will confirm it from the VIN.
3. We come to you in a mobile van. You do not have to move the car, and you do not have to arrange a tow just to get a key.
4. We confirm ownership. We will ask you for identification and for something that ties you to the vehicle, such as registration or title. We do this because a key to a car is a key to someone's property, and we will not skip it.
5. We verify the key type by VIN and by inspecting the vehicle, then cut the key blade to fit.
6. We program the key to the car, test every function, and test it in the door, the ignition and the trunk if applicable. We hand you the key only once it works.
7. If you have other keys, we can program those at the same visit, so you leave with a working spare rather than a single key you cannot afford to lose again.

Do you need a duplicate or a full replacement?

These two situations sound alike, but they are quite different, and it helps to know which one you are in.

A duplicate car key or spare car key is made while you still have a working key. The car already recognizes at least one key, so the process is usually more straightforward. If you have only one key right now, this is the moment to make a second. It is the lighter-cost, lower-stress route compared with waiting until the only key is gone.

A full replacement after you have lost every key is more involved. There is no working key to work from, so the key has to be built from the VIN and the vehicle's lock information, and the car's system often has to be programmed from scratch. It can still be done on site in many cases, but it takes more steps and, on some vehicles, more time. If this is your situation, our page on lost car key replacement walks through it.

Either way, the advice from a tradesperson who has done this for a long time is the same: do not wait for the last key to fail. A second key made today is far less trouble than an all-keys-lost call tomorrow.

What affects the cost of a car key?

We do not publish flat numbers for car keys, because the honest answer is that the price depends on the car. Anyone quoting a single number without knowing your vehicle is guessing. Here is what actually moves the cost:

• The type of key. A plain cut key is a different job from a transponder key, and a proximity fob is different again.
• Make, model and year. Some manufacturers use more complicated systems than others, and the parts and programming access vary.
• Whether you have a working key. Making a spare from a working key is usually more economical than rebuilding access when every key is gone.
• The condition of the key you have. A worn or damaged key can sometimes be copied cleanly. Other times a fresh key is the better option.
• Whether the key itself or the ignition is the problem. If the ignition has worn out, the right fix may be a different one entirely.
• The time of day. Calls in the middle of the night or on a holiday are a different type of service than a planned weekday visit.
• How many keys you want made at the same visit. Programming more than one at once is often a more economical use of the trip.

When the dealer is the only route

We would rather tell you the truth than pretend we can do everything. Some vehicles, depending on the make, model, year and security system, can only have keys programmed through the dealer. In those cases the manufacturer controls access to the programming, and an independent locksmith cannot get in.

We do not know which category your car falls into until we confirm the details. That is why we check by VIN and, when needed, in person, rather than promising something over the phone that the car will not accept. If your vehicle turns out to be dealer-only, we will say so, and we would rather you hear that from us up front than pay for a trip that cannot finish the job.

If the key works but the car still will not start or the ignition feels wrong, that may not be a key issue at all. See the next section.

Is it the key, or is it the ignition?

A lot of ignition key replacement calls turn out to be something else. Before you order a new key, a few signs are worth separating.

If the key turns in the door but will not turn in the ignition, the blade may be worn, or the ignition cylinder itself may be damaged. If the key looks fine and still sticks, the cylinder is more likely the culprit. Replacing the key will not help if the ignition is worn out, and that is a repair job covered on our ignition repair page.

If the key snapped and part of it is still inside the ignition or the door, stop trying to turn it. Extra force makes it worse. That is a broken key extraction job first, and a new key second.

If the car will not start and the key turns fine, the problem may be the battery, the immobilizer, or the key's chip. A good technician will test before selling you a key you do not need. We would rather find the real cause than leave you with an unneeded new key and the same problem.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for your car key

There are plenty of ways to get a car key made in the Los Angeles area. Here is what we can honestly point to:

• We have been in business since 1987. That is a long time to work with keys, locks and customers who want a straight answer.
• We have a real storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, plus mobile vans. You are calling a company with an address, not an anonymous call center.
• We are one company. There is no dispatch middleman passing your call to whoever is nearest. The person who answers (213) 577-1366 works for the same business that sends the van.
• David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. If something is unusual or does not look right, it is his call.
• We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year. Keys get lost at night and on weekends, and we are there then too.

A note on licensing

California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), known as an LCO license. This is a good habit to carry into any locksmith call, not just ours: ask the company for its BSIS LCO license number before the work starts. A legitimate company will give it to you without hesitation. If they dodge the question, call someone else.

Car key replacement across Santa Monica

Santa Monica is a city where plenty of people park on the street, in apartment garages and in condo lots, and where a missing car key can happen anywhere from the Pier to the office district. We serve all five Santa Monica ZIP codes: 90401, 90402, 90403, 90404 and 90405. We are about 5 miles from the city from our Westwood base.

Most residents here rent, and the city has a very large stock of mid-century apartment buildings. In Wilshire-Montana (Wilmont) and Mid-City, that often means a car parked at a building where the key problem and a door problem arrive together. If you have lost your car key and are also locked out of your unit, we can handle the car key side here and point you to apartment lockout service for the door. Because we come to the vehicle, you do not have to get the car anywhere.

In Ocean Park and Sunset Park, where bungalows and older buildings sit close together, the work is the same: we come to the curb or the driveway, cut and program the key on site, and test it before we leave. The coastal marine layer and salt air here are hard on exterior locks and gate hardware, but those are maintenance matters on the building. For your car, the practical point is simpler: if the only key you own is visibly worn, make a spare now.

The Downtown Santa Monica area, with the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place and Main Street storefronts, means a lot of people who park, shop and work all day. If you work in the Bergamot Station area or in an office near it and the key goes missing at work, we can come to the lot. We can also serve a business owner who needs a spare key for a work vehicle. If you need to get into the car right now rather than cut a new key, our car lockout page covers that.

For a full overview of what we do in town, see our Santa Monica locksmith page, or our mobile locksmith service page for how the vans work.

What to have ready before you call

A few minutes of preparation makes the whole job smoother. Have these on hand if you can:

• The make, model and year of the vehicle.
• The VIN, which is usually visible through the windshield on the driver's side dashboard and on your registration or insurance card.
• Your photo ID and registration or title.
• Any key you do have, even a broken or worn one, and any old remote.
• The exact location of the car, including any gate or garage access we need to know about.
• A note about how many keys you want made, so we can program them all in one visit.

Other services that connect to car keys

If your car key problem is one part of a bigger situation, our automotive locksmith page lists the other vehicle services we offer. Everything on this page stays with the key itself: cutting it, programming it, and making a spare.

More locksmith help in Santa Monica

• Automotive Locksmith in Santa Monica
• Ignition Repair in Santa Monica
• Key Fob Replacement in Santa Monica
• Lost Car Key Replacement in Santa Monica
• Transponder Key Programming in Santa Monica
• 24 Hour Locksmith in Santa Monica
• All services in Santa Monica

Car Key Replacement near Santa Monica

• Los Angeles
• Marina del Rey
• Culver City
• Topanga
• Beverly Hills
• Malibu