Spare keys · Used cars · 2026
Your used car came with one key. Here's the math on fixing that now.
Leo · RAXO Locksmiths
Published July 31, 2026 · Pre-tax. Manitoba RST + GST = 12%.
Bought a used car — private sale, dealer lot, or certified pre-owned — and it came with exactly one key? That's common, and it's worth fixing this week rather than someday. I'm Leo at RAXO Locksmiths, a mobile auto locksmith in Winnipeg, and the math is short: while that one key still works, a spare is $110+ for a chip key, $160+ for a remote-head key, or $220+ for a push-to-start smart fob, plus tax, made at your car. The day the only key is lost or stops working, the same vehicle becomes an all-keys-lost job — $280+ ($350+ push-to-start), plus the day it costs you.
Below: why one-key handovers happen, how to tell what kind of key you're actually holding, the exact now-versus-later numbers, and the two checks worth doing the week you buy. Already know you just want the spare? The spare-key service page is the shortest path.
The short version
- A spare made while a working key exists: $110+ chip · $160+ remote-head · $220+ smart fob, plus tax, at your car.
- The same car after the last key is gone: all-keys-lost from $280+ ($350+ push-to-start), plus an unplanned stranded day.
- Two keys on the ring at sale doesn't mean two working keys — test both the week you buy.
- Registration mid-transfer? A bill of sale and the signed transfer form work — ownership is verified on every key job.
- No shop visit and no dealership appointment — the whole job happens where the car is parked.
The why
Why used cars so often come with one key
No conspiracy — just attrition. Keys get lost across a car's previous owners and never replaced. Trade-ins arrive at the lot with whatever the last owner had in their pocket. Reconditioning budgets go to what shows in photos — paint, tires, detailing — and a second key isn't on the list. And no seller is obligated to hand over two. A certified pre-owned inspection checks the vehicle over a long checklist; how many keys come with it isn't the inspector's problem.
So the one-key handover is normal. It's also entirely your problem now — and much cheaper to solve while the key you did get still works.
Step one
First, figure out what that one key actually is
The price of a spare depends on the key, not on where you bought the car. Most vehicles on Winnipeg roads use one of three:
- Chip (transponder) key — a metal key with a chip in the head. A bare hardware-store copy that isn't programmed will turn the ignition but won't start the engine. Spare: $110+.
- Remote-head or flip key — key and lock/unlock buttons in one body. Spare: $160+.
- Push-to-start smart fob — stays in your pocket; the car reads it wirelessly. Spare: $220+.
Not sure which you're holding? The key-types guide has photos of each — or just text me a picture of the key and I'll tell you. And if you're tempted by the $40 copy at a retail counter: for a plain metal key on an older vehicle that's genuinely the cheapest option, but for anything with a chip the counter can only cut the metal, not program the chip — the honest retail-counter comparison covers exactly where that line sits.
The math
The same key, two prices
Every price below is a pre-tax starting floor, confirmed in a written quote before I drive out.
| Key type | Spare now (a key still works) | After the last key is gone |
|---|---|---|
| Chip (transponder) key | $110+ | $280+ all-keys-lost |
| Remote-head / flip key | $160+ | $280+ all-keys-lost |
| Push-to-start smart fob | $220+ | $350+ all-keys-lost |
Same vehicle, same fob hardware — the price difference is whether a working key still exists when you text me. Plus tax; travel free inside the Winnipeg Perimeter, $1.20/km past it, always quoted in writing first. Full list on the pricing page.
One key on the ring? Fix it this week, at your car.
Text the year, make and model — you'll get a written quote before I drive out, and you pay after the new key works.
The quiet version
Got two keys, but one doesn't work? Same problem, quieter.
A ring with two keys on it isn't proof you have two working keys. Say the car came with a fob that lights up nothing and never has — test both keys the week you buy: every lock, every button, and the engine. If one fob is dead, start with the battery — it's a $5–$10 coin cell you can swap yourself, and the five-minute triage guide walks you through it before you pay anyone.
If a fresh battery doesn't wake it, the fob itself may be failing — or it may never have been programmed to this particular car at all, which happens with used vehicles when a leftover fob from somewhere else ends up on the ring. Programming a working basic fob — one you supply or one I supply — starts at $110+; details on the fob-programming page. Either way you're back to a real second key for far less than the day the only working one disappears.
Paperwork
Just bought it and the registration is still mid-transfer?
Still fine — I work it out with you before I dispatch. For a recent purchase where the registration hasn't transferred yet, bring the bill of sale and the signed transfer form, plus your government photo ID. Ownership is verified on every key job, every time — it's what keeps a stranger from ordering a key to your car, and it's step four of how every job runs. The full document list is on the VIN-and-documents page.
Common questions from used-car buyers.
How much is a spare key for a used car in Winnipeg?
Same as any spare, because the car's age and key type matter more than where you bought it: a chip (transponder) key is $110+, a remote-head or flip key is $160+, and a push-to-start smart fob is $220+, plus tax, cut and programmed at your car. Text me the year, make and model — with the VIN if it's handy — and I'll confirm the exact number in writing before I drive out.
The dealership says only they can make a second key for my used car — is that true?
Usually not. For most makes on the road I cut and program spare keys right at the vehicle, including many newer push-to-start models — those are a more involved job, which is why some shops decline them. I have dealer-level access for most makes. Text me your year, make and model and I'll confirm yours either way.
Should I get the spare before winter?
If you plan to keep the car, yes — a Winnipeg winter is the worst time to find out you're down to one failing key. Cold is hard on fob batteries, and losing your only key in a January parking lot turns a planned $110+ spare into an urgent all-keys-lost visit at $280+. A spare made in your driveway this month is the cheap version of that day.
More questions — ID, payment, timing, warranty — are answered on the FAQ page.
RAXO Locksmiths · 204-599-5117