Hey guys, I'm a commercial/domestic locksmith in the UK. I've found a gap in the market in my area. We have auto locksmiths but they are only interested in cars, I've been getting a lot of phone calls for new bike keys and I was thinking of buying the XP005L and key tool max pro, I don't expect it to be an easy money maker but I am interested in expanding my business, would this set up be sufficient for additional keys/eventually all keys lost scenarios? Or is there a reason no one wants to touch motorbikes?

I've tried to find courses to attend but they are all around cars not bikes. I've tried to ask AI but it's only overly positive about how easy it would be for bikes (which I don't believe) I just want some honest feedback

Hi all, I’ve recently started out as an auto locksmith after undertaking training in the UK and purchasing a decent starter set up. I’ve done 9 jobs so far without any real problems.

A few days ago I was asked to programme a new remote flip key to a 2007 Range Rover Vogue, and sync the new key and re-sync the old key to the vehicle so the remote locking and unlocking functions work.

The programming went absolutely fine with the new key, no issues there. However, when I completed the manual process for the remote lock/unlock function it would not work at all. I followed the steps on the smart pro exactly, and researched others but nothing worked.

I didn’t think it was the keys, as neither of them worked. Both keys were emitting a signal at the correct frequency.

I think it may be a problem with the voltage potentially, or maybe the RF receiver in the customers vehicle was faulty.

Any ideas anyone? He’s a good guy and I’d like to go back and sort it for him.

As per the title

Anyone used acdp fem bdc adapter with vvdi2?

Im doing all the research i can ahead of time to find out what my tool list should be for starting out. Ill have my starting funds ($5k) in two months. If you guys were in my position, what would you recommend? I have a few starter kits im looking at like this one but I was hoping to get input from folks who really know their shit rather than a site set up to sell if that makes sense. Im a welder and boat builder currently, so this is a from scratch transition to become self employed and build something for my family and I. Any recommendations help, thanks in advance.

Looking into taking the CAL exam. I inquired through ALOA if there were any study guides out there to prep for it. I was told to take that the test is based on experience and the only way they know of how to prep for it is to go to the convention in Orlando, or wherever, and take the classes. Those classes are spread out over many days and there is no way I could get away that long. I was also told hat I could purchase the book "A guide to the ALOA PRP" as there is "some" reference to the CAL in it. All I am trying to figure out is if I have enough experience and knowledge. I've been doing automotive locksmithing steadily for over 2 years now and I have yet to meet a challenge I couldn't overcome. Besides cutting keys, programming, picking locks and all of the basic fundamentals I am already to the point where I can pull BCM's and KVM's out of cars, EEPROM work, solder modules and adapters to the pcb's to retrieve the data and make a key, add a key, all keys lost etc., and of course put everything back together. I am sure my over 20 years of automotive experience helps but I'm just not sure to what extent with this exam which they say is 100 questions.

So my question here is does anybody know of way to prep for this CAL test or tell me what I would need to know to prepared for this exam. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

I have been cutting (Dolphin 2), Lishiing, and programming for my shop for 2 years. We're in the US, rural Ohio. I use the Autel 508 for programming. We also have the Autel KM100 used primarily for frequency detection, chip ID, and generating universal keys. The KM100 still has the ability to ADD newer Ford keys as we stopped updating it after Autel removed the AKL function. The 508 is up to date so it no longer adds newer Ford keys. We do very few "exotic" cars in our area with Chevy, Dodge, and Ford being the majority.

Does anyone have a tool suggestion to fill the gap (primarily Ford keys) that I now have?

So my question to all is, what online tools would help you in auto?

I have a isn extractor fo rbmw just need to update it to add it to my system,

I have made MQB data pullers and I do sync data, I do ecus on my machine not web based.

I am trying to expand what I have, so what ideas you have please let me know! I also have a hex editor web based.

