Lost Car Keys? Broken Car Keys? No Problem!

· 3 min read
Lost Car Keys? Broken Car Keys? No Problem!

Back in mists of time when automobiles first appeared on the roads instead of horses, their keys were basic at best, or more often did not exist at all. Early vehicles were open-topped and just had an ignition switch, as theft was never thought of as an issue then. In fact, potential thieves probably cannot drive those cars to begin with, and there have been so few around that their presence was obvious & most people knew the 'real' driver! Nothing changed much right up until the end of the 20th century. At that time, cars mostly were fitted with locks that were similar to those on house doors, though rather less complex.

The revolution involving car keys came a mere handful of years back. The turning point was when manufacturers started to look at fitting central locking to cars. Allowing all of the doors to be locked or unlocked in one point, this technique was the natural follow-on from the introduction of electronics into vehicle systems. Since that point, massive advances have already been made - and at an instant pace. Electronic vehicle systems hit the headlines with the changes resulting from the invention of the computer chip, and makers rapidly took advantage of the miniaturization these devices made possible. Combining computer chips with the energy of radio-wave technology finally gave vehicle designers to potential to offer systems where the key and the car could interact to perform various functions.

The necessity for increased vehicle security, largely dictated by the insurance industry, resulted in the next developments. Car companies now had the options open to them to utilize remote key 'fobs' which soon became a physical, miniature part of the key itself. This meant that as a driver, you merely had to push a button when near to a car to unlock the doors. Subsequent refinements meant that other things could be incorporated, and they soon were.  https://canvas.instructure.com/eportfolios/2087783/Home/The_benefits_of_Smart_Car_Keys  and sunroofs could possibly be closed at the touch of a button, and for convertibles, the hood could possibly be lowered or raised by remote control. Citroen remote keys, Ford remotes, Vauxhall remote keys, Peugeot remote keys... the list became never-ending as makers competed with one another to give customers an increasing number of possible functions triggered by their keys.

Things seemed to have reached the ultimate development, but technology stepped in once more, as makers started to consider whether a physical key and door lock was actually necessary at all. In the end, the presence of an external lock was all but an open invitation to car thieves.  Click for more  were the initial of the systems. Replacing a physical key, this was a thin, credit card that enabled the car to be unlocked at the push of a button so when inserted in the dashboard, allowed the automobile to be started. This technique reached its current ultimate in the hands of Mercedes Benz. With the Mercedes system, the card only needs to be in the pocket of a user. Merely touching the entranceway handle unlocks the car, which can then be started with a button on the dash.

This technology is remarkable with regards to ease of use, but like all technology it has its downsides. Lost car keys or broken car keys used to be an issue, but with the new technology the issue becomes a nightmare. Lose your remote key and you might have to not only purchase a new one from a main dealer, but also have to have all of the locks replaced. Neither an inexpensive job nor an instant one. However, as is indeed usually the case, technology produces an answer, then produces a problem, then produces a solution. Today there are numerous of car keys specialists who have the technology not merely to cut keys and program replacement key fobs from a preexisting key, but additionally to 'cut to code'. This remarkable technology takes advantage of the point that every vehicle isn't just different, but has all its information stored by the manufacturer. In the event that a key is completely lost, provided someone can prove legitimate ownership, then replacement car keys or remotes could be produced effectively from scratch. This service is currently being provided by a number of specialist companies.