Open 6:00 AM to 8:30 PM · No VAT added to any job
A van with no key is a working day lost, not an inconvenience. Replacement van keys start from £135 and a spare van key starts from £80, cut and programmed where the van is parked rather than after a recovery truck.
The van is open from 6:00 AM, which is why most van jobs are booked before the first drop rather than halfway through the round.
Get a van key quote
Vans are not simply larger cars. The key systems come from the commercial side of each manufacturer, and several of them behave differently to the cars sold under the same badge.
| Van make | Common models | What the key work involves |
|---|---|---|
| Ford | Transit, Transit Custom, Transit Connect, Ranger | Tibbe blades on older models and laser cut blades on newer ones, with the newer vans needing the security data read before a key is written in |
| Mercedes | Sprinter, Vito, Citan | Infrared keys on several generations, which are read and written differently to a standard transponder and often need the module handled on the bench |
| Volkswagen | Transporter, Caddy, Crafter | Later vans share the protected VAG platforms, where the security data is requested from the manufacturer rather than read from the vehicle |
| Vauxhall and Renault | Vivaro, Combo, Trafic, Master, Kangoo | Shared platforms across the two makes, with a card style key on some Renault models that is programmed rather than cut |
| Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat | Boxer, Partner, Expert, Relay, Berlingo, Ducato, Doblo | Largely the same key systems across all three badges, which is why one programmer covers the group |
| Nissan, Toyota, Iveco and Maxus | Primastar, NV200, Proace, Daily, Deliver 9 | Rebadged or shared platforms in most cases, identified from the registration before the visit |
Where the load area has its own separate lock, that key is cut as part of the same visit. Many van jobs also finish with a spare, which is set out on the {L} page.
A van job runs on the same four stages as a car, with the order driven by how quickly the vehicle has to be earning again.
The make, the model year and the key system are established on the phone, so the right blanks and the right programmer are in the van before Paul sets off rather than ordered afterwards.
For a company vehicle that means the logbook or a letter on company headed paper naming the driver, which is worth having ready because it is the step that most often holds a job up.
Entry is made without damage where the keys are inside or lost, the blade is cut to the code or to the lock, and the key is programmed to the immobiliser.
Both side doors, the load area and the ignition are tested. A second key cut in the same visit costs far less than a second call out later.
Six van jobs come up across the trade vehicles in the Wigan borough, and all six are carried out where the van is standing.
From £135
A new key created from the van when no working key is left, with the lost key deleted from the vehicle memory so it cannot be used again.
From £80
A second key cut and programmed from the working key. The cheapest key a van owner will ever buy and the one that prevents the other five jobs.
From £80
Entry without forcing the door or the lock, whether the keys are on the seat, in the load area or locked in a tool box inside it.
Quoted per van
Many vans use a separate lock for the back. That key is cut to the code or decoded from the lock in the same visit.
From £120
A van ignition turns many more times a day than a car ignition, so barrels wear sooner. A new barrel is coded to the keys you already carry.
Quoted per job
A heavier blade in a worn lock is how van keys break. The blade is extracted and a replacement cut, usually in one visit.
Slam locks, deadlocks and hook locks fitted by a security firm each use their own keys. Those are cut and replaced where the lock is a standard pattern, and that is confirmed from a photograph of the lock before the visit.
The price of the key is rarely the real cost of losing a van key. Four things stack up behind it, and they are the reason van jobs are quoted for speed rather than for the cheapest possible blade.
That is why the van carries the blanks and the programmers rather than ordering parts in, and why a van with two keys is a different business from a van with one.
Five pieces of information turn a van call into a firm quote in one conversation rather than three.
A photograph of the key, or of the lock on the back doors, settles anything the registration leaves open.
These pages cover the same jobs in more depth, for vans as well as cars.
Van work is carried out anywhere inside 25 miles of Wigan, including at depots and yards before the working day starts.
Every other town inside the radius is listed on the areas we cover page.
Two guides cover the costs and the key types behind a van key.
A replacement van key starts from £135 where no working key is left, and a spare van key starts from £80 where one still works. No VAT is added to either, because Locked Out is not VAT registered. The figure moves with the make, the model year and the key type.
Yes. The cutting machine, the blanks and the programmers all travel in the van, so the key is created at the vehicle. That matters more on a van than a car, because the alternative is a recovery truck with a loaded vehicle on the back.
From 6:00 AM, which is the reason the day starts that early. A van needing a key before the first drop is dealt with before the working day rather than during it, and the last appointments run to 8:30 PM.
The logbook naming the company, or a letter on company headed paper authorising the driver, along with identification for the person at the vehicle. That is the step that most often delays a van job, so it is worth having ready before Paul arrives.
Yes, where the load area uses a separate lock. That key is cut to the code or decoded from the lock during the same visit, so the van is not left with a working cab and a locked back.
All the common commercial makes, including Ford, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Nissan, Toyota, Iveco and Maxus. Give the registration and the system is confirmed before the visit.
Where it is the correct part number for the model year, is on the right frequency and has not already been locked to another vehicle. Van keys are more often the wrong part than car keys, because the commercial models change part numbers mid generation.
For a vehicle that earns money, it is the cheapest insurance available. A spare costs from £80 while a working key exists, against from £135 plus a lost working day once the only key has gone.
Keys for standard pattern slam locks, deadlocks and hook locks are cut and replaced. Send a photograph of the lock before the visit, because the aftermarket patterns vary and that is what confirms whether the key can be made.
Van Off the Road?
Call with the registration. Replacement van keys start from £135 and the day starts at 6:00 AM.