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BellEwart Lock ServicesOpen 24/7 (249) 315-0368
Two brass house keys on a ring resting on a workshop counter. — Spare Car Key Duplication, Tent City

Car keys · Tent City

Spare Car Key Duplication

One key opens the car, starts the car, and rides in one pocket every day. Nothing backs it up.

In plain words

Making a spare before the original goes missing is simpler than making one after, because the whole process is built from a working key to read or trace from. With the vehicle and its existing key both present, the locksmith identifies the blade profile and the chip or coding the immobilizer expects, produces a matching blank, and gives it the same electronic identity as the first key. Testing both keys side by side in every door and the ignition confirms the spare performs the same way, so a future lost key becomes an errand rather than a call for entry.

Sound familiar?Tent City

The call
One key opens the car, starts the car, and rides in one pocket every day. Nothing backs it up. A dropped storm drain, a torn pocket or a moment of distraction would leave the household without a way to drive anywhere tonight.

NextHow the visit goes

Spare Car Key Duplication · Tent City

How the visit goes

Illustrative locksmith scene — Tent City
  1. Scene 1

    Confirming who the vehicle belongs to

    Before a blank is cut or a chip is touched, the locksmith establishes who is asking and their authorization for the vehicle: a piece of photo identification alongside registration matching a name and address, or another document connecting that person to the car. A rental, a company vehicle or a car still financed through a lender may need an extra document confirming who is authorized to hold a key to it. This check is made at every visit rather than assumed from an earlier one, since who owns or is authorized to use a vehicle can change between one spare and the next.

  2. Scene 2

    Testing every key before the visit ends

    Once cutting and programming are finished, each key is tested independently: every door lock, the trunk or hatch, the ignition or the start button, and any remote functions, with the other key set aside so neither test is quietly helped along by a second signal nearby. The vehicle is started and shut off more than once to rule out an intermittent fault, and remote buttons are pressed from a normal distance rather than pressed against the car. Only once both keys pass on their own is the appointment considered complete, rather than treating a single successful start as proof enough.

  3. Scene 3

    Where the spare should live

    A spare that stays inside the vehicle solves little if the vehicle itself is what gets locked or lost, so the sensible places are a bag that travels separately, a drawer at home, or with a family member who is easy to reach. A passive proximity spare benefits from a signal-blocking pouch when it is stored, since that kind of fob keeps broadcasting even while it sits untouched in a drawer; a standard button-operated remote works differently and does not need the same pouch. Wherever it ends up, the location is worth sharing with at least one other person in the household so the spare is findable by someone other than the person who put it away.

In the van

  • Coin-cell fob battery
  • Deburring file
  • Code-cutting machine
  • Key blank matched to blade profile
  • Key gauge and calipers

What shapes the quoteBell Ewart Lock Services

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.
Timing around the day's other calls
A visit that fits between other scheduled stops is generally simpler to arrange than one needing a dedicated block of time set aside on its own.
Aftermarket alarms or remote starters
A factory system wired into a third-party alarm or remote starter can add extra steps to programming, since the added equipment sometimes changes how the vehicle's module responds during enrolment.

FeesSame any hour

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(249) 315-0368

Ask us anything about locks

What if I have lost track of how many keys already exist for the car?

That is worth mentioning when you call, since it changes the plan. If the count is genuinely unknown, or a key was lost at some point and never accounted for, reprogramming the vehicle to accept only the keys currently in hand is often the sounder route, rather than adding a new spare on top of an uncertain set that might include a key nobody can locate anymore.

What happens if I only have one key and it is for a car I just bought?

This is a common and straightforward call. The locksmith works from the single existing key and the vehicle itself, identifying the blade profile and reading or matching the chip, then testing the result on its own before the visit ends. It is also a good moment to confirm how many keys the car's history suggests should exist, since a private sale sometimes changes hands with an unknown key already out of circulation.

Why does the VIN matter for making a spare key?

The VIN identifies the exact immobilizer generation and lock system your particular vehicle left the factory with, which decides whether the chip can be copied directly or needs to be freshly coded through the diagnostic port, and which blank and blade profile are correct. Two cars that look identical from the outside can use different systems a model year apart, so the VIN removes the guesswork.

Tent Cityinformation

SimcoeOntario

Town
Tent City, Simcoe
In business
24 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.

  • 35 in 100 homes · mixed ages
  • About 35% of homes in Innisfil were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Where homes of different generations sit together, additions and renovations are common. A house may have an original front door and a much newer side entry, and bringing both onto the same key and the same standard is a regular job.
  • Single-detached houses make up about 90% of homes in Innisfil (2021 Census).Detached houses collect hardware from every renovation. A locksmith visiting one often finds three keyways, two finishes and one door that never latched right. Sorting all of that into a consistent, working set is a satisfying afternoon's work.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile

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On-site assessment

Request a visit.

One key opens the car, starts the car, and rides in one pocket every day.

(249) 315-0368, open 24/7.