Car keys · Oakdale, CA

Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM

Car keys, remotes and fobs in Oakdale.

Tell us the year, make and model. We tell you what we can do.

Call (209) 847-2066

Local 209 number · The log cabin at 630 N Yosemite Ave · Since 1986

A modern car key is three jobs in one: a blade cut to your locks, a chip the car has to recognize, and a remote with a battery. Tell us which part is the problem.

Lost your key, need a spare, or it won't turn?

Lost all your keys.

No key at all is the hard one, so call about it first. Tell us the year, make and model, and where the car is. We tell you on the phone whether it is one we can do and what to have with you.

Need a spare.

One key is one lost key away from the hard one. A spare made while you still have a working key is the easier job. Call with the year, make and model, and we tell you whether to bring the key to the shop or bring the car.

Key won't turn, or the car won't start.

A key that opens the door but won't turn the ignition, or turns and the car won't start, can be a worn blade, a chip the car has stopped reading, or the lock itself. Don't force it. Call and describe what it does.

What a chip key is.

Most car keys made since the late 1990s have a small chip in the plastic head, called a transponder. The car looks for that chip every time you turn the key, so a blade cut to fit will open the door but will not start the engine until the chip is programmed to the car.

That is why a key cut at a hardware store or a kiosk can open your door and still leave you sitting there. It is also why we ask, when you call, whether your key has a chip. If the head is thick plastic, it probably does.

Remotes and fobs.

A fob is the remote: the part with the lock and unlock buttons, whether it is built into the key or hangs next to it. Two different things go wrong with them, and they are two different jobs.

Try a new battery first.

If the remote has quit, or only works when you are standing next to the car, put a new battery in before you call anyone. It is a coin cell, and the size is printed on the old one. That fixes more remotes than you would think.

Lost the remote, or a new battery didn't help.

A lost remote needs a replacement matched to your car. A remote that stopped talking to the car may only need to be paired again. Which one you need, and whether it is a shop job, depends on the make and year. Tell us what you have and what it does, and we tell you where to start.

Locksmith or dealership?

Both can make a key. The difference is mostly where the car has to be.

The dealership.

Usually needs the car at the dealership, and with no key at all that can mean a tow. Orders the key by VIN, then programs it when the car arrives. For some makes and years, the dealer is still the only way.

A locksmith.

Works from the car's own information and a key blank, and can cut and program many keys without the dealer. Ask where the car needs to be. If yours is one that still needs the dealer, we tell you on the phone rather than have you drive over for nothing.

What to have ready when you call.

The year, make and model.
The VIN, the 17-character vehicle number. It is on the registration, and on a small plate at the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side.
The registration or title, and photo ID that matches it. Any real locksmith asks for these before making a key to a car.
Whether any key exists at all, even one that only opens the door.
Whether the key has a chip. Thick plastic head, probably yes. Not sure? Say so.

Ask for the price on the phone.

Tell us what you need and where you are, and ask for the price before anyone comes out. If the job changes, ask us to tell you before we go on.

At the shop, or where the car is?

The van says LOCKOUTS & REKEYS. Locked out with the key inside the car? That is a lockout, and the van goes out for those. Keys are cut at the shop, 630 N Yosemite Ave, Mon–Fri 8–5.

A car with no key at all can't drive to the shop. Whether we can do the key work where the car sits: call and ask, and tell us where it is.

Call us if you're in Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon, Waterford, Modesto or Ripon, or out toward Knights Ferry.

Questions people ask.

I lost the only key. Can you make one from nothing?

That depends on the make and year. Call with the year, make and model and the VIN, and we tell you on the phone whether it is one we can do. Have the registration and your ID with you; any real locksmith asks.

Does the car have to be there?

For a spare cut from a working key, often not; ask when you call. For a lost key, the new key has to be matched to the car, so the car has to be where the work is. Tell us where it is.

Why is a car key more work than a house key?

A house key is metal cut to a pattern. A chip key is cut and then programmed so the car accepts it, and a remote is paired on top of that. That is why we ask what kind of key you have before we give you a price.

Can you do a push-button-start car?

Those use a proximity key, which is a different job from a chip key. Tell us the make and year when you call and we tell you.

My remote only works right next to the car.

New battery first. It is a coin cell; the size is printed on the old one. If that does not fix it, call with the make and year.

Call the shop.