Car Key Cutting in Leicester at Your Vehicle
Inta-Lock cuts car keys at your vehicle in Leicester, from a working key, from the key code or from the lock itself.
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Car key cutting is the shaping of the metal blade so that it turns the door lock and the ignition lock of one vehicle. Matt East cuts edge cut and laser cut blades on equipment carried in the van.
Matt is with you within the hour in Leicester, and the same day across Leicestershire. The quote for the cutting is agreed on the call, before work begins.
What a Cut Car Key Blade Does
A cut car key blade is the mechanical half of a key. It turns the locks, and on a car with an immobiliser it does not start the engine until the chip in the key is programmed.
- Turn the door lock it is cut for
- Turn the ignition lock on a car with a turn key ignition
- Open the driver door when the battery of the remote is flat
- Start an engine protected by an immobiliser
- Work the remote locking buttons
- Stand in for the transponder chip in the head of the key
Factory immobilisers have been standard on cars sold new in the United Kingdom since 1998, so on those vehicles the cutting of the key is the first half of the job. The second half is car key programming, where the chip in the key is coded to the immobiliser.
Car Key Blade Types and Cutting Methods
Six blade types are set out below, and the type of blade decides how the key is cut, what data the cut starts from and what follows.
| Blade type | How it is cut | Data the cut starts from | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge cut blade with no chip | Notches are cut along one edge or both edges of a flat blank | A sound working key, or the key code | Tried in the locks. Cutting is the whole job on a vehicle with no immobiliser |
| Edge cut blade with a transponder | Notches are cut along the edges of a flat blank that carries a chip in its head | A sound working key, or the key code | Tried in the locks, then the chip is programmed to the immobiliser |
| Laser cut blade, internal track | A winding groove of constant depth is milled into the face of a thicker blank | The key code, or a sound working key | Tried in the locks, then the chip is programmed |
| Laser cut blade, external track | The winding track is milled along the outer edges of the blank, which leaves a raised centre | The key code, or a sound working key | Tried in the locks, then the chip is programmed |
| Flip key blade | The blade is cut as an edge cut or a laser cut type, then fixed into the folding fob | A sound working key, or the key code | Fitted to the fob and tried in the locks, then the chip and the remote are programmed |
| Emergency blade of a proximity fob | A short blade is cut to slide into the body of the fob | The key code, or the blade of a second fob | Tried in the driver door lock. The fob is programmed as a separate job |
The term laser cut describes the look of the milled track. The blade is shaped by a milling cutter, and no laser touches the key. Which blade types are cut for your own vehicle is confirmed on the call.
Three Sources for the Cuts of a Key
Three sources supply the cuts for a car key, and the condition of the existing key decides which one is used.
When no working key is present, identity and authority to request the work are checked before any key data is obtained. Inta-Lock is SERMI accredited, the scheme under which independent operators request security related repair information from vehicle manufacturers.
A car key cut at your vehicle in Leicester, to the lock and not to the wear.
Call Matt on 0116 442 2084Why a Worn Car Key Is Not Copied
A worn car key is not copied, because copying measures the blade as it is today and carries the wear across to the new key.
A blade loses a little metal each time it slides past the wafers of the lock. Over the years the sharp angles round off and the heights of the cuts drift away from the figures the lock was built to.
A key in that state often turns only with a wiggle, and a duplicate taken from it starts life with the same fault. A poorly fitting blade also puts extra wear on the wafers of the lock.
For a worn key the blade is cut to the key code instead, or to the decoded lock, so the new key returns to the original figures.
The Key Cutting Visit From Call to Test
Five steps take the car key from the first call to a blade tried in the lock.
- Call Matt on 0116 442 2084 with the make, model, year and registration, and say whether a working key is present. The quote is agreed on that call.
- Matt arrives at the vehicle, and identity and authority to request the work are checked.
- The blade type is identified and the source of the cuts is chosen, a sound key, the key code or the lock.
- The blade is cut on equipment carried in the van, beside the car.
- The new key is tried in the door lock and the ignition lock with you present. Where the key carries a chip, programming follows.
