You had a spare cut at Canadian Tire, Home Depot or a key kiosk, and it looks right: it opens the door and turns in the ignition. Then the dash lights up, the car won’t start, and your original key starts it first try. The cut is fine. Almost every car from about 2000 onward has an immobilizer, and the copy is missing the one thing the car checks before it lets the engine run: a chip programmed to your car. Here is what is going on, how I fix it at your car from $130, and when a copy isn’t worth saving.
Why a copy turns but won’t start
A car key does two jobs. The cuts on the blade work the lock and the ignition, and a small transponder chip in the head talks to the car’s immobilizer when you turn the key. If the immobilizer doesn’t recognize the chip, it won’t let the engine run, however good the cuts are. A key machine copies the cuts. It doesn’t program a chip to your car, and many copies have no chip at all: just a plain metal blank.
Some kiosks can clone certain older chips onto a special blank, and when that works, the copy starts the car. When the chip is a type the kiosk can’t clone, or the copy was cut on a plain blank, you get exactly this: a key that turns and a car that stays put. If you haven’t had a copy made yet, read what Canadian Tire, Home Depot and Minute Key can and can’t do first.
The signs
- The copy opens the doors and turns in the ignition, but the car won’t start
- Depending on the car, the engine cranks and won’t catch, starts for a second and dies, or does nothing at all
- A key or security light on the dash blinks or stays on
- Your original key starts the car right away, so the car itself is fine
If the copy seemed to work the first time, check whether the original was on the same key ring. The car can read the original’s chip while you turn the copy, and the copy stops starting the car as soon as it is used on its own.
How I fix it at your car
I come to you, check the copy and its chip, and if the chip is one your car accepts, I program the chip to your car on the spot. That is from $130 all-in, taxes included, and you pay only once the copy starts the car. One thing to know before you book: I don’t warranty a key I didn’t supply — not the key, and not my programming on it. My 1-year warranty covers the keys and fobs I supply, cut and program.
The same price applies to a key or fob you bought yourself online. Send me the listing first: I check for free that it is the right part for your car, and programming it is from $130, with the same rule on the warranty.
When the copy isn’t worth saving
If the copy was cut on a plain blank, there is no chip to program. If its chip is a type your car doesn’t accept, programming won’t take either. Then the honest answer is a proper spare: a new key, cut and programmed at your car, from $160 all-in, with my 1-year warranty, and the second key at the same visit is half price. You pay nothing for a copy I couldn’t program. And if the copy feels rough or sticks in the ignition, don’t force it: a badly cut blade can wear the lock, and a key cut properly is the better buy.
- A copy that turns but won’t start is missing a programmed chip
- I program the chip at your car from $130 — no warranty on a key I didn’t supply
- No usable chip? A proper spare is from $160, with my 1-year warranty
- You pay only once the key starts the car
What to send me
Your year, make and model, a photo of the copy and of your original key, and where the car is. From that I tell you whether the copy can be programmed and the exact all-in price before I set out. Send it on WhatsApp or Messenger.
I am a mobile locksmith, so I come to you at home, work or the roadside across Winnipeg and the surrounding area, including Selkirk, Lockport, St. Andrews, West St. Paul, Headingley, Stony Mountain, Stonewall, Oakbank and Niverville, 8 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week. The drive is free inside Winnipeg; outside the city a distance-based travel fee is part of the all-in price I give you before I set out. Before any work I check your vehicle registration and a matching photo ID to confirm the vehicle is yours.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does my copied car key turn but not start the car?
- Because the car has an immobilizer. The copy has the right cuts, so it opens the door and turns the ignition, but the chip in its head is missing or not programmed to your car, and the immobilizer won’t let the engine run without a chip it recognizes. Almost every car from about 2000 onward works this way.
- How much does it cost to program a copied car key?
- Programming the chip in a copy you already have starts from $130 all-in, taxes included, and I do it at your car. It works only if the copy has a chip your car accepts. I don’t warranty a key I didn’t supply — not the key, and not my programming on it.
- Can every copied key be programmed?
- No. A copy cut on a plain metal blank has no chip, so there is nothing to program, and some kiosk blanks carry a chip your car does not accept. Then a proper spare, cut and programmed at your car, is from $160 with my 1-year warranty, and you pay nothing for a copy I couldn’t program.
- Can Canadian Tire or Home Depot program the chip?
- No. A store kiosk or key counter cuts the blade, and some kiosks can clone certain older chips onto a special blank, but none of them program a key to your car’s immobilizer. That part is done at the car with programming equipment, which is what I bring to you.
- Why did my copy start the car once and then stop?
- Most likely the original key was on the same ring. The car can read the original’s chip while you turn the copy, so it starts, and it stops starting as soon as the copy is used on its own. That tells you the copy itself has no programmed chip.
Copied key won’t start your car?
Mobile auto locksmith — I come to you, 7 days a week.
Save my number to your phone — so it is there next time.
No Fix = No Pay · exact all-in price up front · 1-year warranty on keys I supply
Not sure what your copy has inside? Send a photo of it and your original key on WhatsApp or Messenger for an exact quote.