Spare Car Key: The Cheapest Insurance You'll Ever Buy

Here's a fun statistic for you: most people only think about getting a spare car key after they've already lost their only one. By then, the price has doubled and the stress has tripled.

A spare key while your original still works? That's the calm, rational, financially sensible move. An emergency replacement after you've lost everything? That's the expensive, panicky one.

Guess which one most people end up doing.

Why a Spare Key Costs Less Than a Replacement

This isn't a trick or a marketing angle. It's just how the technology works.

When you have a working key, we can clone it. The car's immobiliser already recognises one key, so adding a second is a simpler programming procedure. We connect to the OBD port, register the new transponder alongside the existing one, and you're done.

When you've lost all keys? We have to start from scratch. Generate a new key from the VIN, wipe the immobiliser's memory, program from zero. More steps, more time, more cost.

The maths:

That gap gets even wider on European vehicles. A spare BMW key while you have the original might cost around $500. Lose all your keys and need an emergency replacement? You're looking at $700-plus with us, or $1,800 at the dealer. The original key being available makes a massive difference to the complexity and cost.

Who Needs a Spare Key?

Honestly? Everyone with only one car key. But especially:

Families sharing a vehicle. If two people drive the same car, you need two keys. This shouldn't need explaining, but we get a surprising number of calls from couples who've been "taking turns" with one key for months.

Anyone with a key that's showing its age. Worn buttons. A crack in the shell. Intermittent response from the remote. These are all signs your key is on borrowed time. Get the spare made while the original still programs, not after it dies completely.

People who've already lost a key once. You know the feeling. You know the cost. You said "never again." This is the follow-through on that promise.

Tradespeople and fleet vehicles. If a work vehicle goes down because someone lost the only key, that's not just an inconvenience, it's lost revenue. Every work vehicle should have a spare. Full stop.

How We Make Your Spare Key

Quick and painless. Here's the process:

1. You call us. Tell us your car's make, model, and year. We confirm we can do it and give you a price upfront. No surprises.
2. We come to you. Buzz drives out to wherever the car is. Your house, your work, wherever.
3. Cut the key. We cut the new physical key to match your vehicle's lock profile.
4. Program the transponder. Using specialist equipment, we register the new key with your car's immobiliser. Your original key keeps working. Nothing changes for it.
5. Test everything. Ignition, doors, boot, remote buttons. All of it. We don't leave until it's confirmed working.
6. Hand it over. Done. Usually takes 30 to 45 minutes total.

You walk away with two working keys, a 3-year warranty on parts and labour, and the peace of mind that losing one key won't ruin your week.

The Cost of NOT Getting a Spare

Let's run the real numbers on a worst-case scenario.

You lose your only Toyota Camry key on a Friday afternoon. Here's what happens:

• Option A, Quick Car Keys emergency replacement: ~$400. We come to you same day, generate a key from the VIN, program it, done. Still cheaper than what follows.
• Option B, Dealer: $600+ for the key. Plus a tow because you can't drive it there, another $150-$250. Plus you're without the car for 2-5 business days while they order the key. Plus the Uber fares in the meantime. All up? You're north of $900 easily.

Or you could have spent $250 on a spare key three months ago while sitting in your driveway drinking a coffee.

The spare key always wins.

What About Smart Keys and Proximity Fobs?

Spare proximity and smart keys work the same way. Easier to add when you've got a working one, harder and pricier when you don't. If your car has push-to-start, a spare is even more important because those keys are more expensive across the board.

We program spares for all smart key types we service. Same mobile visit, same warranty.

Brands We Cover

We cut and program spare keys for most makes and models up to 2022:

• Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki
• Hyundai, Kia, SsangYong
• BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, VW, Skoda, Peugeot
• Land Rover, Range Rover
• Ford, Holden
• LDV and select commercial vehicles

For European and prestige vehicles, spare keys are where you save the most compared to dealer pricing. The more expensive the key, the bigger the gap between our price and theirs.

3-Year Warranty on Every Spare Key

Every spare key we supply comes with our 3-year warranty on parts and labour. If the key develops a fault within three years, we sort it. That's not 90 days, not 12 months. Three full years.

It's the same warranty that covers all our work, because spare keys get the same quality parts and the same programming process as any replacement.

22 Years of Experience Behind Every Key

Buzz has been in the automotive key trade for over two decades. 30,000-plus keys. He's not guessing which blank fits your car or googling the programming sequence while you watch. The experience means the job gets done right, done fast, and done once.

Get your spare key sorted before you need it. Call Buzz on 0456 013 246 or contact us to book. Mobile service across Melbourne. 3-year warranty.