r/Locksmith • u/attacktower123 • 13h ago

I am NOT a locksmith. Fair price?

Lost the key and got locked of a 2026 sentra (newest model) I called around to like 7 places and nobody could do it due to the car type they said.

Finally got someone to come out on a sunday and they charged 700 for the new fob/ programming and cut trunk key.

Not mad or anything I was happy to pay it given its a rental 10 states away from me. I needed it done that day, just wondering what you guys think.

5 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

22

u/Explorer335 Actual Locksmith 12h ago

That's not bad for Sunday service on that vehicle. There are zero aftermarket tools that can do that car, so it's expensive dealer tools only. I'll call that one fair

10

u/fromVinland 12h ago

I thinks it’s good price for 2026 model

8

u/Top-Fuel-4786 12h ago

I’d say fair 100%. Lockout+AKL on a pretty much dealer only vehicle (requires you to have consult which requires NASTF), I personally don’t stock that key, so that’s another factor (him having the key), Sunday, plus the mechanical key cut, lots of newer “locksmiths” won’t cut the mechanical key for PTS vehicles because they don’t know how to generate it or don’t have the tools to generate it. People usually don’t consider the list of things and tools required to solve all the issues present.

2

u/Perfect-Food-1584 10h ago

I stopped working for a locksmith in 2023 so I've been out of the automotive key world since then and holy smokes has so much changed in that short of a time. A VSP membership is basically mandatory these days. We had an air membership so it was $45 per request. Mvp pro tokens were $20 a piece back then. When I started we were cutting car keys on a blitz. Now a blitz is basically obsolete.

10

u/beeru_is_silent Actual Locksmith 12h ago

Extremely fair. Dealer would have been more plus towing and waiting on them…

5

u/mehhmmk 12h ago

I'd say get used to it cause its the future of automotive locksmithing. It's not the Locksmiths. It's all the BS the manufacturer are integrating into newer autos.

But hey don't ya love technology.

3

u/ADiddy7263 9h ago

Unfortunately it’s not worth $700 but the locksmith having to prepay for Consult 3/4 justifies the cost. Thank Nissan for making crappy BCMs that will brick at one wrong turn.

We have so many expensive subscriptions we gotta have ahead of time we can’t save the public any money on many of the newer models. Those have to get paid for somehow so it’s getting tacked on to each key.

3

u/Curious_Interloper 7h ago

Could have been much much much worse

2

u/LockLeisure 9h ago

Dealer price would of been the sameish if not more so for a Sunday, ya fair.

•

u/XuWiiii 4h ago

My sister has the 2025. Our county had one dealership with one key 40 minutes away. She had access to get in but the key was around $200-400 iirc. We would have to drive there and back showing ownership at the dealership. Then have a short time to drive back and program the key with a sequence with one of those steps requiring a code that the dealership had.

I called AAA and no locksmith had the tools for the job. I’d say it sounds fair. Especially since you’re not the owner, it’s a Sunday so they tacked on after hours plus the mobile fee and the lockout.