Car and van keys, cut and programmed while you wait

These are the vans that come through the door for spare keys most often, with the model years we see most. They are the popular ones, not the only ones: if your van is a year or two outside the range, or a different make altogether, phone us before you set off and we'll tell you whether we can do it.

Two things have to happen for a spare key to work. The blade has to be cut so it turns the locks and the ignition, and the chip inside the key has to be programmed so the van's immobiliser recognises it. A key that is only cut will open the door and turn in the ignition, but the van won't start. We do both.

You bring the van and your existing key to the garage. The new blade is cut to match, the transponder is coded to your van, the remote buttons are paired, and then the key is tried in the van: locks, ignition and starting. For the popular vans that is done while you wait, so you leave with two working keys rather than a van sat in a workshop.

The words get used loosely, so here is what each one means and which of them we do. Key cutting is the mechanical part: shaping a new blade so it turns your locks and ignition, which is what a shoe repairer or a hardware shop does for a house key. Car key cutting on its own isn't enough for anything built in the last twenty five years, because of the next part.

Key programming, also called key coding, is teaching the vehicle to accept the new key. Every modern car key and van key carries a transponder chip that the immobiliser checks before the engine will start, and a remote key or key fob has a second chip for the locking buttons. We programme both, so the spare starts the vehicle and locks it, the same as the original.

An auto locksmith is usually a mobile specialist who comes to the vehicle, and the term covers everything from a spare key to lock repairs and making a key for a vehicle that has none. We're a garage with the key cutting and programming equipment for spares and duplicates, done here at the garage. If what you need is a lock opened or a key made for a vehicle with no key at all, say so when you call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's us or someone else.

Vans are where most of our key work is, and the vans listed above are the ones we see most. The same equipment cuts and programmes spare car keys, from a basic transponder key to a flip key or remote fob, for a growing list of makes and models. Ford, Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot are the natural starting points given the vans we do, and more are being added.

Rather than print a list of car makes that is out of date within a month, we'd ask you to phone with the make, model and year. You'll get a yes or a no on the call, and if it's a yes, the spare key is usually cut and coded while you wait.

A car with a lost key is an inconvenience. A van with a lost key is a day's work gone, and often a customer let down. When the only key disappears the van usually has to be recovered to a dealer or a locksmith and a key made from scratch, which takes longer and costs a good deal more than a spare cut while you still have the original.

That's the whole point of getting a spare cut now, while it's a small job: one key in the van, one at home or in the office, and nobody's day depends on a single piece of plastic.

Give us a call. We cut keys for more vans than the ones above and we're adding makes and models all the time, so we'd rather say yes or no over the phone than have you drive over for nothing. If you've lost every key to the van, tell us that too: it is a different job from cutting a spare, and we'll point you to the quickest way to get the van moving again.

People searching for van key cutting near me often find the choice is a dealer appointment weeks away or a locksmith on the forecourt. We're an independent garage on the A308 at Bray, open Monday to Friday and Saturday morning, and you can combine the key with a service, tyres or any other work while the van is with us.