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Car Keys – All you Need to know about.

On 2014 there were approximately 1.2 billion cars around the world. This means that we hold much more car keys than the entire population around the globe. Car keys are everywhere.

It’s all began at 1949 when Chrysler invented the new ignition key starting. To prevent theft – all we need is a different key to every vehicle, that’s what they thought. Frankly, every decade since then it’s only get more and more complicated.

Major steps on car keys evolution:

  • Single sided cut.
  • Double sided cut.
  • VATS Keys.
  • Transponder (chip) Keys.
  • Prox car keys.

car keys in Buffalo NY, Cheektowaga, Amherst, Tonawanda, orchard park.
Car keys evolution. From Left to Right: Single sided, Double Sided, VATS and a Transponder Key.

Single sided car keys.

Single sided car keys looks close to residential standard keys. They are the 1st generation of the ignition key starting until the ’80. You’d go to any locksmith to cut duplicate the blade with no problem. The major problem with those keys was that they were so easy to pick. The smart guys thought about a solution that will make it harder to be theft…. Let’s make it double sided. Yeah…

Double sided car keys.

Around the middle of the ’80 till the middle of the ’90 was the double sided car key glory days. Well, you still needed a different single sided key to your trunk, but everybody was happy from the new gadget called “Double Sided car key”, it’s looks like impossible mission to pick these kind of locks. O.K. said the burglar, I’ll need to find out how to make it without keys. Then we saw 007 James Bond wiring up the engine so easily. Well, we do need to rethink again. Think Chip is the ’90.

VATS car keys.

GM introduced the chip keys at the ’80, but only at the ’90 it has become available actually. They make the key with a built in tiny chip, a small resistor named “Pellet”. VATS keys have 15 different resistors, it’s impossible to crank up the engine with another chip than the one that the car is accepting. Only GM car using this kind of method, other manufacturers still used the old double sided car keys. But then, new chip has arrived the Transponder car keys.

Transponder car keys.

The Transponder key has a numerous of chip variations. You are able to program a transponder key directly to your car computer and erase old keys. Even when the keys cutting is alike the vehicle will not allow to unapproved key to crank up the engine. Bye bye James Bond, your tricks was good then, not now. But with the Moore’s law the computer chips got cheaper and smaller. People get used to convenience, what can we make to make them feel more comfort with the car key? Prox keys is the answer.

Prox car keys.

Prox is taken from proximity. These kind of car keys can feel the key located in the owners pocket, you even don’t need to take it out, just push the button while you are inside the car and the engine will start. These kind of keys are full with the latest technology and therefore they are much more expensive. What will be the next car key?

Next generation of car keys.

It’s not a if question, it’s a question of what and when. What will be the replacement of the car keys? There is no doubt that eventually the car keys will go on the way where the Walkman, CD player,  Dial phone and others has gone. I believe that the next generation will handle the biggest problem of keys… Losing a key. There are some new technology that offers solution for that it called Bio-metric locks. Time will give us the answer to these questions. If bio-metric locks will catch or other system we don’t know it yet. When it’s gonna happened we also don’t know. What I’m sure about is that we will still be using the standard keys for a long time until a good, cheap solution will be available.

What is my car key?

If you don’t know what your car key is, no problem. We are working to upload large database about car keys. All you need to do is to type your car make and model on our website search field. On the right column you will find a link to the post you are looking for. Click on the link and get all the information about your car keys.

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