Open 6:00 AM to 8:30 PM · No VAT added to any job
When a car key is stolen, replacing it is only half the job. The stolen key has to be deleted from the vehicle, or whoever has it can still unlock the doors and start the engine.
Locked Out replaces a stolen key from £135 with no VAT and deletes every key the vehicle no longer needs, at your home or wherever the vehicle is parked.
Tell Paul what happened
Three things matter in the first hour, and the order of them matters as well.
If a spare key exists, move the vehicle away from the address the thief now knows about, or at least off the road and onto a drive.
Ask for a crime reference number. Insurers ask for it, and so do the DVLA and finance companies if the vehicle later has to be dealt with.
Policies differ on stolen keys, and some require the locks or the keys to be dealt with within a set time for cover to hold.
A stolen key is treated differently from a lost one, because a stolen key is assumed to be in somebody else hands rather than down the back of a sofa.
| Situation | What it costs | What Locked Out does |
|---|---|---|
| Keys stolen, a spare still works | From £80 | A new key is cut from the spare and every stolen key is deleted from the vehicle |
| Every key stolen | From £135 | The vehicle is opened, a new key is created and all previous keys are deleted |
| Keyless or smart key stolen | Quoted on the make | The same work, with the smart key supplied and paired, and the old key removed from the system |
| Stolen with house keys attached | From £135 | The vehicle side is dealt with the same day, and a house locksmith handles the door locks |
| Thief tried the locks or the ignition | Quoted per job | Damaged locks or a damaged barrel are replaced and coded to the new key |
Deleting the old keys is included in the job rather than charged as an extra, because a replacement key that leaves the stolen one working is not a replacement at all.
Every key that has been programmed to a vehicle stays in its memory until somebody removes it. Cutting a new key does not touch that list, which is why a stolen key keeps working long after a new one has been made.
When Paul programmes a replacement after a theft, the keys the vehicle recognises are wiped and only the keys in your hand are written back. From that moment the stolen key opens nothing and starts nothing.
This is also the reason to say the key was stolen rather than lost when you call. A {L} can be done without clearing the memory, and on a theft that would leave the vehicle exactly as exposed as it was before the visit.
Four patterns cover most of the stolen key calls Paul takes, and each one changes what needs doing next.
Most common
Keys lifted through a letterbox or taken during a break in, which is why the vehicle is usually gone or targeted within hours.
Very common
A gym locker, a pub, a workplace. The thief has the key but often not the address, so the vehicle itself is the next thing they look for.
Growing
The key never leaves the house. The signal is picked up from near a door or a window and relayed to the vehicle on the drive, so the key is still yours but the vehicle is not.
Avoidable
A key copied or kept during a viewing, which is why a vehicle sold privately is worth re keying rather than trusting the number of keys you were handed.
A keyless vehicle that was taken by relay does not need a new key at all in some cases. It needs the keys it knows deleted and a signal blocking pouch used from then on.
Once the keys are dealt with, four habits cover the gap that let the theft happen.
None of these replace deleting the stolen key. They are what stops the next attempt, not what fixes this one.
These jobs sit alongside a stolen key.
A stolen key is replaced anywhere inside 25 miles of Wigan, and the visit happens at your address rather than a shop.
Every other town inside the radius is on the areas we cover page.
These pages cover theft and the keys that make it possible.
Yes, the keys a vehicle recognises are wiped during programming and only the keys in your hand are written back, so the stolen key stops working on the doors and the ignition.
From £135 with no VAT when every key is gone, or from £80 when a working key is still in your hands. Keyless keys are quoted on the make.
Yes, always say it was stolen. A theft means the old keys are cleared from the vehicle, and a lost key job can be done without that step.
No, the work can be done without one, but report it anyway. Insurers and finance companies ask for a crime reference number, and it protects you if the vehicle is used.
Only when the policy includes key cover, which many insurers sell as an add on. Check the limit and the excess against the price of the job before claiming.
Not always. If the keys are still yours and the vehicle is recovered, deleting the keys it recognises and re pairing yours is often enough, along with a signal blocking pouch from then on.
Yes, the work happens wherever the vehicle is parked, and after a theft the home address is usually the safest place to do it.
A damaged lock or barrel is replaced and coded to your new key, which is quoted once Paul sees what was forced.
Car Keys Stolen?
Call 07900 885231. The new key and the deletion of the stolen one are the same visit.