What should I send to get an exact car key price?

Five things in one message: year, make and model; what you need; whether a key still starts the car and if it is push-button start; where the car is; and a photo of the key, both sides, or the VIN. With those I can reply with the exact all-in price.

How much will my key cost once I send all this?

A spare key or fob starts from $160, a push-to-start smart key from $170, a new key when all keys are lost from $200, and a lockout from $150, all-in with taxes included. Some makes cost more; your message tells me which number applies, and I send that exact number before I set out. Outside Winnipeg a travel fee by distance is already included in it.

I have no key left. What do I photograph?

The VIN instead: the plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side, readable from outside the car, the sticker in the driver’s door jamb, or your registration. A photo beats typing, because one wrong character points to a different vehicle.

Can I send my message at night?

Yes. Text, WhatsApp or Messenger any time. Messages that come in overnight get an answer from 8 AM, and calls are 8 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week.

Why do you need to know where the car is?

Because the trip is free only inside Winnipeg. Outside the city there is a travel fee by distance, and I include it in the all-in price I send you, so the number in my reply is the number you pay.

What to Send for an Exact Car Key Price in One Message

Most of my work starts with a message, and whether you get a price in one reply or a long back-and-forth depends on what that first message contains. “How much for a key?” is fair, but I cannot answer it without asking four more questions. This is a step-by-step guide to the one message that gets an exact, all-in number back. If you want to know why I ask for each detail, that is covered in why I ask for a key photo and your VIN; this page is the how.

Step 1: The vehicle — year, make and model

Write the model year, the make and the model the way they appear on your registration: “2017 Toyota RAV4”, not “a Toyota SUV”. If a trim name is printed on the back of the car — LE, XLE, Limited, Sport — add it, because the same model can leave the factory with different keys depending on the trim and options. Not sure of the year? It is on the registration, and it is also the 10th character of the VIN (more on that below).

Step 2: What you need done

One short line is enough: a spare key, a replacement for a lost key, a fob whose buttons stopped working, or you are locked out. If you need two keys — say, a lost key and a backup — put both in the same message. The second key for the same car is half price at the same visit, and I can price both in one reply.

Step 3: Does a key still start the car?

This one yes or no moves the price more than anything else. If you still have a key that starts the car, a copy is a spare job, from $160. If nothing starts it any more, a new key has to be made from scratch, which is an all-keys-lost job from $200. Add one more detail: do you start the car by turning a key or by pressing a button? A push-to-start smart key starts from $170.

Be exact: “the key turns but the engine will not start”, “the buttons are dead but it still starts” and “it starts only sometimes” are three different jobs.

Step 4: Where the car is

Give the neighbourhood and a cross street, or the town. Inside Winnipeg there is no charge for the trip. Outside the city — Selkirk, Stonewall, Gimli and the rest — there is a travel fee by distance, and it is already included in the all-in price I send you, so there is no surprise at the car. If the car is in a parkade, an underground lot or a gated yard, mention that too.

Step 5: A photo of the key, or the VIN if there is no key

A photo lets me identify the exact blank, chip and fob before I leave. What makes it useful:

Both sides of the key or fob, in daylight or under a bright light, on a plain surface.
The whole key in the frame — the head, the buttons and the full blade (flip it out if it folds).
If there is a number or code stamped on the blade or printed on the back of the fob, add a close-up of it.
One photo of each different key you have, including the one that no longer works.

Remote-head car keys with built-in buttons and chip for Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Ram, Subaru and Toyota — Remote-head keys look alike from across the room. A clear photo of both sides tells me which one your car takes.

If there is no key left to photograph, the VIN does the same job: it tells me which key your car left the factory with.

Where to find your VIN

The VIN is a 17-character code of letters and numbers. It never uses the letters I, O or Q, so if you think you see an O, it is a zero. It is in three easy places:

On a small plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside the car — handy when you are locked out.
On the sticker in the driver's door jamb.
On your registration and your insurance papers.

A photo of the VIN beats typing it, because one wrong character points to a different vehicle. The 10th character is the model year: R means 2024 and S means 2025, for example.

A message you can copy

Paste this into WhatsApp, Messenger or a text, fill in the blanks and attach the photos:

Car: year, make, model (and trim if you know it)
What I need: spare / lost key / fob / locked out
A key still starts it: yes / no — push-button start: yes / no
Where the car is: neighbourhood and cross street, or town
Attached: photos of the key, both sides — or the VIN

The WhatsApp button on this page opens a chat with most of these lines already filled in.

A short message versus a complete one

“Hi, how much for a car key?” gets a reply full of questions: which car, what happened, does a key still work, where is it. Each answer is another round, and at night each round waits for the morning.

“2016 Honda Civic, lost my only key, push-button start, car is at home in St. Vital, VIN photo attached” gets the price back — the exact all-in number with taxes included — and then we only have to agree on a time.

What happens after you send it

Send it any time: messages that arrive overnight get an answer from 8 AM, and calls are 8 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week. When the details are complete, my reply is the all-in price, taxes included. If it is a job I cannot do — a 2025 or newer Ram, for example, which I explain in the article on the security gateway — I tell you that instead of guessing. At the car I check your registration and a matching photo ID before any key is cut or programmed, and you pay only once the key works.

Frequently asked questions

What should I send to get an exact car key price?: Five things in one message: year, make and model; what you need; whether a key still starts the car and if it is push-button start; where the car is; and a photo of the key, both sides, or the VIN. With those I can reply with the exact all-in price.
How much will my key cost once I send all this?: A spare key or fob starts from $160, a push-to-start smart key from $170, a new key when all keys are lost from $200, and a lockout from $150, all-in with taxes included. Some makes cost more; your message tells me which number applies, and I send that exact number before I set out. Outside Winnipeg a travel fee by distance is already included in it.
I have no key left. What do I photograph?: The VIN instead: the plate at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side, readable from outside the car, the sticker in the driver’s door jamb, or your registration. A photo beats typing, because one wrong character points to a different vehicle.
Can I send my message at night?: Yes. Text, WhatsApp or Messenger any time. Messages that come in overnight get an answer from 8 AM, and calls are 8 AM to 9 PM, 7 days a week.
Why do you need to know where the car is?: Because the trip is free only inside Winnipeg. Outside the city there is a travel fee by distance, and I include it in the all-in price I send you, so the number in my reply is the number you pay.

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Not sure what you have? Send a photo of your key or VIN on WhatsApp or Messenger for an exact quote.

One Message, One Price: What to Send for an Exact Car Key Quote