Once you buy a new car, chances are that you will want to do as much as you can to ensure that it lasts long without causing you too many problems. The main ways of doing this include making sure that you have insurance for the car, and also making sure that you service it as regularly as is needed. However, one other important thing most people tend to forget is having the right policies regarding the car’s keys. Losing your car keys is a pretty common thing to happen, and in many cases it can be devastating. Making sure that you approach this issue with the gravity it deserves will help you ensure that it doesn’t turn to be a huge problem for you in future. Some of the things you can try out to mitigate this include:
Get a copy of your keys as soon as you can
If you buy a new car, chances are that it will come with a set of extra keys, and you can keep these in areas where you can easily find them if you need them. However, when you buy a second hand car, this might not be possible. In most cases, you will find that the individual selling you the car will only have one key available.
In such cases, it’s important that you do as much as you can to get a duplicate of the key made. This way, in case of any loss, you will not have to break into the car or get a locksmith to remove the locks so that they can install new ones and give you the new keys.
Duplicating a car’s keys is not something that should be taken lightly. These days, the keys are designed to be very secure in order to reduce the chances of this happening. Some of the features they might have include the presence of codes that reduce the risk of poorly made duplicates opening the car doors or starting the ignition.
For this reason, you should always insist on having a high quality locksmith make the duplicates for you. Only one who fully understands how to make such keys would be competent enough to ensure that they do it correctly for you.
Consider replacing the locks as soon as you can
After you buy the car, there are times when it might make sense for you to replace the locks. For instance, if you bought the car on second hand basis and did not get the extra keys from the previous owner, it means that there are other keys out there that can open and start the car. There have been cases of people finding that their cars are stolen this way. By replacing the locks, you will ensure that even if someone else has the keys to your car, they will not be able to access it.
You can also do this if you are suspicious of the seller. For instance, there are some sellers who will make duplicates of the keys they have. This means that even if they hand you all the keys to the car, they might still be able to open the doors and start it.
Keep an eye on the quality of the locks and keys
When you buy a used car, you should also be very keen on finding out whether the keys and locks work properly. If the keys are too worn out, for instance, you may find that they easily slip into and out of the locks. At some point in time, you may find that the locks simply stop responding to the keys, since they will have been smoothened out. In such cases, you may be locked out of your car or find it difficult to start it.
The same goes for the locks. When the locks are too worn out, they tend to open even if the wrong key is used on them. In the very worst cases, you could open the locks by simply using a solid object such as a screwdriver.
If you are a car owner and note such problems, it would be wise for you to simply replace the keys and locks rather than wait for the problem to become much worse.
As you can see, there are many special considerations you need to make in as far as car keys and locks are concerned. Whenever you need a locksmith to do any of the above for you, you should always make sure that they are qualified to do such work. This is the only way to ensure that you end up getting good value for money. Remember, most car keys these days are very complicated, and some may even need to be cut using laser technology. If you use a regular locksmith, they are likely to produce keys that won’t work at all.