Should you buy aftermarket keys?

You don’t realize how costly car key replacements can be until you lose your car keys or stuck with a broken one. Yes, you can be up for hundreds of dollars if want a new key made. Car keys, especially the high-tech electronic versions, don’t come cheap anymore. Hardly surprising that people tend to look for ways they can cut down their replacement costs. That’s when most people look for buying aftermarket keys or fobs over the internet.

But is it safe? Are there any risks associated with buying aftermarket keys online? Well, these keys are definitely way cheaper than original keys and reduce your overall costs, but they carry some risks. Here are some issues you might face when you decide to go for aftermarket keys to save dollars.

1. Many such keys are made for low-quality material and electronic components, which makes them less durable. You don’t want to be stuck with keys that wear out fast, develop faults and can fail or break anytime.
2. It can be extremely tricky to determine what kind of key you need. What may happen that the key you eventually end up buying might not work for the make and model of your car.
3. You might even get a used car key that has already been cut and programmed, which makes it impossible to work with your vehicle.
4. When you buy an aftermarket key, you still need locksmith assistance to cut and program the key for you. Most dealerships refuse to program the keys bought from elsewhere.
5. More often than not, there is no customer service or proper assistance (for programming or any other issue) after you have bought the product.

What to look out for when you are buying aftermarket keys or remotes?

1. You must find a reputable vendor to make your purchase. Do your research well.
2. Determine exactly what kind of car key you exactly need. Are you looking for a remote fob key or a transponder key?
3. If you are getting a new transponder key, be sure that the blade is blank. There should not be any grooves on the key you have purchased.
4. Make sure you know a locksmith who is willing to cut and program the keys you have bought from an online vendor.

What works best is to call a professional locksmith to get a replacement. It is less complicated, less expensive and you get excellent customer service if you are able to find an honest, reliable auto locksmith to help you get a replacement key. You don’t have to turn to costly dealership in case your car keys are lost or broken beyond repair.  In addition to the costs, there is also a waiting period for cutting and programming the new key.

You don’t have to face these hiccups when you call a locksmith. As a bonus, they give you fast, onsite assistance, which means you are back on road in no time. Of course, a lot depends on the model and make of your car but in most situations a locksmith will be able to furnish a new, functional key on the spot, complete with cutting and coding.

At Racine’s Lock & Key, we keep stock of high quality key blanks so that you can get a high quality and fast replacement without any hassle. Give us a call at (262) 509-0366 and we will come over with all the right equipment and tools. If you have lost your car keys, we will delete the existing key from the car’s memory. We are a well-established, reputed locksmith company in Racine, with a crew of honest, licensed and insured technicians to help you with any kind of residential, automotive and commercial locksmith requirements.