Automotive locksmiths. Love or avoid?

Alan Surrey

Alan Surrey

Member
Messages
998
Can anyone recommend an automotive locksmith in Surrey, or, perhaps warn me never to go near one?
It seems to me that the dividing line between an automotive locksmith and a professional car thief might be a fine one.
***********************
Background
One of the two keyless entry fobs for my BMW i3 has stopped working.
My options appear to be.
1) Live with it. (not going to do this. Need a fallback key fob.)
2) Get a new one from BMW. £313.
3) Call the AA who will come and analyse the electronic lock and configure a replacement key fob to work just like the old one but not BMW branded or the shape of the old one. £450
It seems to me that this is a good way to go if I am out and find I have lost my keys. (Never happened, but you never know...)
4) Call an automotive locksmith who can come to me, open up the fob, replace the faulty circuits then configure it to work with my car just like the fob did before it broke.
But will his mate show up at four in the morning with another key fob he configured just like mine and drive off in my daily completely silently, of course: the car's electric?

So that's the quandry. Any recommendations?
 
spkennyuk

spkennyuk

Member
Messages
5,960
Alan Surrey said:
Can anyone recommend an automotive locksmith in Surrey, or, perhaps warn me never to go near one?
It seems to me that the dividing line between an automotive locksmith and a professional car thief might be a fine one.
***********************
Background
One of the two keyless entry fobs for my BMW i3 has stopped working.
My options appear to be.
1) Live with it. (not going to do this. Need a fallback key fob.)
2) Get a new one from BMW. £313.
3) Call the AA who will come and analyse the electronic lock and configure a replacement key fob to work just like the old one but not BMW branded or the shape of the old one. £450
It seems to me that this is a good way to go if I am out and find I have lost my keys. (Never happened, but you never know...)
4) Call an automotive locksmith who can come to me, open up the fob, replace the faulty circuits then configure it to work with my car just like the fob did before it broke.
But will his mate show up at four in the morning with another key fob he configured just like mine and drive off in my daily completely silently, of course: the car's electric?

So that's the quandry. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Give abacus car alarms a call in london sw16. They may be able to help and offer a postal service for key fob repairs.
 
lozcb

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,557
Take out additional insurance breakdown with the AA, I already AA cover breakdown recovery , I pay £34 per month with the AA covers both the Bentley and the Gransport for mechanical breakdown repairs up to 3 times a year per vehicle up to the value of £500 repairs labour and parts ................used it once thus far for a Bentley coil pack that went a few months back
 
Zep

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,279
If you assume malice on the part of the locksmith, you should also do it for the AA man.

Anyway, option 4 is buy the key from BMW and pair it yourself. Ring the parts department rather than the service desk, they should be able to order a key from your VIN, you hold it against the steering column with the old key out of range and start the car.
 
Burf22

Burf22

Member
Messages
316
I'd pay BMW too.
I used an automotive locksmith to get replacement keys for our V70 and Range Rover a few years ago. The locksmith came to the house and spent ages configuring them. The cars weren't stolen afterwards (not that they were worth that much), but the Range Rover's key became temperamental after a while and almost got us stuck a few floors up in the Grand Arcade car park in Cambridge. Still have flashbacks!
 
lozcb

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,557
Probably hard to get the stats , but i suspect there are more cars stolen with the implementation of electronic wizardry , than there were with the old manual keys , certainly a lot more advantageous to dealers £££ wise , and a lot more of a headache to owners thats for sure
 
DLax69

DLax69

Member
Messages
4,295
lozcb said:
Probably hard to get the stats , but i suspect there are more cars stolen with the implementation of electronic wizardry , than there were with the old manual keys , certainly a lot more advantageous to dealers £££ wise , and a lot more of a headache to owners thats for sure
Click to expand...
The Kia/Hyundai fiasco over here would indicate some truth to this...I don't remember giant recalls or anti-theft device giveaways or class-action lawsuits because of old-fashioned key blades...
 
lozcb

lozcb

Member
Messages
12,557
DLax69 said:
The Kia/Hyundai fiasco over here would indicate some truth to this...I don't remember giant recalls or anti-theft device giveaways or class-action lawsuits because of old-fashioned key blades...
Click to expand...
Was it all really a step forward into the future to reduce car crime , or a massive step to line the dealers pockets , got knows how much it all adds to the manufacturing cost
 
Zep

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,279
There are plenty of cheap tools available for decoding car locks, with a previous employer we had a fleet of transits and we had a spate of thefts where the thief would come one night and get the key profile using a tool, go away and make a key and come back the next night, program the key to the van and drive it off.

We ended up changing all of the lock barrels to a more secure version and blocking the OBD ports.

I think the moral is, keyless go or not, if they want it and there is and opportunity, it will be stolen.
 
MarkMas

MarkMas

Chief pedant
Messages
8,927
Alan Surrey said:
..... But will his mate show up at four in the morning with another key fob he configured just like mine and drive off in my daily completely silently, of course: the car's electric?
Click to expand...

I suppose even our hopeless police might start to notice a pattern to this....
 
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