Frequently Asked Questions

No. That's the whole point of what we do. Quick Car Keys is a mobile service. Buzz drives to wherever your car is parked. Your driveway, your office, a shopping centre car park. The key is cut and programmed right there. No tow truck. No dealer visit. No taking a day off work to sit in a waiting room.

Almost certainly. We cover the vast majority of makes and models sold in Australia up to 2022. That includes Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai, Ford, Holden, Nissan, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, and about 15 more. Check our car brands page for the full list, or just call and ask. Buzz will tell you straight away if your car is one we can do.

It depends on three things: your car's make, your model, and the type of key. A basic transponder key for a common vehicle like a Toyota Corolla or Holden Commodore starts from around $75. A proximity smart key for a late-model European car will be more, typically $250–450. That's still a fraction of the $600–900 most dealers charge for the same job. We always quote on the phone before we drive out. No surprises when we arrive.

Most jobs are done in 30 to 60 minutes. A straightforward transponder key for a common car is usually at the shorter end. An all-keys-lost job or a more complex European key might take closer to an hour. Either way, you're not waiting days or weeks like you would with a dealer.

We're based in Yallambie and cover Melbourne's north and east as our core area: Banyule, Manningham, Whitehorse, Darebin, and the inner north-east. We also take jobs across greater Melbourne depending on the vehicle and schedule. Call and ask, we'll tell you straight.

Yes. This is one of the most common calls we get and it's not the disaster it feels like. When all keys are lost, we generate a new key from scratch using your car's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). We'll need proof of ownership, so your registration papers or a photo of them on your phone is fine. The process takes a bit longer than a standard replacement (usually 45–60 minutes) but you'll drive away with a fully programmed key.

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. It's a 17-character code unique to your car, like a fingerprint. You can find it on a metal plate at the base of the windscreen (driver's side, visible from outside), on a sticker inside the driver's door jamb, on your registration papers, or in your car's owner manual. We use the VIN to look up the exact key specifications for your vehicle.

If your car was manufactured after 1997–98, it almost certainly has a transponder key. The transponder is a tiny microchip embedded in the head of the key (the plastic part you hold). It communicates with the car's immobiliser system, and if the chip doesn't send the right signal, the engine won't start even if the physical key fits the ignition perfectly. As a rule of thumb: if the key has a chunky plastic head (not just bare metal), there's a chip in there.

Functionally? Nothing. Both cut the same, program the same, and operate the same way. The difference is price. Dealer "genuine" keys carry the brand logo and the brand markup, often $400–600 more than an aftermarket key that does the identical job. Our aftermarket keys use quality blanks with the correct transponder chip, cut to your car's specifications and programmed to your vehicle. And they come with a 3-year warranty, which is usually longer than what the dealer offers.

Bad things. If you put an unprogrammed key in the ignition, the car's immobiliser system will detect that the transponder signal doesn't match. The engine won't start. On some vehicles, it can actually trigger a security lockout. The car thinks someone is trying to steal it and shuts down the ignition system entirely. This can require a dealer-level reset to fix. Bottom line: never try to use a key that hasn't been properly programmed to your vehicle.

A transponder key has a small electronic chip embedded in its head. When you insert the key and turn the ignition (or bring a proximity key close to the start button), the chip sends a coded signal to the car's immobiliser. If the signal matches the car's stored code, the immobiliser allows the engine to start. If it doesn't match, the engine stays dead. This technology has been standard in virtually all Australian-market vehicles since about 1998.

Yes. Every key we cut and program comes with a 3-year warranty on parts and labour. Not 90 days. Not 12 months. Three years. If the key fails due to a manufacturing defect in the blank or a programming issue on our end, we fix it at no charge.

Call us on 0456 013 246. We'll troubleshoot over the phone first because sometimes it's as simple as a flat fob battery, which takes two minutes to swap. If it's a genuine fault with the key or programming, we'll come back and fix it under warranty. No charge, no argument.

Call us again. We'll have your car's details on file from the first job, which makes the process faster. We'll still need your VIN and proof of ownership, but we won't need to start the whole assessment from scratch. Same service, same warranty, same pricing. Pro tip: when we cut your replacement, get a spare at the same time. It's cheaper to do two keys in one visit.