Why do newer car keys cost so much?

Car keys can get lost at any given moment. They can fit in small openings and are hard to find when searching after misplacing them. Losing a car key to an older model of a vehicle could cost you a few pennies to get a spare one. Duplicating such keys was easy to make. In the modern vehicle designs, car keys come with safety features. The features make it hard to duplicate car keys and also ensure your car is safe from theft.

A lot of factors determine the price of the auto keys in the market. The type of the key, the model of your car, year of manufacture, and also the make of the vehicle. These factors can tell you how much you would need to spend to get new car keys.

TYPES OF KEYS

Old design of vehicles used basic keys which had no security features. In the modern vehicle keys, have various security features. The old design keys would cost less than $5 to replace. Some of the new key designs include:

1. Fob Car keys

This key design has a Fob which is attached to the key. The car keys Fob is programmed for it to work in your car. You may need a technician to design the key for you and make it work. The cost for such a key may go up to $90. You can choose to buy an aftermarket key which may be a bit cheaper.

2. Transponder auto keys

Transponder keys are programmed to work with a particular car. It has a chip which produces signals which are sent to the ignition. If a different key is used, the vehicle will not start up.       Once you lose your transponder car keys, you may spend up to $ 160 to get a new one. The cost may go higher if the Fob and transponder are one unit. These kind of designs are hard to get and program. The transponder should be programmed using a machine.

3. Laser-Cut Car Keys

This key has few carved-out grooves on its design. The shank of the key is also thicker compared to a standard key. They use machines which are expensive to acquire making the production of such keys to be costly. The laser-cut keys come with a transponder which would also need to be re-programmed to work with your vehicle. Replacing such auto keys you can spend up to $250.

4. Switchblade Auto Keys

These auto keys have shanks which can fold onto the Fob. When you need to use the key, you would need to press a button, and the shank would open. The keys components can be bought separately if any of them fails. The price for replacing such modern auto keys may cost up to $300.

5. Smart Car Keys

These keys act more like a Fob key. They, however, need to be placed in the car for it to start or inserted on the dashboard. It is programmed to generate a series of different codes which the vehicle can detect. The randomization of the codes makes it hard for the keys to be hacked. This is one of the most expensive car keys in the market and may cost up to $400.

CONCLUSION

Other factors that make the cost of new car keys to be higher are the cost of the parts, equipment used to repair the keys and labor costs. The best way to avoid such fees is trying to be more keen with your car key. You can also purchase a spare key to avoid being in a fixed situation once you lose a key.

Author: Bobcat Locksmith