How to Fix a Bent Car Key: A Comprehensive Guide
Discovering your car key is bent can be a frustrating moment, potentially disrupting your day and raising concerns about vehicle access and security. While bent car keys were a more common issue with older, double-sided designs, they can still occur with modern keys, including those with grooves. It’s crucial to handle a bent car key correctly to avoid further damage and expensive repairs. This guide from CARDIAGTECH, your trusted automotive repair experts, will walk you through understanding bent car keys, assessing the situation, and exploring your best options for fixing them.
Bent car key
Understanding Bent Car Keys
Before you start thinking about how to fix your bent car key, it’s helpful to understand what might have caused the issue in the first place. Knowing the common causes can also help you prevent it from happening again in the future.
Common Causes of Bent Car Keys
Bent car keys aren’t usually the result of normal wear and tear. They typically occur due to accidental force or misuse. Here are some frequent scenarios that lead to bent car keys:
- Using the Key as a Tool: People sometimes use their car keys for tasks they’re not designed for, such as opening paint cans or packages. The metal of the key isn’t meant to withstand this kind of pressure and can easily bend.
- Dislodging Objects: Trying to remove a stone or debris stuck in shoe soles with a car key is another common culprit. This action puts undue stress on the key’s blade.
- Accidental Bumping: Leaving keys in the car door lock, particularly in busy environments like garages or car dealerships, makes them vulnerable to being bumped or knocked, leading to bending.
- Door Slamming Accidents: Keys left in pockets can get trapped between a car or house door and the frame when slammed shut. The force of the door can easily bend the key.
- Using the Wrong Key: Forcing the wrong key into a car lock can not only damage the lock but also bend the key itself.
- Vehicle Run-Over: Accidentally driving over your keys with another vehicle is a more extreme scenario, but it certainly results in a bent – and likely damaged – car key.
These situations highlight how easily car keys can become bent. The next important step is to assess whether you can still use your bent key and what your repair options are.
Can You Still Use Your Bent Car Key?
Before you immediately assume you need a costly replacement, assess if your bent car key is still functional. This can potentially save you from needing immediate towing or an emergency locksmith visit.
If your car key has remote locking buttons, try using them first. If the buttons work, you can unlock and enter your car without needing to use the bent blade in the lock.
However, if the remote functions are not working, or if you have a basic key without remote features, you’ll need to carefully try using the bent key in the door lock.
Important Precautions:
- Resist Straightening: Do not attempt to straighten the key yourself. Bending metal back and forth weakens it and can cause it to snap, especially with car keys which are made from specific alloys.
- Gentle Insertion: Carefully try to slide the bent key into the door lock. If the bend is severe (“banana-shaped”), it’s unlikely to fit, and forcing it will cause damage.
- Avoid Force: If the key slides in, gently try to turn it to unlock the car. If the lock resists turning, do not force it. Applying excessive pressure could break the key inside the lock, leading to a much more complex and expensive problem.
- Ignition Test (If Door Unlocks): If you successfully unlock the car, cautiously see if the bent key will slide into the ignition switch and turn. If it does, consider driving your car directly to a key specialist or auto locksmith as soon as possible.
If you manage to get into your car and start it with the bent key, it’s a temporary reprieve. Driving with a bent key long-term is not advisable, as it could break at any moment, potentially leaving you stranded.
Fixing Your Bent Car Key: Options and Costs
The good news is that a bent car key doesn’t necessarily mean you need a complete and expensive key replacement, especially if the electronic components are still functioning. Assuming the electronics are working (unless the key was run over or severely damaged), there are typically three types of car keys, and each has different repair options for a bent blade.
Bent Car Key Type 1: Remote Style with Flick-Out Blade
This is the most common type of car key today, featuring a remote control integrated with a blade that flips out. They are frequently found in vehicles from manufacturers like Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, and Vauxhall (Opel/Buick).
Repair Solution: A skilled auto locksmith can disassemble your key, carefully transfer the working electronic components into a new, aftermarket repair key casing, and cut a new key blade to match your car’s lock.
Estimated Cost: This type of repair service usually ranges from approximately £35 to £45, significantly less than the cost of a complete new key from a dealership.
Bent Car Key Type 2: Detachable Blade Key
This type of key consists of two parts: a key head/body and a separate blade that attaches to it. Examples of cars using this system include some Ford models, older Vauxhall/Opel models like Astra, Corsa, and Vectra, and many newer Nissan vehicles.
Repair Solution: In many cases, only the key blade needs to be replaced. A locksmith can cut a new blade and attach it to your existing key body.
Estimated Cost: Replacing just the blade is generally cheaper, costing around £25.
Crucial Advice: Ensure the key cutter does not simply copy the bent blade. Copying a bent key will result in a new, shiny, but still incorrectly shaped blade that may still cause issues or wear out quickly. A reputable locksmith will cut a new blade based on the original key code or by taking a precise impression of your car’s lock.
Bent Car Key Type 3: Old-Fashioned Keys (No Buttons)
These simpler, non-remote keys were more common in older vehicles and are less frequently seen now. While replacing a bent blade for this type of key is straightforward, there’s another element to consider.
Repair Solution: Cutting a new metal blade is simple. However, these keys often contain a transponder chip that is essential for starting the car. The cheapest approach is to carefully remove the transponder chip from the bent key and reuse it in the new key.
Important Consideration: Transponder chips can be delicate, and some are made of glass. This process requires care and expertise. Locksmiths often use tools like soldering irons to carefully soften the plastic around the chip for safe removal.
Estimated Cost: The cost will primarily be for cutting a new blade and potentially a small labor charge for transponder chip transfer if needed. It will be the most economical of the three types.
Can Car Dealers Help with a Bent Car Key?
While car dealerships are excellent for many car-related services, they are typically not the best solution for bent car key repairs. Dealerships are often restricted by manufacturer policies and primarily equipped to sell new, complete key replacements rather than offer component-level repairs.
While dealership staff are usually helpful, their system is set up to sell you a brand new key, which will be significantly more expensive than a repair. Manufacturers often constrain what dealerships can offer in terms of key services.
Don’t Panic, Seek Professional Help
Attempting DIY fixes on a bent car key or its components can often worsen the situation and make professional repair more complicated or costly.
The best course of action when you have a bent car key is to seek professional help from an independent auto locksmith or a key cutting specialist. Many locksmiths have drop-in centers where you can get advice and a quote for repair. Alternatively, if your car is immobile due to the key issue, you may need to call out a mobile auto locksmith or have your car towed to a trusted local garage that can recommend a key specialist.
Remember, getting professional advice is usually free, and it can save you time, money, and further frustration in the long run. Good luck, and we hope this guide from CARDIAGTECH helps you navigate the issue of a bent car key!
