Lost car key/personal info - can steal car?

[Muncher]

I lost my spare car key in my wallet. Had my address and business card in it too. Just wondering if I need to replace all the locks on my car? How much will this cost? I'm parked inside a condo apartment building underground.

Can someone tell what the car type, VIN and Registration plate number from the car key if they found it?

[ElDon]

If someone really wanted to find your car they could, the VIN number has the model number even the year make and finding your address with a license plate is not hard either. But realisticly if your car is on the most most wanted list by thieves i wouldnt go as far as changing the locks I'd just invest on a good alarm system such as compustar.

[bluetroll]

i'd change the locks... i've heard stories where ppl have gotten carjacked... stolen their keys and wallet... then they goto their home open their garage (they have the door opener) and stealing those cars too...

i would have it replaced... you can't be too naive.

[ah802]

I lost my spare car key in my wallet. Had my address and business card in it too. Just wondering if I need to replace all the locks on my car? How much will this cost? I'm parked inside a condo apartment building underground.

Can someone tell what the car type, VIN and Registration plate number from the car key if they found it?A bit of bad luck... if your wallet was not returned yet (30 days) I would assume you'll never get it back... if the key looks like a car key (e.g. has Honda on the key design) then someone knows it's your car.. Mine takes two keys, one for the ignition and one for the door. If the key is a standard dup... then it could be your door key or bike key etc. It's a leap to go from 'found' wallet to full B&E thief. To replace your locks would be expensive.. on the order of $50 each lock minimum (probably $1000 by the time your finished). Depends a lot on the value of the car type, area you live, type of person who picked it up (some people just drop it into the mail box or dumpster) and how insecure you feel.

If your driving a joe average car... in an average working class neighbourhood, I would make the assumption nothing will come of this and the gods have smiled on you (take this as a lesson for chained wallets) but if you have a 'special car' and live in a low class, high crime neighbourhood... change the locks yesterday.

Tips: never allow strangers to connect the dots. Use those 'War Amps' tags on all your keys. Notify the police immediately when you have lost your ID, Notify credit card companies and the rest; of your circumstances. It's smart to have money in a different place from your ID and other stuff... When you lose your wallet it's a disaster... but it could have been worse.

[Pete_Coach]

A bit of bad luck... if your wallet was not returned yet (30 days) I would assume you'll never get it back... if the key looks like a car key (e.g. has Honda on the key design) then someone knows it's your car.. Mine takes two keys, one for the ignition and one for the door. If the key is a standard dup... then it could be your door key or bike key etc. It's a leap to go from 'found' wallet to full B&E thief. To replace your locks would be expensive.. on the order of $50 each lock minimum (probably $1000 by the time your finished). Depends a lot on the value of the car type, area you live, type of person who picked it up (some people just drop it into the mail box or dumpster) and how insecure you feel.

If your driving a joe average car... in an average working class neighbourhood, I would make the assumption nothing will come of this and the gods have smiled on you (take this as a lesson for chained wallets) but if you have a 'special car' and live in a low class, high crime neighbourhood... change the locks yesterday.

Tips: never allow strangers to connect the dots. Use those 'War Amps' tags on all your keys. Notify the police immediately when you have lost your ID, Notify credit card companies and the rest; of your circumstances. It's smart to have money in a different place from your ID and other stuff... When you lose your wallet it's a disaster... but it could have been worse.

Great advice. If your address is known, your key was there, then I would have cause for concern.
Story here.....co-worker had car stolen in the parking lot at work. In the glove box (like everyone else who has multiple drivers) was the registration and insurance documents and ...yup, again like everyone else, the garage door opener on the sun visor. You have to know what happened here right? Yes, they went to the house, pushed the garage door opener and had a real good morning treat. When quitting time came and the discovery was made, well, it was not a good day.
All that to say, pay the money, change the locks and make yourself safe. Your insurance company may insist on it, or better yet, may be more than willing to help pay for the changes.

[Muncher]

Yikes! gives me the creeps! It's a cheap old car, but I live in a crummy neighbourhood and no one returned my wallet - gone 3 weeks ago.

How does the $50/door translate into $1000? Is the labour so expensive? Do I get it done at the car dealer or get a locksmith? And yes, it's one of my original car keys (got 2 when I bought it).

I thought most people were honest (thank God no credit cards there, but had library card and cash), but no sight of it.

[downloader]

its a good excuse to change your car

[nano]

if your really worried just buy a stearing wheel lock

[Pete_Coach]

if your really worried just buy a stearing wheel lock
1 bolt cutter + 4.5 seconds = car gone (not including any damage to the vehicle from breaking in) One of those wheel locks only keeps little kids from stealing your car, a thief can get it in a heartbeat even with a lock.
Check around. You may be able to go to a junk yard (are you allowed to call them that?) that has a service section, they can get door locks and ignition locks (if they have the keys to match and from different cars) and replace them for you at a pretty reasonable cost. It is not a big job. Also, try a body shop, they may have dors and things just laying around. The change those types of things every day.