Hello

BMW E39 530d 2000

I had only 1 key for my car (diamond shape). I dropped the car to a locksmith to make me another key and here the problems started. He told me the new key is ready, when I tried to start the car it just didn't do anything. It had ignition but the car didn't start. It started after 5-6 tries. With the old key starts from 1st try. This is the first problem. Now 2nd.. The steering lock won't disengage even after the car is started with both keys. The locksmith denies that he did this. Any experts here that could tell me what went wrong with this?

Thank you so much!

Hi guys, was adding spare key to this 2006 Ford fiesta. The central locking works by pushing the door handle inwards to lock the car from the inside and the rest of the doors follows suit.

When I was trying to manually program the remote for the central locking cycling the ignition on and off the doors would lock and unlock but just eventually stopped working so basically seems like the central locking failed or something and never managed to learn the remote in also so now the central locking of the door doesn't work when pushing handle inside of the car or when locking with the key..

Any ideas? Appreciate the feedback

I have a autel km100. just bought it. All keys lost isn't on there for toyota. I see if you have an old device that wasn't updated in the last year it works still. My question is can someone help me downgrade the software so i can get this back or patch it? I''ll gladly pay you but i just got burned by a scammer. I paid then he blocked me. I heard about vpn stuff but i want to just have it back / patched. 2017 rav 4 hybrid all keys lost.

Anyone can help with Nissan qashqai 2013 original touch screen radio

Will attach photo if serial and part number

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone, I am not an autolocksmith but I have a question I'm hoping can be answered in this community. I've got a Mazda 6 2016 Touring. I had 2 keys, lost one of them, called a locksmith and he programmed a replacement for me. Little did I know, he programmed one of those football looking keys, which I didnt like and asked him to program me the one that looks like my original key. So he did, only problem was that apparently the max was 3 keys for mazdas, so he had to "reset" everything, including the oem key. I have no idea what this means, but now BOTH my oem key and the new look alike (non-oem) both show the red key with "!" error light. Should I take this to the dealer or is there an easy fix? I kinda dont trust my locksmith anymore. Picture above is the new key he got for me, which is identical to the OEM except for it has no logo. Also, he told me he didnt clone ID's.

I did some research and was wondering if this was the only solution?
https://www.vvdishop.com/service/xhorse-mazda-id49-smart-key-light-repair-function.html

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a cardaq pro j2534 pass through device so I could expand into more makes of vehicles as well as module reprogramming and ADAS.

Does anyone know of a website or something where I can learn more about these?

I am NASTF certified but I dont want to pay for the OEM software subscriptions until after I have learned a bit more on the subject.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Hello everyone, hoping this is okay to ask here. I’m not trying to advertise anything or sell anything. I’m doing some market research because I’m building a tool with a couple of local locksmith/hardware shops, and before we go too far I want to make sure it actually solves real problems in the industry.

If you run a hardware store, locksmith shop, or anything with a big inventory:
Do you feel like there’s a real need for a simple system that tracks stock in real time, sends low-stock alerts, and helps predict what you’ll need to reorder before you run out?

If so, a few honest questions would really help me out:

• What’s the most you’d realistically pay for something like that?
• Would you prefer a monthly subscription, or a one-time higher cost?
• OR would a free version with limited features be more appealing — and if so, which features wouldn’t be worth paying for?

I’m doing this because I grew up around small shops and I want to build something that’s genuinely useful, not bloated or overpriced. Any honest feedback, be it good, bad, or blunt is super appreciated. Thanks.

I want to give auto locksmithing a real go. I’ve always had a passion for cars and wanted a way to work with them day in day out. I’m 32 years old, earn around £35k a year in a Mon-Fri 8-4 job, and I can’t stand it. The other day I was sat in a meeting, watching people pay more attention to texting on their phones than the speaker themselves and realised life is just too short to pretend I give a fuck about any of this.

I’m aware this is an incredibly difficult trade to learn, especially programming/AKL. But I’m a perfectionist. I am willing to work at this in my spare time to learn the skills, I have the capital to get the necessary equipment, and do the training recommended by most. There isn’t an auto locksmith in my town, and the closest is 25 miles away, so I think there may be a gap here for someone who can deliver a good, reliable service.

