Car Key Replacement in Columbia, SC

Where the car is sitting

A car with no working key stays where it is until a new one is made, so the spot matters. Useful details by location:

• Five Points or the Bull Street district. City meters there are enforced on Saturdays as well as weekdays, so plan around the meter if the car cannot move.
• A city parking deck. Name the deck and the level, and add the space number if it is marked.
• Near USC or by the Vista's older commercial buildings. Name a cross street or a business.
• At home in a neighborhood such as Melrose Heights or Earlewood. Give the address and say whether the car is on the street or in a driveway.

Showing the car is yours

A replacement key is cut to the car's lock and, on many cars built in recent decades, programmed to its immobilizer, so expect to show that the car belongs to you before work starts. Have a photo ID and the registration or title issued by your state motor-vehicle agency, with a name that matches the ID. If the car is registered to a relative, an employer or a leasing company, a signed note from the registered owner helps.

The registration often lives in the glove box. If the car is locked and the paperwork is inside, say so in your request; it can be checked once the door is open, and car lockout covers that first step.

The VIN and your key type

The 17-character vehicle identification number is on a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, on a label in the driver's door jamb, and on the registration. Send it with the year, make and model, and describe the key you lost: a plain metal key, a key with a chip in the head, a flip key or a push-button start fob. If you still have one working key, copying it is simpler than making a first key from scratch. If only a remote needs pairing, see key fob programming.

Service basics are on the car key replacement page, and the districts named above are described on Columbia.