Matt East Cuts the Key at the Vehicle
Matt East handles and attends key cutting work himself, so the person who cuts the blade is the person who tries it in the lock. His locksmith training dates from 2011, and his automotive work and equipment from 2019.
The van carries the equipment for the work, Xhorse equipment included, and the car key is cut where the vehicle stands. More than 1,000 jobs stand behind the work.
- SERMI Accredited
- NCFE Qualified
- NNAL Member
- Enhanced DBS Checked
- Insured to £5 Million
What Leicester Customers Write About Inta-Lock
The Leicester listing of Inta-Lock carries a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 51 Google reviews, and the reviews are shown below.
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Where Car Keys Are Cut Across Leicester
Car key cutting is a mobile service, carried out at a home, a workplace or the roadside across Leicester and Leicestershire. Matt is with you within the hour in Leicester, and the same day across Leicestershire.
Calls are answered 24 hours a day, on every day of the year.
Leicester AreasView All Areas We CoverCar Key Cutting and the Jobs Beside It
Four situations sit close to car key cutting. Two are alternative routes to a cut blade, and two are separate jobs.
Cutting to Code Compared With Copying a Key
Comparison. Both methods produce a blade for the same lock, on the same type of blank.
Differences. Copying starts from a key and reproduces its cuts as they are today. Cutting to code starts from the key code and reproduces the cuts as the lock was built.
Similarities. Both blades are tried in the locks of the vehicle, and both are followed by programming where the key carries a chip.
Effects. A copy suits a key in sound condition, which is the usual starting point for a spare car key. A cut to code suits a worn key or a car with no key present.
Mobile Cutting Compared With a Shop Counter
Comparison. Both cut a metal blade from a blank for a car key.
Differences. A shop counter works from the key handed across it, with the car elsewhere. Mobile cutting takes place beside the car, where the cut is taken from the key code when the old key is worn.
Similarities. Either route leaves the chip unprogrammed until a programming step is carried out, so a blade on its own does not start an immobilised car.
Effects. A blade cut beside the car is tried in the lock before the job ends, whether the car stands on a driveway in Belgrave or in a work car park.
A Blade Snapped in the Lock or Ignition
A snapped blade is a different job from car key cutting, because the broken piece sits inside the lock and no new key enters until it is out.
The piece is removed first under broken car key extraction. The two halves of the blade then supply the cuts for the new key, or the key is cut to code where the halves are too worn or damaged to measure.
A Correct Key That Still Turns Stiffly
A key cut to code that still turns stiffly points to the lock and not to the blade.
Worn or seized wafers inside a door lock resist a correct key in the same way they resist a worn one. That fault belongs to car door lock repair, and cutting another key does not cure it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a newly cut key start the car?
A newly cut key starts the car only where the vehicle has no immobiliser, or once the chip in the key is programmed to the immobiliser.
Until then the blade turns the locks and the engine stays off. Whether your own key carries a chip is confirmed on the call.
Is a car key cut without the original key?
Yes, a car key is cut without the original, from the key code or from a lock decoded on the vehicle where that is required.
Identity and authority to request the work are checked first. Decoding applies on supported vehicles.
What is the difference between an edge cut and a laser cut key?
An edge cut key carries notches along the edges of a flat blade, and a laser cut key carries a winding track milled into a thicker blade.
The two are cut by different methods on different blanks, and neither blade programmes the chip.
Is a worn car key copied as it stands?
No, a worn car key is not copied as it stands, because a copy carries the wear across to the new blade.
The new key is cut to the key code or to the decoded lock instead.
Is identification asked for before a car key is cut?
Yes, identity and authority to request the work are checked before a car key is cut.
The V5C vehicle registration certificate, which names the registered keeper, and photo identification are common examples. What applies to your own vehicle is confirmed on the call.
How much does car key cutting cost in Leicester?
The cost of car key cutting in Leicester depends on the blade type, the source of the cuts and whether programming follows, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
No price list is published. The quote is given on the call from the make, model, year and registration.
How long does car key cutting take?
The time for car key cutting depends on the blade type and on whether the cuts come from a working key, the key code or a decoded lock.
The time for your own vehicle is confirmed on the call.
Car key cutting in Leicester starts with a call to Matt on 0116 442 2084.