Top times you might need car key cutting in a hurry and how to avoid it happening!
For a lot of us Brits, our cars are pretty essential to our day to day lives. Whether it’s getting to and from work or simply being able to jump in your vehicle and get out of the city, our cars help to keep us on the move. Because of this, it’s especially irritating if you can’t access your car after losing your keys. Small, yet imperative to get our car on the road, there are a variety of reasons why your car keys are not in your hands. If you’re finding yourself in this situation, you’re not alone; over 16 million Brits admit to misplacing their keys every year.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s a particularly cheap process to carry out. Your car keys are a specialist piece of equipment designed for your car, meaning it takes a professional to cut the right key. Here at Campbell & McGovern, we understand how much of a pain not having your keys at hand can be, which is why we decided to look at some of the more common reasons you might be without them and we’ll share our top tips to ensure you’re never locked out of your car again.
Misplaced keys
Picture the scene, it’s 8:30 in the morning and you’re speed walking out the front door, slice of toast in hand, as you prepare to jump into your car to begin your commute to work. You get to the car to grab your car keys only to meet the horrifying realisation that they’re not in your pocket. We’ve all been there, frantically running through the house hoping to find them kicked under the sofa or at the bottom of a bag. However, sometimes it might be that you’ve left them somewhere where they won’t be found again.
This is arguably the most common reason you’ll need some form of car key cutting service at some point.
Broken Transponder
As technology has advanced, it’s now become easier and easier to access our vehicles with nifty gadgets. It’s now common practice, for example, for every car to be fitted with a transponder chip in its key for security reasons. This smart little chip is linked to your vehicle and ensures that only your key will work in the ignition, making duplicates useless.
However, this extra level of security can prove to be a pain if your transponder chip is broken. If this is the case, your key won’t connect to the coded message sent by the Engine Control Unit (ECU), meaning your car won’t start and you’re sat despairing at the fact.
Locked out of your car
When it comes to key cutting, this is arguably one of the most infuriating reasons you might need the services of an auto locksmith. Being able to see your car keys so tantalisingly close yet not being able to reach them since you locked them in is a pretty common occurrence amongst British drivers. In fact, the RAC Opinion Panel Survey found that a whopping 27% of the drivers they interviewed admitted to locking their keys in their vehicle.
Snapped key in the lock
If locking your keys in your vehicle is one of the most rage-inducing situations to be in with your car, snapping the keys in the lock is likely going to be a pretty solid contender. If it snaps in the lock, this can cause even more problems as you’ll need a professional to get it out.
One point to make here is that it’s always best to have a professional fix your car keys. There are countless forums online talking about DIY key fixes, however, this could do more damage than it’s worth, potentially breaking any non-remote technology or the transponder chip in your key.
Keep hold of your keys: tips and tricks
It’s all well and good looking at the variety of maddening ways one can lose their car keys, yet, are there any useful ways to counteract these problems? Luckily, as key cutting and locksmith experts, we’ve seen our fair share of misplaced or broken car keys. Because of this, we have some tips that you need to be following in order to never end up without your car keys again.
Get organised
It might not be the most comforting thing to hear, but one of the main reasons people lose their keys is due to them not being particularly organised in their day to day lives. When it comes to small items like your keys, an unorganised lifestyle is just begging to make you lose them.
With this in mind, start by creating a specific area near to your door that is dedicated to storing your keys. This can be a bowl, a key hanger or whatever suits you. However, it’s important to consciously leave your keys there for at least a couple of weeks in order to build a habit.
This is also a great place to start if you’re wanting to get more organised in general, creating a system for everything so you’ll never misplace your stuff again.
Only use your keys for their actual purpose
Sometimes, we look at our keys as a bit of a swiss army knife, making them the go-to tool when nothing else is at hand. However, the small amount of time you might save by using your key to pry open that box could end up costing you in the long-run. Using your key for anything other than locking and unlocking your car is going to wear down the teeth and weaken its integrity leading to it snapping.
It’s possible to buy yourself a multi-tool to add to your keyring, meaning you’ll never have to use your keys for anything but getting you into your car.
Use tech to help
For those of you who are still struggling to keep track of your keys even after getting yourself organised, tech companies have stepped in to give you a helping hand. There are a variety of products on the market today which make it easy to keep track of your possessions, connecting them to your phone for easy access and all for a reasonable price.
Invest in a car key copy
When it comes to it, the most irritating aspect of losing or breaking your keys is the fact that it stops you from getting where you need to be. So why not make the whole situation at least slightly less stressful by having a spare at hand for when the worst happens? Spending a little bit of money on a key as a contingency plan can save you from being stuck and keep your life moving until you can get another replacement.
Have a professional car locksmith on call
Whatever you do, it’s essential that you have a number at hand to call in case you’re caught out. Losing your keys is annoying enough, but not having an expert locksmith ready to help you in your time in need can make the whole process take even longer. With this in mind, check out to see if there is a Master Locksmith Association member locksmith at hand.
Here at Campbell & McGovern, we pride ourselves on being a member of the MLA, offering our expert car key cutting services to countless happy customers throughout the Liverpool and Wirral area. Aside from key cutting, we also offer card programming and can gain entry to your vehicle if you’ve locked your keys in the car. All of this is offered on a 24/7 365 days emergency call-out basis, meaning you’ll never be without our quality service.
For more information on what we can offer you, visit our website or get in touch with a member of our team.
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