[Sampras5211]

Dear OP.

Thought I would write to comment and offer some advice on your situation as I have seen in 100-150 times in the past year. I work as a claims adjuster for property claims. Anywhoo. most home insurance policies if not the majority of them sold in Canada today have a section which gives coverage for relocking and coding the door locks of your vehicle without a deductible charged under your policy. This coverage is usually between $500-$1000 in coverage and usually* does not impact your home insurance policy so far as rate hikes with putting the claim forward. Again just to reiderate this coverage is under home, tenant, condo , etc insurance , not AUTO, although auto here in Saskatchewan covers for this as well subject to carrying an additional policy with Saskatchewan Government Insurance and you do pay a deductible. Anyway they will likely want quotes faxed to the claims office you end up dealing with for the home insurance claim (may ask for two quotes) and I know that most policies will not pay to replace a "key-fob" (one of those remotes) just the physical key itself and recoding the locks. hope this helps please pm me if you have any troubles require assistance

****Note that you said your keys were lost. this coverage is for if the keys are stolen. although your worried about someone getting the keys, simply telling the adjuster that your keys were lost may not confirm coverage. Not telling you to change your story but from my experience I usually give the benifit of the doubt anyway and cover if keys are lost and the person thinks maybe they were stolen. this is because if the car was stolen a week later the onus might be on me as an adjuster for your car getting stolen and I didnt pay to cover relocking and coding possibly preventing this from happening. This is a long shot but I dont want to ever have that happen.

[Muncher]

Thanks all! My key could have been stolen or lost (it was in my wallet which was "missing" when I got to the store to buy something). I had it in my laptop bag at work, but left work very late and coulnd't find it at the store (the cleaners had come and gone). I'll check my home insurance and call up some junk yards. Do the locks have to come from the same model car as mine?

[masterballer]

its a good excuse to change your car


:)

[Muncher]

Yeah, replacing the locks plus all the big repairs? Will cost nearly as much as getting a new car!!

Seriously though, I'm kinda short on funds. Where can I get a cheap car alarm installed in the GTA? Like below $150?

Just got quoted close to $850 for changing locks + ignition!!!

[Pete_Coach]

Dear OP.

Thought I would write to comment and offer some advice on your situation as I have seen in 100-150 times in the past year. I work as a claims adjuster for property claims. Anywhoo. most home insurance policies if not the majority of them sold in Canada today have a section which gives coverage for relocking and coding the door locks of your vehicle without a deductible charged under your policy. This coverage is usually between $500-$1000 in coverage and usually* does not impact your home insurance policy so far as rate hikes with putting the claim forward. Again just to reiderate this coverage is under home, tenant, condo , etc insurance , not AUTO, although auto here in Saskatchewan covers for this as well subject to carrying an additional policy with Saskatchewan Government Insurance and you do pay a deductible. Anyway they will likely want quotes faxed to the claims office you end up dealing with for the home insurance claim (may ask for two quotes) and I know that most policies will not pay to replace a "key-fob" (one of those remotes) just the physical key itself and recoding the locks. hope this helps please pm me if you have any troubles require assistance

****Note that you said your keys were lost. this coverage is for if the keys are stolen. although your worried about someone getting the keys, simply telling the adjuster that your keys were lost may not confirm coverage. Not telling you to change your story but from my experience I usually give the benifit of the doubt anyway and cover if keys are lost and the person thinks maybe they were stolen. this is because if the car was stolen a week later the onus might be on me as an adjuster for your car getting stolen and I didnt pay to cover relocking and coding possibly preventing this from happening. This is a long shot but I dont want to ever have that happen.

Great post and very good information. Do you believe that this process is a "Made in Saskatchewan" policy. I know that it is Government insurance there and here in "free enterprise" Ontario, we may have to pay for everything and may not have that benifit.

[ah802]

Yikes! gives me the creeps! It's a cheap old car, but I live in a crummy neighbourhood and no one returned my wallet - gone 3 weeks ago.

How does the $50/door translate into $1000? Is the labour so expensive? Do I get it done at the car dealer or get a locksmith? And yes, it's one of my original car keys (got 2 when I bought it).

I thought most people were honest (thank God no credit cards there, but had library card and cash), but no sight of it.

Guess you've found out the prices... I had one lock replaced last year $125 flat from the dealer just for the part (it did include re-keying to my lock, but the part was that much), the install was at a $60 door rate shop.. (most are now 75-99 hour now) so that's over $200 for one lock... I've got 3 doors +1 ignition.. with labour it would be close to a grand... and reading previous posts, you can see that. (sometimes the post takes 4 weeks for a wallet, don't give up all hope). Sounds like a thief had into your bag... so it's gone from a 'lost wallet' to stolen... and he's already done your B&E, so you do need protection. For an old car... I like the steering wheel lock (or cheap noise maker).

RE: "I thought most people were honest " You only need one thief, if you can afford it... insurance is great.

Glass is easy to break, yet it holds most people back from B&E in this country, but there is a lot of places... you need bars over glass and some places windows are just plain stupid.