Inta-Lock Car Key Blog
The Inta-Lock car key blog holds 24 articles on car keys, car locks and the work of an auto locksmith, and every article was updated in October 2026.
Each article answers one question. The articles are set out in four subjects below, replacement and lost keys, how car keys work, key and lock faults, and car security. Four longer guides sit above them as the place to start.
Inta-Lock is a mobile auto locksmith serving Leicester and Leicestershire. No price list is published, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
Where to Start
Two guides cover the whole subject and lead to the articles, and two more cover a wet key and the SERMI scheme.
Car Key Replacement Guide, How a Car Key Is Replaced
Car key replacement works in five stages, the key type is identified, the cuts are sourced, the blade is cut, the new key is programmed to the car, and missing keys are removed from the immobiliser memory.
Why Is My Car Key Not Working?
A car key stops working because of a flat key fob battery, a fault in the remote electronics, a worn blade, a transponder chip the immobiliser does not accept, a fault in the lock or a flat car battery.
What to Do With a Water Damaged Car Key
A water damaged car key is taken out of the water, wiped until it is completely dry, kept away from heat and left unpressed, and the spare key is used until the wet key has been checked.
What Is SERMI Accreditation and What Does It Allow?
SERMI is the scheme, named after security related repair and maintenance information, under which independent businesses are approved and their employees authorised to access the security information of vehicle manufacturers.
Replacement and Lost Key Articles
Eight articles cover a lost key, a key with no original, the cost factors and the choice of who makes the key.
Getting a Replacement Car Key Without the Original
A replacement car key is made without the original by an auto locksmith who cuts a new blade to the locks of the vehicle and programs a new transponder to its immobiliser, at the place the vehicle stands.
What to Do When You Lose Your Car Keys
When you lose your car keys, search the last places they were used, check the car, fetch the spare key, report a theft to the police, and call an auto locksmith when no key is left.
What to Do When Rental Car Keys Are Lost
When rental car keys are lost, call the hire company on the number in the rental agreement before anyone else, because the car belongs to the hire company and the agreement decides who replaces the key.
What Sets the Cost of a Replacement Car Key
The cost of a replacement car key is set by the key type, the keys still held, the make and its security system, the time, the place and the route.
Key Fob Replacement Cost and Process
The cost of a key fob replacement is set by the fob type, the car, the working keys left and the location, and the process runs from a quote to a fob programmed and tested at the car.
Auto Locksmith or Dealership for a Replacement Key
An auto locksmith is the route for a replacement key made at the car where it stands, and a dealership is the route for a model whose key system the manufacturer keeps inside its own network.
Is Car Key Insurance Worth It
Whether car key insurance is worth it depends on four figures, the premium, the claim limit, the excess and the cost of a replacement key for the car, and on whether an existing policy already covers the keys.
How an Auto Locksmith Verifies Car Ownership
An auto locksmith verifies car ownership by checking identity and authority to request the work, so photo identification is compared with a document that ties the person to the vehicle, such as the V5C vehicle registration certificate.
Articles on How Car Keys Work
Seven articles explain the key types, the blade, the chip, the immobiliser and the trade itself.
Types of Car Keys and Which One Your Car Uses
The types of car keys are the mechanical key, the transponder key, the remote key, the flip key and the smart key, and the buttons, the blade and the way the engine starts show which one a car uses.
How Car Key Cutting Works
Car key cutting works by a machine removing metal from a blank blade until its cuts match the depths and positions that one lock reads, either by tracing a working key or by following the key code.
What Car Key Programming Is
Car key programming is the electronic registration of a key with the immobiliser of the vehicle, so that the chip inside the key is recognised and the engine starts.
High Security Car Keys Explained
A high security car key is a key whose blade carries a groove milled into its flat face, also called a laser cut or sidewinder key, and whose transponder chip is checked by the immobiliser before the engine starts.
What a Car Immobiliser Is and How It Works
A car immobiliser is an electronic security system that stops the engine from starting unless it recognises a coded key, and it works by reading a transponder chip in the key each time the ignition is switched on.
Keyless Entry Systems Explained
A keyless entry system unlocks a car when it detects its own key close to the door, through a coded radio exchange between the car and the key, so no button is pressed and no blade is turned.
What an Auto Locksmith Actually Does
An auto locksmith cuts and programs car keys, opens locked vehicles by non destructive entry, extracts broken keys, and repairs the locks, ignition and immobiliser faults that stop a car from being opened or started.
Key and Lock Fault Articles
Eight articles sort a fault by what the key or the lock does.
When a Car Key Will Not Unlock the Door
A car key does not unlock the door when the remote battery is flat, the battery of the car is flat, the key blade or the door lock is worn, or the lock is blocked by dirt or ice.
When a Car Key Will Not Turn in the Ignition
A car key refuses to turn in the ignition because the steering lock is under load, the gear selector is out of Park, the key is worn or bent, or the ignition barrel is worn or blocked.
What to Do When a Car Key Sticks in the Door Lock
When a car key is stuck in the door lock, stop pulling, because a car lock releases its key only in the position the key went in at, and pliers or force snap the blade.
How a Broken Car Key Is Extracted
A broken car key is extracted through the keyway, where a thin extraction tool slides in beside the snapped blade, catches its cuts and draws the fragment out, with the lock left in place in the vehicle.
Why a Car Locks Itself Automatically
A car locks itself automatically because a locking feature built into the central locking has run as designed, or because a fault in the key fob, a door latch or the wiring has sent a lock command that nobody gave.
How an Auto Locksmith Unlocks a Car Without Damage
An auto locksmith unlocks a car without damage by non destructive entry, which opens the door through its own lock with tools made for that lock, so no glass is broken, no door is bent and no lock is drilled.
How to Remove Rust From Car Keys
Rust is removed from a car key by soaking the metal blade alone in white vinegar, brushing the cuts with a soft brush, rinsing, drying the blade fully and wiping on a thin film of light oil.
How to Maintain Car Keys and Locks
Car keys and locks are maintained by keeping the key blade clean and straight, the fob dry with a fresh battery, and each lock clean and lubricated as the handbook of the car states.
Car Security Articles
One article covers keyless theft and the measures that stop it.
How Keyless Car Theft Happens and How to Stop It
Keyless car theft happens when a device fools the car into reading its key as close by, and it is stopped by blocking the signal of the key, adding a physical lock and adding a second immobiliser.
A car key question that needs a locksmith in Leicester goes to Matt, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day.