Car Key Replacement in San Francisco
A key cut and coded in the space the car is sitting in, spare included, even when the last key is gone. $175 to $429, registration checked first.
$175–$429
Typical price
18 min
Avg. arrival
24/7
Availability
Losing the only key used to mean a tow. It does not now. A blank is cut to the lock and the transponder is coded to the car where it stands, which in this city means at a kerb on a hill, in a lot, or in a garage under a rowhouse. The registration and photo ID are matched to the plate before anything is cut, which is the difference between a locksmith and a problem.
Most cars on the road are covered. Older vehicles with a plain blade are straightforward. Transponder keys are cut and coded to the immobiliser. Proximity systems are paired to the car. A handful of makes lock their key data behind a dealer-only route, and if yours is one of them you will be told on the call rather than after a technician has spent an hour finding out.
Two practical points people are glad to hear afterwards. A spare is worth cutting while the equipment is already out, because the second key on the same visit is far cheaper than the same key on a different day. And a lost key can be dropped from the car's memory so it no longer starts the vehicle, which matters if it was lost somewhere with the plate visible.
Work runs $175 to $429 with the $89 service call inside it. A basic transponder on a common model sits at the low end; a proximity system with all keys lost sits at the top. Evening adds $55 and after midnight $95. Nothing is packed away until the engine has fired twice on the new key and the doors lock and unlock with it.
All sixteen jobs and their ranges sit on this page, nothing saved for the phone. Describe what the key is doing and the range closes to one figure on the call, with the evening or overnight hour already folded in.
- Daytime (7am–8pm)standard rates
- Evening (8pm–12am)+$55
- Overnight (12am–7am)+$95
FAQ
Car Key Replacement: quick answers
I have lost every key. Is that still a roadside job?+
For most vehicles, yes. All-keys-lost is more work than duplicating, which is why it sits higher in the range, but it happens where the car is parked. A few makes route key data through the dealer only, and if yours is one you hear it on the call rather than after an hour of trying.
Should I get a spare while you are here?+
Yes, and it is the cheapest thing on this page. The equipment is already out and the car is already open, so a second key costs a fraction of what the same key costs on another day. Most people who decline it call back within the year.
Can the lost key be disabled?+
On most modern cars, yes, and it is worth doing if the key went missing anywhere your plate was visible. It is dropped from the vehicle's memory so it no longer starts the car. Ask for it while the technician is still with you.
Related
More automotive services
Open 24 hours, 7 days
Say what the key is doing, hear the figure, get back inside
San Francisco plus Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, South San Francisco and Pacifica, 24 hours, holidays included. Stiff, halfway, snapped, or a healthy lock on the wrong side of a closed door: one number comes back with the $89 visit and the hour of the night already inside it, and it is the number on the receipt.