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Home › Car Keys

Car key lost on vacation? A new one, on site.

Keys and fobs made and programmed right at the car, from Surfside to North Myrtle, after we see the paperwork.

Keys that went missing on vacation

Beach bags, golf carts, pool decks, boardwalk crowds: keys go missing in places you can't retrace. The car doesn't need to go anywhere. The technician comes to it with the equipment to make a new key and program it.

Driving home after the trip?

If you're a visitor with one key left, a spare made before the long drive home saves you a much worse call three states away.

Locksmith opening a locked car door in Myrtle Beach, SC
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Chip keys

Made for the door and coded for the ignition.

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Smart fobs

Programmed so the push-button start recognizes them.

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Remote heads

Cracked cases and dead buttons replaced.

Car key programmer plugged into the OBD port, SCKey cutting machine in the service vehicle, SC
Ambrose Locksmith & Key business card left at a job, SC

The car key visit

Here's how it runs.

  1. Car details

    What you drive, what year, and whether there's a key left that still works.

  2. Ownership check

    Photo ID with the registration or title.

  3. New key made

    Shaped to the locks, then programmed to the car.

  4. Tested together

    Doors, trunk, remote and start.

A key that may still be out there can be deleted from the car's memory, so it's useless to whoever finds it.

Salt water and fobs

Fobs don't like salt water or sand, and one that spent a day at the beach in a wet pocket often stops talking to the car. A new battery is the first thing to try; when the car still ignores the fob, the fob and the car's receiver get checked before a replacement is made.

Some newer models are dealer-only for keys, and you'll know on the call if yours is one.

Before the key is made

Many of the cars we see here belong to visitors: a family SUV from out of state packed for a week at the beach, a golfer's sedan in a course parking lot, a rental from the airport. Locals drive the same salty roads all year, and their keys and fobs take the sand and the humidity along with them, which is why worn blades and dead fob buttons are so common.

Have the registration or the rental agreement and your ID. Know the year, make and model and whether the car has push-button start. If the car belongs to a rental company, the company's rules come first, and some will want to handle the key themselves; we'll tell you on the call if that's the case, before anyone drives out.

You'll have a key made and programmed where the car is parked, tested on the doors, the trunk and the start, and, for anyone driving a long way home, a spare that turns the next lost key into a small problem instead of a stranded family. Keys that are gone for good can be removed from the car so they no longer start it. Rental and company cars are handled only with the right paperwork.

Questions about car keys

Can you make a key for an out-of-state car?

Yes. The registration can be from any state; it just needs to match your ID, or come with the owner's OK.

How long will I wait?

Most keys are finished in one visit, programming included.

Can you make a golf cart key?

Many of them, yes. Ask when you call.

My fob got soaked. Is it done?

Sometimes it recovers once dry. If not, a new one is programmed.

Do you make spare keys?

Yes, and it's worth it before a long drive home.

The car is registered to my employer.

Bring your ID and a letter or a phone call from the company confirming you can have a key made. The registration shows the company's name, so the company has the final say.

The car sat all winter and the battery is dead too.

Mention it when you call. The car needs power for a new key to be programmed and tested, so the battery has to be brought back first; the key itself can be made either way.

My key is stuck in the ignition.

Don't force it or pull hard with pliers. Sand and grit are common culprits here, and so is a worn key. The technician works out which, and a new key or a cleaned ignition is usually the answer.

Do you come to marinas and campgrounds?

Yes. Give us the marina or the park and exactly where the car is parked; out by the water a landmark is worth more than a street number, and keep your phone on so the technician can call you when close.

Is the estimate free?

Yes, and it's yours before any key is made.

Want it handled this afternoon?

Call us and we get a tech out to you.

Call now
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