A customer called us last month from a Starbucks on Larchmont Boulevard. She’d set her purse on the chair next to her, looked away for maybe two minutes, and it was gone. Wallet, phone, and every key she owned — house, car, mailbox, office. All of it.
She’s not the only one. We get calls like this every week from people across LA — from coffee shops in Silver Lake to cafés on Abbot Kinney. Purse thefts happen fast, and the key situation hits you about ten minutes later when the panic really sets in.
Here are the questions we hear most when someone in Los Angeles has lost all their keys at once.
1. I Lost All My Keys — What Do I Do First?
Take a breath. Then handle it in this order:
First, secure your home. If your ID was in that purse, whoever took it now has your address and your house keys. Call a locksmith and get your locks rekeyed or replaced the same day. This is the priority — not the car, not the mailbox. Your home.
Second, deal with the car. If your vehicle is parked somewhere accessible (say, a meter on 3rd Street or the structure off The Grove), you’ll need a locksmith who can handle all keys lost in Los Angeles situations — meaning they can cut and program a brand new key with zero originals to work from.
Third, file a police report. You’ll want documentation, especially if insurance is involved.
2. Can a Locksmith Really Make a Car Key With No Original?
Yes. This is literally what an “all keys lost” service means. We pull your key code from the vehicle’s lock or VIN, cut a new physical key, and then program the transponder chip so your car’s immobilizer accepts it. Modern vehicles — Hondas, Toyotas, BMWs, whatever you’re driving around the 405 — all have transponder systems that require programming, not just cutting.
Our techs carry the diagnostic equipment in the van. We come to you, whether your car is sitting in a parking garage downtown or in your driveway in Encino. The whole process for most vehicles takes 30 to 60 minutes. For more on how this works, check out our page on transponder key programming in Los Angeles.
3. How Much Does All Keys Lost Replacement Cost in Los Angeles?
Straight talk: it depends on the vehicle.
- Basic transponder key (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, etc.): $120–$220
- Smart key / push-to-start fob (Nissan Altima, Hyundai Tucson): $180–$350
- Luxury vehicles (BMW, Mercedes, Audi): $280–$500+
The dealership alternative? They’ll charge more and you’ll need to tow the car there first. A dealer replacement for a lost BMW key in LA can easily run $600–$800 with the tow and the wait. We come to the car, and we do it the same day.
For the house rekey, expect $75–$150 per lock depending on the hardware. Most people have 2–3 exterior locks, so you’re looking at $150–$400 for the home side of things.
4. How Fast Can You Get to Me?
We serve all of Los Angeles County and typically arrive within 20–35 minutes. If you’re in Hollywood, Koreatown, Westwood, or anywhere inside the city core, it’s usually on the quicker end. Farther out areas like Chatsworth, San Pedro, or Pasadena might push closer to 40 minutes depending on traffic — and if you’ve driven in LA, you know that’s a real variable.
We run mobile units 24/7, so it doesn’t matter if your purse gets snatched at 8 AM or 11 PM. Our full range of Los Angeles locksmith services is available around the clock.
5. Should I Change My Home Locks or Just Rekey Them?
If your stolen purse had your ID in it, we strongly recommend at minimum a rekey — and honestly, a full lock replacement if your current hardware is older. Here’s the difference:
Rekeying changes the internal pins so old keys stop working. It’s cheaper and keeps your existing hardware. Good option if you have decent deadbolts already.
Replacing gives you brand new locks with new keys. Better if your current locks are builder-grade (those cheap brass Kwiksets a lot of LA apartments come with) or if they’re showing wear.
Either way, do it the same day. Don’t sleep in a home where a stranger has the key and your address.
6. What If I Only Lost My Car Key and Still Have My House Keys?
Then you just need the all keys lost service for the vehicle, which is simpler and cheaper since we’re only dealing with one lock system. We still cut and program a new key from scratch — the process is the same whether you lost one key or all of them. The “all keys lost” part refers to the car having zero working keys, not necessarily that you’ve lost every key you own.
Plenty of people in this situation just dropped a single key somewhere on Venice Beach or had it fall out of their pocket on the Metro. Same fix, same service.
Dealing With All Keys Lost in Los Angeles? Call Us.
Losing all your keys is one of those problems that feels massive in the moment but has a straightforward fix. Our mobile team handles all keys lost situations across LA every day — from Highland Park to Playa Vista and everywhere between. One call, one visit, and you’re back in your car and your home with fresh keys in hand.
Reach the Locksmith HQ Team anytime at (818) 398-9391. We’ll get you sorted out.
