Automotive Key Make

Have you lost your car keys and find yourself needing a replacement key? An automotive Salem locksmith would be able to produce a few different types of keys for your vehicle.

The most basic car key is the ‘laser cut key’. It possesses a rectangular blade with a wavy groove that is seen on both sides of the key. This key is made using a special key cutting machine and has the ability to open the doors and trunk of your car, but it cannot start the ignition. If you want to take your car for a spin, you will need to have the key programmed as well assuming your vehicle is equipped with a transponder system.

Automotive transponder keys

Transponder keys have a small chip in them at the bow (the bow is the part you hold as your keys is inserted into a lock). If your car key has a plastic casing around the bow then it most likely is a transponder. The chip within the transponder key is programmed in order to send and receive signals. This is what creates the name of the key: a transmitter and a responder in one equal a transponder.

When you insert a transponder key inside the ignition, your car’s computer sends out a signal that your transponder must respond to with a correct code. If the code is right, your ignition will start and if it is wrong you will be stuck. This is why you must have your car key programmed to your vehicle assuming it comes equipped with the transponder system. A car key programming is accomplished in various ways depending upon the make and model of your vehicle.

Another type of an anti-theft system is a VATS key which uses a resistor that is visible on the key blade which functions similarly to a transponder system. Transponder keys were majorly put into use in the late 1990’s in order to prevent theft. For additional theft prevention, vehicle ignition switches are now often combined with the locking of the steering column for extra security.

The history of automotive keys

In the early 1900s when cars were first becoming a huge deal, the main manufacturers were Renault, Ford, Mercedes and Stanley. The first line of cars available for purchase had to be physically cranked to start, and as more power was put into engines as technology progressed, the harder it would become to crank vehicle’s on. This created a need for what would be known as electric starter motors in the 1920s. These vehicles were started with a push of a button. Then, in 1949 Chrysler created the first ignition key, kind of like what is mostly used today.

Nowadays, we have keys that act like three keys in one. We have the mechanical part of the key to unlock the steering column, we have the programmed chip part of the key that receives and emits signals to the computer, and lastly we often have the fob of the key that locks and unlocks your car doors from afar. It seems as the utilization of car keys progressed to be handy, organized and highly secured.

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If you contact an automotive locksmith in Salem, he would be able to cut and program a new car key for you. Most professional locksmiths offer mobile service so they will come to your location and provide same day service.