All keys lost · Mobile
Lost Car Keys King City
No spare, no original, no idea where they went. We cut a new key from the VIN and program it at the vehicle — no tow, no dealership queue.
The situation
“All Keys Lost” Is A Specific Job, Not A Worse Lockout
It is the hardest thing an automotive locksmith does, and it is completely routine.
When you have one working key, making another is duplication. The blade is copied, the chip is cloned or a new one is enrolled alongside the existing one, and the whole thing takes minutes. When you have none, nothing can be copied and nothing can be cloned. The vehicle’s security system has to be accessed directly and persuaded to accept a key it has never seen.
That is why the price and the timeline are different, and why any locksmith who quotes an all-keys-lost job without asking the year, make and model is guessing. On some vehicles it is under an hour. On others it involves obtaining a security code from the manufacturer against proof of ownership.
What it almost never requires is a tow. The work happens at the car, wherever the car is — a driveway in Nobleton, a farm lane in Kettleby, or the side of Jane Street.
The process
How A New Key Is Made From Nothing
Six stages, all performed at the vehicle.
1. Ownership verified
Registration or ownership document plus photo ID. Nobody should be able to have a key made to your car by describing it convincingly.
2. The car is opened
Non-destructive entry, so the interior, the VIN plate and the OBD port are accessible. No glass, no prying, no damage.
3. The key code is obtained
Derived from the VIN, or by decoding the door lock cylinder directly. Some manufacturers require a request against proof of ownership, which we handle.
4. The blade is cut
On site. Edge-cut keys on a standard machine, laser-cut sidewinder blades on a milling machine. This is a mechanical operation and it has to be precise.
5. The key is programmed
Through the OBD port, the transponder is enrolled to the immobiliser and the remote functions are paired. The engine will now start.
6. Old keys are erased
Every previously stored key is deleted so nothing that is out there still works. Essential if the keys were stolen rather than lost.
Lost vs stolen
These Are Two Different Jobs
If your keys are genuinely lost — dropped on a trail at the Oak Ridges Moraine, gone in a pond, vanished somewhere in a house — the main concern is getting you mobile again. Adding a new key is enough, and erasing the old ones is good practice rather than urgent.
If they were stolen, or lost somewhere with something identifying attached, the situation is entirely different. Whoever has them has a working key to a vehicle they may be able to locate. A house key on the same ring makes it considerably worse, and a fob with an address on a tag makes it worse again.
In that case, erasing every previously stored key from the vehicle is not optional and it is the actual point of the visit. A new key that works alongside the stolen ones has solved your inconvenience and none of your risk.
Tell us which situation you are in on the phone. It changes what we do, and on some vehicles it changes how long it takes.
If your keys were stolen
✓ Erase all stored keys from the vehicle, not just add one.
✓ Rekey your house if a house key was on the ring.
✓ Report it — some insurers require a police report.
✓ Remove any address tag habit for the future.
✓ Check for a tracker or tag left in the vehicle.
✓ Consider a steering lock until you are comfortable.
A house key and a car key on one ring is the combination that turns a theft into a break-in.
Cost drivers
Why Two Cars Get Two Very Different Prices
The blade. A simple edge-cut key is cheap metal and a quick cut. A laser-cut sidewinder needs a milling machine and a more expensive blank. That difference alone can be substantial before any electronics are involved.
The chip and the system. Older transponder systems enrol in minutes through the OBD port. Newer encrypted systems take longer, need more capable equipment, and on some makes need a manufacturer security code.
Proximity keys. A push-button-start fob is a considerably more expensive component than a bladed key, and there is no cheap aftermarket equivalent on many makes.
How many keys. Making two keys in the same visit costs far less than making one now and one later, because the programming session is the same session. If you are already paying for an all-keys-lost job, make two.
Time and place. A weekday afternoon in King City village and a Sunday night on a concession road north of Schomberg are not the same call-out.
Never again
Four Rules That End This Problem Permanently
01
Always own two working keys
The entire cost difference between duplication and all-keys-lost exists because of this one habit. It is the cheapest insurance in motoring.
02
Store them apart
Two keys on one ring is one key. The spare belongs in a drawer at home, at work, or with a partner — never in the vehicle.
03
No address on the tag
A key tag with an address turns a lost keyring into a targeted burglary. If you must label them, use a phone number only.
04
Replace fob batteries yearly
A dying fob causes months of intermittent faults that get blamed on the car, and eventually a call-out that was avoidable for the price of a coin cell.
Before You Assume They Are Gone
Roughly one in five all-keys-lost calls we take ends with the keys being found while we are still on the phone, and it is nearly always the same three places.
Coat pockets, including the coat that was worn yesterday and is now on a hook by the door. The bag or handbag, in a compartment that is not the usual one. And the vehicle itself — under a seat, in the door pocket, or slid down beside the centre console.
It costs you five minutes to check properly and it costs considerably more not to. We would much rather you found them.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really make a key with no original?
Yes, for the large majority of vehicles on the road. The code comes from the VIN or from decoding the door lock, the blade is cut on site, and the key is programmed at the car.
Do I need a tow to a dealership?
Almost never. The work is done at the vehicle wherever it is parked. A very small number of very recent models are genuinely dealer-only and we tell you that on the phone.
How long does it take?
Commonly one to two hours depending on the make and model. Some vehicles are quicker; a few need a manufacturer security code, which adds time.
Will the old keys still work if they turn up?
Not if we erase them, which we recommend and always do when keys were stolen. If you specifically want a found key to keep working, say so before we start.
Should I have two made?
Yes. The programming session is the same session, so the second key costs far less than a separate visit later — and it prevents you ever paying for this job again.
What paperwork do I need?
Vehicle registration or ownership plus photo ID in the same name. If the paperwork is locked inside the car, tell us on the phone and we will agree what works.
Service area
We Come To You
We are a mobile service — there is no shop counter to drive to. King City is our base, and we cover King Township and northern York Region.
Not on the list? If you are anywhere in York Region, call and ask.
Locked Out? We Answer The Phone.
24/7 mobile locksmith service across King City, Nobleton, Schomberg and York Region. Real prices on the phone, a marked vehicle at your door, and a written invoice when we are done.