Car Key Replacement Vancouver: Cut & Programmed On-Site From $180

A replacement car key is two jobs in one: a blade cut to fit the door and ignition, and a chip programmed to the immobilizer so the engine will actually start. We do both at the vehicle, anywhere in Vancouver, from a van that carries the cutting machine, the blanks and the manufacturer programming tools.

Bring us a working key and it is a duplication. Bring us nothing and it is all keys lost, which is the section below. If the metal key still works and only the remote has died, the job is fob replacement or programming instead, which is cheaper.

• Transponder key. A plain-looking key with a chip in the head. Common on Honda, Toyota, Ford, GMC and Chrysler from the late 1990s onward.
• Remote head key and flip key. The chip, the blade and the lock and unlock buttons in one body.
• Laser-cut or sidewinder blade. A thicker key with a milled channel down the middle, used on most 2010s vehicles.
• Proximity smart key. Push-to-start cars. The fob stays in your pocket, so the pairing has to be done with the vehicle awake. See key fob replacement.
• Key by code. Where the manufacturer publishes the code, we can cut a blade without the original key at all.

All keys lost means there is no key left to copy. That changes the method, not the outcome. We identify the key code from the vehicle, cut a fresh blade, then put the car into programming mode and write a new key to the immobilizer. On most vehicles from 2008 onward that is a single visit at the roadside, in a parkade or on a driveway, with no tow to a dealership.

Two things slow it down and we will say so before you book. Some makes hold a security waiting period before a new key can be written, which adds time on site. Some European models need the key ordered against the VIN first, so the visit is booked once the part lands.

All keys lost starts from $180 and is quoted against the year, make and key type. The full emergency path, including after-hours, is on the all keys lost page. Bring the vehicle registration and a piece of photo ID with the same name: we check ownership on every key we make, without exception.

• Transponder key, cut and programmed: $180-$280. Honda, Toyota, Ford, GMC, Chrysler and most Japanese and domestic vehicles.
• Proximity smart key: $280-$420. Push-to-start vehicles, including Toyota smart keys, Honda HR-V and Ford intelligent access.
• European luxury: $400-$900. Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover keys are ordered against the VIN and cost more than the volume makes.
• All keys lost: from $180, quoted on the key type above plus the extra programming time.

The $75 service call covers standard hours. After-hours labour starts at $150 from 5-9 pm and runs $250/hour from 9 pm to 8:30 am, and the rate is quoted on the phone before we dispatch. Every figure on this page is the same one published on the prices page.

Every make below has a page of its own covering the key types that fit it, the programming route and the price band. They are separate pages on purpose, because a Toyota smart key and a BMW key are not the same job.

Acura, Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, RAM, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo.

Call 604-734-7233 with the year, make, model and where the car is parked. We quote a band on the phone, confirm whether the key is stocked or has to be ordered, and give an arrival window. On site we check ownership, cut the blade, program the key, then test lock, unlock, start and, on a fob, the trunk release before we take payment.

We work out of one shop at 4105 Macdonald St in Vancouver and dispatch from there, so a Vancouver call is normally a 20-30 minute drive. Cities further out take longer, and the window for each one is listed on the service areas page.