Lost all your car keys in Winnipeg? Take a breath — I make a new one at your car.

Government photo ID matched to vehicle ownership proof. Your ID stays with you so that part is straightforward. For ownership proof: vehicle registration (paper or PDF) or proof of insurance in your name. If every document is inside the locked car, I do the lockout first so you can retrieve the registration from the glovebox before any key programming begins.

This comes up often, and there's a clear standard: whoever the car is registered to has to authorize the work, and someone at the scene has to prove the right to it. The common cases — a spouse's or family member's car is easiest if the registered owner is there with their ID; if they can't be, they text me written authorization plus a photo of their ID and the registration, and I confirm it before I generate anything. A recent purchase that hasn't transferred yet: the bill of sale and signed transfer form, plus insurance in your name, stand in for the registration. A company or fleet vehicle: a quick authorization on company letterhead. What I won't do — and no legitimate locksmith will — is cut and program a key for a car nobody on-site can show they own. It's the same check a dealer runs, and it's what keeps your car from being the one someone else drives off in.

60 to 90 minutes for most domestic and Asian makes. Some vehicles run a 10-minute security timer before the immobilizer accepts a new key — that's a manufacturer feature, not me being slow. I tell you the realistic timeline in the written quote.

Totally fine — that's the norm, not the exception. Most of my lost-keys jobs happen right where the car is stranded: a Costco or IKEA lot, Polo Park, a downtown parkade, the lot at your work. You don't need to get it home first — I come to you and sort it out on the spot. All I need is to park next to it and about an hour or so of uninterrupted access. If it's already been towed to an impound lot, just tell me — those have their own access rules, so we'll plan around them.

You're needed at the start — the ID check and ownership verification — and at the end, when you start the car, we test the locks and remote, and settle up. The stretch in between is the actual decode, cut, and programming, which usually runs 60 to 90 minutes — longer if the vehicle throws a complication. You're welcome to wait in the car, sit nearby, or grab a coffee and come back, as long as I can reach you when it's time to test.

Honest answer: depends how far in. If I've already cut and programmed, the work is done and the bill stands — I can't un-program a key. If I'm still on the road, no charge. Text me the moment you find them.

Some comprehensive auto policies cover it, some don't. I give you a written, itemized receipt every time so you can claim if your insurer accepts it. I don't bill insurance directly — you pay me, then submit the receipt yourself.