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great_badir -> RE: New car key needed (11/1/2013 1:17:40 PM)
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I was going to say Timpsons - outside of the dealer, they seem to be the only ones who can do car keys properly, and they offer a warranty on the key (can't remember how long), will replace the body of the key as well if necessary, and give you a freephone number for roadside assistance should the key fail. But they will charge half, maybe even a third of what a dealer charges. As Ghidorah says, make sure you give them any codes and chips.
Avoid any other key cutters, unless they are car key specialists like Timpsons. A mechanic once told me that car keys need a slightly different type (or grade) of metal than other keys, and that most key cutters didn't use the right metal, so the ridges and grooves on the copy key would deteriorate very quickly. I don't know if that's true, but I have had copy keys from bog-standard key cutters in the past that have indeed stopped working after only a few months use. I've not personally used Timpsons, but I know people who have, and their keys are still working years later.
All this is made slightly more complicated if the car is a lot more recent and the key and relating locking system have more "intelligent" security. At that point, I think the dealer is the only option.
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