What You Should Know About Transponder Keys In Modern Cars

19 February 2021
 Categories: , Blog


In the past, cars had simple keys. Nowadays, though, they typically have transponder keys. As someone who might not know much about keys, you likely don't know what these keys are, why they are important, or what owning a car with transponder keys means for you. These are some of the things that you might want to know about transponder keys in modern cars.

There's a Good Chance Your Car Has Transponder Keys

Transponder keys are the industry standard nowadays and have been for quite some time now. Therefore, if you have a modern vehicle, there is a very good chance that your car has transponder keys instead of more traditional keys.

Transponder Keys Have Their Benefits

You could be wondering why car manufacturers stopped making more traditional keys for accessing and starting their cars. There are a few reasons for this, including the fact that transponder keys provide a much higher level of security for vehicles than more traditional keys do. They cannot be copied nearly as easily, for one thing. Additionally, a transponder key will not work if there is anything "off" with the key, such as if the serial number doesn't match the vehicle precisely. Additionally, if someone breaks your ignition lock or hot-wires your car, they will not be able to get your car to start. As you can probably imagine, these are all good things that help protect you as a vehicle owner, which is the primary reason why car manufacturers started using these keys for their vehicles.

Transponder Keys Can Be More Costly

Although there are many advantages of cars having transponder keys, there are a couple of things you should know. For one thing, since these keys have to be programmed with special equipment, you can't just have a key made at any hardware store counter like you can a traditional key. Because the professionals who program these keys have to have special equipment to do so — and because these professionals have to have proper training to know how to use this equipment to make these keys — the cost of a transponder key is often more expensive. You might find that working with an automotive locksmith who specializes in making transponder keys is going to be your most affordable option if you need to have a key made for your vehicle, although you can always check with your local dealership, too. 

Contact a transponder key programming service for more information.


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