Skip to content
BuchananLock ServicesOpen 24/7 (289) 203-1527
Two brass house keys on a ring resting on a workshop counter. — Spare Car Key Duplication, Westdale

Car keys · Westdale

Spare Car Key Duplication

The paperwork for the used car changed hands last week, and the previous owner mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that a second key never turned up. One worn blade on a single ring is now the entire access system for the vehicle.

In plain words

When a key's blade has thinned or its buttons have gone soft with age, waiting for it to fail outright is the harder plan to manage. A spare made from the original while it still works produces a fresh blade and, where the car carries a chip or remote, a fresh electronic match, so the household stops depending on the most tired copy in the house. The new key is tested apart from the old one in every lock and the starting system, and the worn original can then be retired or kept as a genuine backup rather than the only option.

Sound familiar?Westdale

The call
A lockout last month ended with a locksmith opening the door and going home, and the same single key has been carried ever since with nothing behind it. The relief of getting back in faded within a week into the same exposure.

NextHow the visit goes

Spare Car Key Duplication · Westdale

How the visit goes

Technician in a cap and hooded sweatshirt using a small screwdriver on the lever handle and lock case of a glass door. — Westdale
  1. Scene 1

    Confirming what the spare needs to do

    Not every household wants an identical twin of the original. Some ask for a plain mechanical spare with no remote buttons at all, useful for a valet or a young driver who does not need trunk release or remote start. Others want every function the first key has, cut and coded to behave exactly the same in anyone's hand. Settling this before work begins decides which shell is ordered and how much programming the visit involves, and it is worth revisiting if the household's answer turns out to differ from what the person calling first assumed on the phone.

  2. Scene 2

    Setting up a limited valet or family spare

    A spare intended for a valet, a young driver or occasional use is sometimes built without the remote functions the primary key carries, using a plain blade-and-chip key that starts the car and opens the driver's door without the trunk release, remote start or other features the household prefers to keep on one key. This is a programming choice made deliberately rather than a lesser copy: the chip is still fully recognized by the immobilizer, and the key performs exactly the functions agreed on at the start of the visit, no more and no less.

  3. Scene 3

    A record worth keeping

    A short note of how many keys exist for the vehicle, what each one can do, and who holds it is a small thing to write down and a genuinely useful one to have later, whether that later is a private sale, an insurance question, or simply working out which key someone borrowed and forgot to return. This record also makes any future visit faster to start, since a returning locksmith or a different one entirely can begin from a known baseline instead of counting keys from scratch.

In the van

  • VIN and key-system reference
  • Code-cutting machine
  • Remote-head key shell
  • Key duplicating machine
  • Deburring file

What shapes the quoteBuchanan Lock Services

Fob battery and physical condition
A fob that needs a fresh battery or shows cracking or water exposure adds a small amount of extra work beyond programming a key that is otherwise in good shape.
Reprogramming to drop a missing key
When a key is genuinely unaccounted for, having the vehicle's system stop recognizing it is separate work from cutting a new spare, and is scoped as its own step when it is needed.
Sourcing the blank or shell
Common platforms use blanks kept in regular stock, while a less common model or an unusual shell sometimes has to be sourced specifically for that vehicle before work can begin.

FeesSame any hour

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(289) 203-1527

What to expect, answered

What identification do I need to bring for a vehicle that isn't mine, like a company car?

Bring whatever document shows your connection to the vehicle in that situation: a company letter or fleet record for a workplace vehicle, a lease agreement for a rented one, or a note from the registered owner for a family member's car. The locksmith is confirming that the person asking for a key is entitled to hold one, which protects the vehicle's owner as much as it protects you.

Is it possible to leave out certain functions on the spare, like remote start?

Yes. A spare can be built to do everything the first key does, or scaled back to just the blade and chip that unlock a door and start the engine, without a remote start button or a trunk release. This is agreed before programming begins and is a deliberate choice rather than a lesser copy, useful for a valet, a young driver, or anyone the household wants kept to essential access.

Does cold weather affect a key fob?

Yes, in a couple of small ways. Battery performance drops in cold temperatures, so a fob that already had a fading battery is more likely to act up on a cold morning, and a proximity system's range can feel shorter in the cold as well. Testing a spare's battery before winter, and keeping a spare battery on hand, avoids being caught out by either.

Westdaleinformation

HamiltonOntario

Town
Westdale, Hamilton
In business
15 years
Hours
Open 24/7
Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

2021 census: what it means at the door

Every square is one home in a hundred.

  • 61 in 100 homes · older homes
  • About 61% of homes in Hamilton were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Older housing means older frames. Wood that has settled for years leaves strikes slightly out of line, so a bolt drags or needs a lift of the handle. A locksmith expects this and brings the shims, longer screws and strike plates to correct it.
  • Single-detached houses make up about 56% of homes in Hamilton (2021 Census).Where housing types are mixed, the same lost-key call means different things. In a house, rekey every door on the property. In an apartment, rekey the suite door and check with management about the common entrance. The locksmith asks which it is first.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile

Open Westdale in Google Maps

On-site assessment

Request a visit.

The paperwork for the used car changed hands last week, and the previous owner mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that a second key never turned up.

(289) 203-1527, open 24/7.