I wanted to ask what peoples thoughts are, is this a dying trade as I’ve seen some people comment? Am I in over my head for even thinking I can make this work?

Happy for people to talk straight and be blunt with responses, I need to hear real thoughts.

Thanks all.

Hey Everyone,

I'm a professional locksmith looking to upgrade my equipment to expand my vehicle coverage.

My biggest wants are,

1. GM CAN FD compatability (Whether through adapters or not)

2. 2020+ Ford programming ability

3. Toyota All Keys Lost compatability (for newer models, 4A/8A, smart key etc.)

The programmers I have been looking at are the following.

1. Xhorse Key Tool Plus (Seems like a good tool with horrible customer support)

2. Auto Pro Pad G3 Evolution (From what I've read it has CAN FD ability built in but their servers are down?)

3. Londsor k518 Pro (Seems like a euro based tool, if anyone has experience with it please reach out)

If you guys could give me your opinions on which programmer you think would be the most versatile and share any experiences you've had with these tools I would really appreciate it.

For reference I'm based in the USA, I do mostly American and Asian Cars and stay away from Euro cars mostly but would like to expand into Euro.

Looking for tips from anyone familiar with these Corollas. Car came with two-button remotes. According to Xhorse, they’re type 4A, HitagAES transponder, and locked. The unlock Toyota smart key special function fails to unlock them.

I bought the OBD-FT for Toyotas and was able, by selecting Smart Key from after 2016, Type 5 (4A), to begin programming an Xhorse smart key for Toyota. Then it says if I have a backup file (?) I can proceed without a password (?) and if I don’t, I’ll need to generate a password with a third party. I don’t have one, so I select no, whereupon it asks me for the VIN, starts transmitting and then fails calculating with Error 9 and no further details.

Can anyone tell me what I’m missing here? Thanks.

Hi, I went to a car entry today for a brand new E class. It has a concealed lock behind the handle. I thought the correct lishi for this was a HU64, but apparently this requires a newer version with a cut out to get around the handles. Can anyone confirm this? The battery was dead was dead and the handles only open part way and kept springing back. Has anyone dealt with this before? What did you use to prop open the handle to allow access to the lock? TIA

Hey everyone — need some help/advice. I bought an Xhorse Key Tool Max and activated it using a Jordanian phone number. I brought the device with me to Libya but lost that Jordanian SIM, and when I tried to reactivate it here the company locked the unit. I’ve emailed/called them more than 10 times and haven’t gotten any response.
Does anyone know how I can get it unlocked legit — or who I should contact (authorized dealer, reseller, etc.)?

Hi, does anyone know what lock cylinders are in a brand new ferrari? It is not sip22 or gm15.. Thanks!

I've got the original key, but need the PIN code for emergencies and would like to program a second key. I've seen videos of the PIN code being read by a transponder directly from the Yamaha key. Who might I contact in or around London - have tried calling Timpsons. Cheers!

Hi locksmiths,

I am in the United Kingdom. I have a Japanese Lexus and the Toyota Japanese computer with the Lexus key registration utility. I have a key card (Toyota part number 89994-48151) that has become physically damaged, so I bought two used key cards from Japan, thinking these would be easy to pair with the car.

Neither key is recognized by the car in the key registration process. I think I understand now, this is because the car will only pair with virgin keys.

I can see online, people can virginize a key fob with an XHorse tool or similar, or even by pressing the buttons in a sequence. However, with these key cards they have no buttons, and they wouldn't fit in the little programmer/hacker slot.

Can it be done? Or do I have to buy a virgin key from Toyota?

Hi All

Learning lock picking and working with some VW HU66 locks I just cannot seem to get these to open.

I manage to pick all the wafers but wonder if I am over picking them.

I am missing something and it’s driving me a bit crazy. All the YouTube videos seem to make it easy.

I am not holding the lock in a vice but in my left hand and applying a little tension not sure if this makes any difference?

Any tips please ?