Hear from Our Customers
You’re not waiting three days for an appointment or paying $400 at a dealership service center. We handle car key fob replacement the same day in Primos, right where your vehicle sits—your driveway on Bunting Lane, the parking lot at your workplace off Oak Avenue, wherever you’re stranded in Upper Darby Township.
Mobile service means no towing fees eating into your budget. No burning half a day sitting in a waiting room. We bring professional programming equipment directly to your location and handle the entire job on-site while you wait.
The replacement key fob works exactly like your original. Same security features, same remote functions, same reliability. Whether it’s a basic remote fob, transponder key with security chip, or smart key for push-button start, we program it to sync properly with your vehicle’s computer. You’re not dealing with malfunctions, glitches, or return visits to fix what should’ve been done right the first time.
The McCausland family has been working on locks since the late 1800s. Not as a marketing story—as actual documented history spanning four generations of locksmiths serving this area.
Tom McCausland and his daughter Chrissy run McCausland Lock Service today as the fourth generation in the trade. We’re the largest locksmith operation in the Delaware Valley, with a full storefront at 1101 Lincoln Avenue in Prospect Park and mobile units covering Primos, Upper Darby, Clifton Heights, and surrounding Delaware County communities.
When residents in Primos need automotive locksmith work, they call us because we’ve earned trust over decades of showing up, doing the work correctly, and charging fair prices. We use OEM-quality parts that last. We answer the phone. We don’t inflate a 30-minute job into a $500 invoice just because we can.
You call us and explain the situation—lost your only key fob, buttons stopped working, fob got damaged, whatever happened. We ask about your vehicle’s year, make, and model to confirm we have the right replacement fob and programming equipment in stock.
We give you an exact price right then, over the phone. Not an estimate. Not a “we’ll see when we get there” answer. You know what you’re paying before anyone drives anywhere.
We head to your location in Primos with everything needed—the replacement key fob, diagnostic programming tools, key cutting equipment if your fob includes a physical key blade. Most jobs get completed in 20 to 30 minutes while you wait. You’re not scheduling a return visit or leaving your car overnight.
We program the new key fob to communicate with your car’s security system using professional diagnostic equipment. This syncs the fob’s transponder chip with your vehicle’s onboard computer the same way the factory would. It’s not something you can do with a YouTube video and a cheap fob from Amazon. The programming has to be precise or your car won’t recognize the fob.
Before we leave, we test everything. Doors lock and unlock from the fob. Trunk release works. Remote start functions if your vehicle has it. The car actually starts and runs. You get a fully functional key fob that day, not a half-working replacement that fails next week.
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We program all types of automotive key fobs—basic remotes that lock and unlock doors, transponder keys with embedded security chips, laser-cut high-security keys, switchblade-style folding keys, and smart keys for keyless entry and push-button start systems. If it’s installed in a vehicle sold in the past 25 years, we have the equipment and expertise to replace it.
The service includes cutting a new metal key blade if your fob has one, programming the electronic components to sync with your specific vehicle, and testing every function before we consider the job complete. Remote start, panic alarm, trunk release—we verify it all works correctly.
Primos sits in Upper Darby Township where you see everything from 15-year-old Hondas to brand-new luxury vehicles parked along Providence Road and Secane Avenue. We work on both ends of that spectrum and everything in between. Your older vehicle gets the same professional attention as a current-year model. The technology differs between a 2010 key fob and a 2025 smart key, but the standard is the same: proper programming, quality parts, fair pricing.
Key fob battery replacement is straightforward when that’s the only issue. Pop in a new battery, you’re done. But if your battery died and the fob sat unused for months, it may have lost its programming entirely. Replacing the battery won’t fix that. The fob needs to be reprogrammed to communicate with your car’s computer again. We see this constantly with spare key fobs people kept in a drawer—dead battery for a year, now the fob is basically a paperweight until it gets professionally reprogrammed.
Delaware County drivers choose us because we’re local, we’re fast, and we know this area. You’re not scheduling around a dealership’s availability in Philadelphia or waiting until next Tuesday for an opening. We’re based right in Prospect Park, we serve Primos daily, and we prioritize same-day service when you’re stuck without a working key fob. Call in the morning, we’re typically there that afternoon.
