Everyone knows that the key that opens and starts the car looks differently than a key that would open your front door or the lock on your gate. Car keys are usually longer and bigger than a normal house key and lots of times they have a larger plastic piece at the top that will display the make of the car you are driving. Have you ever wondered what each type is called and what the difference between them is?
California Lock and Key has a breakdown of each kind of automotive car key.
Traditional Cut Key: This is a very popular method to cutting car keys and is the same method that is used on cutting keys for homes and offices as well. The mechanical machine is set up to the exact specifics of that particular key and uses drills and other machinery to make the necessary cuts.
Laser Cut Keys: This type of key cutting is a newer technique and has a lot of advantages to keep your car key safe from break in. The way that these keys are made make it much harder for the lock to be picked because the process uses lock cylinders. They are also much harder to duplicate and need to be done by another laser key cutting process.
Transponder Car Keys: These types of keys are very popular and are a great type of key that makes the car more secure. They can be cut using either method above (traditional and laser cut). How they are cut is dependent on what car company you are getting the car from. Some car companies have moved to laser cuts while others still use the traditional mechanical cut. The transponder is set up with a microchip in the handle which is helpful in key fraud duplication.
Smart Car Keys: This is the new style of key that is not used like a standard key at all. This micro chipped key is set up with sensors that make it so that you can open the car and start it without even using the key at all. You can use this technology as long as you are close enough to the vehicle for the sensors to activate it.
Valet Car Keys: This is a great key that many cars will come with for the purpose of valet options. When you valet the car you can offer this specific key to the valet attendant instead of the normal everyday key that you would use. The key has a small modification so that the valet attendant can only open the doors of the car and start the ignition. They cannot get access to the trunk, glove box and any other locked areas of the vehicle.
