Key Duplication in Richmond

Duplication means you already hold one working key and want a second. That is a different, cheaper job from originating a key with nothing to start from, and it is the only thing this page covers.

A spare transponder key is $180-$240 cut and programmed. A spare proximity smart key is $300-$420. Both are done at your vehicle anywhere in Richmond, usually 25-35 minutes after dispatch. If no key works any more, you want car key replacement in Richmond instead. If you want house, office or padlock keys copied, that is key cutting in Richmond.

The price gap is the whole argument. A spare cut while your original still works is $180-$240 for a transponder. The same car with every key gone is an all-keys-lost job from $180 plus the key type, and on some 2015 and newer vehicles it also carries a manufacturer security delay of 10 to 60 minutes.

The other reason is where it happens. A spare is booked for a Tuesday morning in your own driveway in Seafair or Terra Nova. A replacement happens on the day you are already late, in a Sea Island long-term bay or a Riverport lot in the rain. Same technician, same equipment, very different afternoon.

Transponder keys. The blade is cut to your original or to code, and the chip is written to the immobiliser so the car starts on both keys. Honda, Toyota, Ford, GMC and Chrysler are routine.

Remote head keys. One piece: blade, chip and buttons. Cut, programmed and the remote functions paired and tested before we leave.

Proximity smart keys. Push-button start systems. There is no blade to copy, so the key is paired to the car through the diagnostic port and the emergency blade inside it is cut to your door lock. $300-$420.

Fob batteries and shells. A tired remote is often a battery or a cracked shell, not a dead key. We say so rather than selling a key you do not need. Shells, blanks and fobs are stocked at the shop under automotive keys, and per-make notes are on Honda, Toyota and Kia.