Car Key Duplication: All you Need to Know

December 30, 2025

Car key technology has come a long way in recent years. What was once a metal stick with shapes cut into it, just like a house key, can now be a smooth plastic fob that doesn’t look like a key at all.

It can even be a smart key, AKA proximity key, which emits a signal that your car recognises as you approach it, unlocking the doors and making it possible to start the engine with the button on the dashboard, with no physical key involvement.

How does this work? As with so many things, you don’t need to know, it just does. All you need to know is how to get hold of a car key expert if and when you have an issue.

Duplicate Car Keys and Why we Have Them

Every driver will have their own key which they use every time. They may keep it in a pocket or a handbag – something that goes with them automatically when they leave the house. If someone else uses the vehicle as well, it makes sense for them to have their own key, so it’s available to them all the time and it’s their responsibility. If you have a key each, you both know where you stand.

This key has to be the same as the original, which used to mean getting the metal cut in exactly the same way. Today it is more likely to be an electronic item, and car key duplication enters the realm of digital technology, which is even more accurate than physical shaping.

Program the correct information into a new key and it will do the job, just like so many devices we use now, from the numbers or zigzag shape you use to lock and unlock your phone to the information contained in your bank card which lets you take money from the ATM or pay for things in a shop.

Who Does Auto Key Duplication?

This is all you need to know: who does this sort of thing. It’s not the locksmith who can get you in the house when you’ve locked yourself out. Some of them do auto keys as a sort of sideline because it’s the kind of thing they do anyway. But it’s not their speciality.

It’s not the dealership people, who can get you a replacement key, but not in a hurry, so if you’re in a jam and need duplicate car keys fast, they are not the people to call.

There are also companies that do auto key duplication in a small way but don’t have much in stock and don’t have relationships in the motoring business, so they can only programme a key if you get the information from the dealership.

The only answer is to find an all-round expert in car key duplication, and that won’t be that useful guy in the hardware store who seems to be able to do anything. In the Brisbane area you’ll be looking for car key replacement, then have a good look at the names that come up and what they claim to do.

We’re confident our name Northside Car Keys will come up in your search. We have the skills and customer reviews to show we’re up to the task.