Key fob programming typically costs between $50 and $200 depending on your vehicle and the type of fob. Basic remote fobs for older vehicles run on the lower end. Transponder keys with integrated security chips cost more. Smart keys for push-button start systems are the highest because they require specialized diagnostic equipment to program correctly.
Dealerships charge $150 to $600 for identical work—often more once they add service fees and “diagnostic charges.” You’re saving 50% to 60% by using us instead of a dealer service department. Same quality work, same OEM-standard parts, half the price.
We give you the exact cost upfront based on your vehicle’s year, make, and model. No vague estimates. No “it depends” answers. You know precisely what you’re paying before we start the job. That’s how it should work.
Yes. We can create and program a completely new key fob even when you don’t have any existing keys or fobs for your vehicle. This is more complex than duplicating a working fob, but it’s absolutely something we handle regularly.
We use your vehicle’s VIN number and professional programming equipment to generate a new key that syncs with your car’s security system from scratch. You’ll need to provide proof of ownership—your vehicle registration or title—so we’re certain we’re making a key for the actual owner, not someone trying to steal a car.
The process takes longer than standard key fob replacement because we’re essentially teaching your car to recognize a completely new fob. But we still complete it the same day in most cases. Losing your only key doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying towing fees and waiting four days at a dealership. We handle total key loss situations all the time in Primos and across Delaware County.
Yes. A properly programmed replacement key fob functions identically to the original that came with your vehicle. Every feature works—remote locking and unlocking, trunk release, panic button, remote start if your car has that capability.
We use quality replacement fobs that meet or exceed OEM specifications, meaning they’re built to the same standards as factory original equipment. The programming process syncs the fob’s transponder chip with your vehicle’s onboard security computer exactly the way the manufacturer would. Your car cannot tell the difference between the original fob and the professionally programmed replacement.
Some people worry that aftermarket key fobs are inferior or won’t last. That’s not accurate when we handle the work using quality parts. The fobs we provide are manufactured to factory standards. The programming is done with professional diagnostic equipment, not guesswork. We’ve been doing automotive locksmith work for over 140 years across four generations. Our reputation depends on doing it correctly, and that’s exactly what happens.
Most key fob programming jobs take 20 to 30 minutes once we arrive on-site. That timeframe includes cutting a new key blade if needed, programming the fob to sync with your vehicle’s computer, and testing all functions to confirm everything works.
More complex situations take longer. Programming a smart key for a newer luxury vehicle might take 45 minutes. Creating a key from scratch when you’ve lost all copies can take an hour. We’ll tell you the realistic timeframe when you call so you know what to expect.
The bigger issue is usually scheduling, not the actual work. Dealerships make you wait days for an appointment, then keep your car half the day even for a simple key fob. We offer same-day mobile service throughout Primos and Delaware County. You call in the morning, we’re typically at your location that afternoon. The job gets done in under an hour. You’re not losing an entire day to what should be a straightforward fix.
We come to your location. Our mobile locksmith service brings all the equipment needed for key fob replacement and programming directly to wherever your vehicle is in Primos—your house, your workplace, a parking lot, the side of the road if that’s where you’re stranded.
This eliminates towing costs when you’re completely locked out or can’t start your car because the key fob failed. It also saves you the time and hassle of driving to a shop, sitting in a waiting room, and arranging a ride back home.
We do have a physical storefront at 1101 Lincoln Avenue in Prospect Park if you prefer to come in. Some people like seeing the shop and talking face-to-face. But most customers choose mobile service because it’s more convenient. When your key fob stops working, you don’t need more inconvenience piled on top. We bring the solution to you—your driveway, your office parking lot, wherever works best for your situation.
If your key fob battery simply died, replacing the battery is often all you need. That’s a quick, inexpensive fix we can handle on-site in about five minutes.
But here’s what catches people: if the battery was dead for weeks or months, the fob may have lost its programming. When that happens, installing a fresh battery won’t solve the problem. The fob no longer communicates with your vehicle’s computer. It needs to be reprogrammed to sync with your car’s security system again.
We see this situation constantly with spare key fobs that sat in a drawer for a year with a dead battery. The physical fob is fine. The battery is now fresh. But the programming is gone. We can reprogram it the same day and restore full functionality. It costs less than complete key fob replacement, but it’s more involved than just swapping a battery. The fob has to be professionally synced with your vehicle’s computer using diagnostic equipment, not just a new CR2032 from the hardware store.
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