Keys we cut
- Plain mechanical car keys
- Transponder chip keys
- Remote head keys
- Spares copied from your working key
- Keys cut by decoding the door lock
- Second and third keys for a family car
- Keys for work vans and box trucks
- Motorcycle and trailer keys
Cutting and programming are two different jobs
Cutting shapes the metal so the key turns the lock. Programming teaches the car to accept the chip buried in the head, and without it the key will turn and the engine will not start. Most cars from the late nineties onward need both, and we do both on site. The cutting is done on a Dolphin XP-005L code machine, which cuts both the ordinary edge-cut blade and the laser-cut or sidewinder blade, the thicker key with a wavy channel milled along the flat face instead of teeth on the edge. Tell us the year, make and model when you call and we will say in the first minute whether yours is a key we can do.
Where we come to you
We cut keys in driveways, work parking lots and shop lots across Santa Clarita, Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, Canyon Country, Stevenson Ranch and Castaic, throughout the San Fernando Valley, and up to Lancaster and Palmdale. This is a planned job rather than an emergency, so we can usually take a time that suits you rather than the other way round.
Car key cutting in 70 cities
Santa Clarita Valley: Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Saugus, Castaic, Val Verde, Acton, Agua Dulce
San Fernando Valley: San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Village, Burbank, Glendale, Tarzana, Northridge, Reseda, Winnetka, Panorama City, Sun Valley, Lake Balboa, Valley Glen, Toluca Lake, Universal City
West Valley: Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills, Canoga Park
North Valley: Granada Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Mission Hills, San Fernando, Arleta, North Hills, Porter Ranch, Lake View Terrace, Shadow Hills
Crescenta Valley: La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge, Sunland, Tujunga, Montrose
Northeast LA: Eagle Rock, Atwater Village
Central LA: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Feliz
Las Virgenes: Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills
Santa Monica Mountains: Topanga
Conejo Valley: Westlake Village, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks
East Ventura County: Simi Valley, Moorpark
Heritage Valley: Fillmore, Piru, Santa Paula
Antelope Valley: Lancaster, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, Littlerock, Leona Valley
Car key cutting questions
Why is a spare so much cheaper than a replacement?
Because you still have a working key. We copy it directly, and the car can usually be taught the new chip using the old one, which is quick. Lose the last key and the job changes completely: we have to originate a key from the lock or the vehicle data and then program it with nothing to copy from. It is the same key either way, just ordered on a much better day.
Can the hardware store not do this?
For a plain key off an eighties truck, yes. For anything with a chip, no. They can cut the metal but not program the chip, so you end up with a key that opens the door and will not start the car. That half-finished key is one of the most common things people bring us.
How do I know if my key is laser-cut?
Look at the blade. A normal key has teeth cut into the edges. A laser-cut key is noticeably thicker, the edges are smooth, and there is a shallow wavy channel milled down the flat face. Either kind is fine, we cut both on site; knowing which one you have just tells us which blank to bring.
Down to one car key?
Call with the year, make and model. We will tell you what it costs before we come out.