Auto Locksmith, Car Key, Remapping & DPF FAQs

Because the same model across different years and trims can use entirely different immobiliser systems, and the difference in work is significant.

A figure given without it is either a guess or an opening number that changes on arrival. The registration identifies the actual build.

Yes. Autobahn is a mobile service — we come to the vehicle.

For key work that matters, because a vehicle with no working key cannot be driven anywhere.

Manchester and Greater Manchester. The areas we cover page lists where we work most regularly, though that is not the boundary of where we will travel.

It depends on the day and what is already scheduled. Call or WhatsApp to check availability and you will get a realistic answer rather than an optimistic one.

Usually, yes. With no working key the vehicle has to be opened, key information recovered from its locks or modules, and a key created and coded from scratch.

It is a larger job than adding a spare, but it is done at the vehicle rather than at a dealer. Support depends on the make, model, year and system.

On most vehicles, no — a new key is added alongside the ones you already have.

Some systems require all keys to be re-learned together, which erases any key not physically present. Where that applies you will be told beforehand, and you should bring every key you own.

Normally the V5C logbook and photo ID in the same name. Creating a key to a vehicle is exactly the work that should come with checks.

If the vehicle is leased, on finance, a company vehicle or recently bought and not yet registered to you, say so when you call. These are all workable; the paperwork simply differs.

Sometimes. The transponder inside has to be the correct type for your vehicle, and a used key already coded to another car often cannot be reused.

Send us the listing before you buy rather than after.

That points at the immobiliser rather than anything mechanical — the blade is right, but the vehicle is not recognising the transponder.

It can be the key, the antenna around the ignition, or wiring. Diagnosis separates them.

It is the clearest value in motoring. Adding a key while one works is a fraction of the cost of originating one when nothing does.

On some makes the difference runs to several times the price.

Yes. A remap is a modification, and not declaring it can invalidate cover.

Most insurers handle it routinely. An undeclared remap discovered during a claim is a far worse outcome than a premium adjustment.

The original calibration is read and retained before anything is written, so the vehicle can be returned to standard.

Yes — DPF cleaning, diagnostics and regeneration, AdBlue and SCR diagnostics, and EGR diagnostics, all at the vehicle.

Send the registration and the warning showing, and we will discuss the fault and the options. The service pages explain each in more detail.

A properly judged map on a healthy engine within standard hardware limits should not. The real risk is remapping an engine that already has a problem, because additional load makes it worse.

This is why condition is assessed before calibration rather than after.

That usually means the underlying cause was never addressed. Cleaning empties the filter; it does not explain why it filled faster than it should.

Common causes include a faulty EGR, injector problems, sensor faults, the wrong oil specification, or a journey pattern of short cold trips.

Yes. Emissions regulations require the vehicle to prevent restarting once the SCR system is empty or faulty.

It is worth dealing with while the mileage figure is still large, because once the vehicle will not start your options narrow.

No. A code tells you which parameter the vehicle is unhappy about; it does not tell you why.

A code naming a sensor is as often wiring, a poor earth or low supply voltage as a failed component.