Whenever I buy a new car (not often), I always get a spare key cut for it. Nowadays, a lot of keys are coded and programmed to the specific car. Result - if you lose your keys way out in Whoop Whoop, you are in deep doggie doos. Often the cars come with 3 coded keys - one called a Valet key which doesn't unlock the glovebox. You can use this as your spare key wired under the car somewhere, or in my case, I got another key cut (non-coded) and wired it under the car. The coded key was kept inside the car so that I could get into the car without causing damage to it and get the spare key to drive home.

All this came about from an incident I witnessed in my local dealer. A young lad was skiing at Perisher and lost the keys to his Mum's Mitsubishi Mirage. Call the NRMA. They went up with a flat top truck and brought the car into Cooma. Phonecall to Mum to authorise getting a new key cut. Then phonecall to Mitsubishi in Adelaide to get the code for the key. Then a key was cut by the local locksmith. Then it had to be coded with the Mits computer. Cost so far, in excess of $650. Then, when the car got back to Sydney it had to go to the dealer there so that the other key could be recoded and therefore useable.. Then there was the damage caused to the car getting in to it as well. That was back in 2001. How much for the service now?

My latest cars do not have Valet keys, so I had to get new keys cut and coded. For my wife's car, the local dealer got a key cut by the local locksmith and tried 4 times to get the key coded. It still doesn't unlock the doors remotely (the key works mechanically and starts the car). It cost me $320 and that was discounted because of the stuffing around that they caused. Not happy. Next car (mine), I was at Dandenong Market near Melbourne, and there is a locksmith in a caravan there. I asked him if he could cut and code a key for me. Yes Sir - $65 for the lot! He needs the car to check the coding in the car, so it has to be parked near to the van. Alltold, he spent about 15 minutes with mine, but he got a key which does duplicate the code on my original key (and starts the car). This key doesn't remotely unlock the door, but what the heck - it is there if I need it. I also have a spare (non-coded) key wired underneath each vehicle so that I can get into it without damage, but if it is found it cannot be used to drive away. The coded key is hidden inside the vehicle.

Naturally, I have never needed the spare coded key for any of my vehicles, but they are there if I should ever need them.