Should I drive DC to Philly to bring wife spare car key?

February 7, 2016 9:10 AM

My wife lost her car key in a restaurant parking lot last night. I'm home near DC with two kids (2 & 7) while she attends a conference outside Philadelphia. How do we get her home tonight?

Dealership in Media, PA is closed on Sunday. Car is a 2015 Camaro. She still has the fob. Car has On Star. Remote start yes, but not drive-able without actual key in slot.

Can a locksmith make a replacement key for such a new car?

Could a courier service get the spare there cheaper?

I can drop the kids with grandparents or aunts, though I worry they'll be a nightmare after a weekend without Mom. Is it reasonable to drive the spare set up to her myself, 150 miles?

She's required to attend the second half of the seminar today, but will go re-scour the parking lot and check with nearby stores' losts-and-found at lunch so I'm posting this question while I wait to hear more. Tanks.

posted by Straw Cab to Travel & Transportation around Philadelphia, PA (14 answers total)

Have her take the train home, then she or you can take the train back to Philly next weekend with the keys and all drive back together. Bring the kids and make a day of it! There are great childrens' museums there. I bet it ends up being cheaper, more relaxing, and more fun than either a courier or a locksmith.

Her company may even let her expense the train home, now that I think about it.
posted by nkknkk at 9:15 AM on February 7, 2016 [18 favorites]

Can a locksmith make a replacement key for such a new car?

I would assume this is what locksmiths do, but call and make sure before you take the road trip today, which you should, if you can.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:22 AM on February 7, 2016

I can't second nkknkk hard enough. Being able to turn an inconvenience into an adventure is one of those little tricks of humanity that makes life worth living.

You live close enough to extended family to have help in the event of an emergency requiring a second car next week. There's no reason to make this a stressful panic event when it can be a fun memory instead.
posted by phunniemee at 9:32 AM on February 7, 2016 [13 favorites]

Best answer: A locksmith probably won't help much. A 2015 Camero probably has an electronic key, so the mechanical fit into the ignition is only half of the interlocked starting system. The dealer is probably the only one who can provide a key that will work in the car and that replacement won't be cheap. And you'll have to get the car home somehow anyway. Besides, she's your wife. Think of the brownie points you'll get by bringing her the spare set. The whole thing could turn into something you both can laugh about for years.
posted by CollectiveMind at 9:40 AM on February 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

BTW, I would definitely not leave the car there in the parking lot for a week. Very good chance you won't see it again.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:50 AM on February 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

I would just get in the car and go. It's Super Bowl Sunday. I can't imagine there are a lot of people on the road. The time and effort you spend trying to find another solution, you would already be halfway there. Drop the kids off, put on a podcast and go. It's not a bad drive.
posted by whoaali at 9:50 AM on February 7, 2016 [6 favorites]

Can you go to her by train, and travel back in the car together?
posted by Too-Ticky at 9:53 AM on February 7, 2016 [8 favorites]

If I went today, which I probably would because it is just one of those things you do for a spouse, I would take the train up and drive back with her in the same car.

As for locksmiths, there is a thread on the Blue right now about how most of them are bs operations and should be avoided like the plague.
posted by AugustWest at 9:54 AM on February 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

I would just get in the car and go.

Likewise. Unless you have it on good authority from a locksmith that they can do this for her, I'd just scoot up there, time it to arrive right when the seminar is letting out, go out for a nice dinner and drive back together. If the kids are decent travelers who would enjoy this, I'd bring them along. If they're not, I'd stash them with relatives. I regularly drive that amount in a weekend just to see my SO or go see good music/movies, I wouldn't think twice about it.
posted by jessamyn at 10:14 AM on February 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I had a locksmith come out to my car and make a new key couple of years ago (after I...uh... flushed my only key down the toilet accidentally). It was an older car (2002) but it had the electronic chip in it. He replaced it with what appeared to be an off brand key. I believe it was around $250 to have him come out to the car, make the key and program it.
posted by geegollygosh at 10:29 AM on February 7, 2016

Response by poster: Update: Key found. Someone turned it in at the shoe store next to the restaurant. I was totally gonna do the things you said though.
posted by Straw Cab at 10:42 AM on February 7, 2016 [67 favorites]

in case this helps someone else: key.me can often cut keys using an original from another place thanks to the magical power of the Internet. what a time to be alive.
posted by andreapandrea at 12:56 PM on February 7, 2016 [6 favorites]

I temporarily lost my key while out of state and I just went to a dealership. They checked my id and made me a new key for free.
posted by Marinara at 6:55 PM on February 7, 2016

Response by poster: Since the key was found, I didn't really get the chance to try out everyone's excellent suggestions.

In Pennsylvania, car dealerships are closed on Sunday [citation needed], the day of this event. In general, these keys should indeed be replaced at a dealership. Unless you know a reliable shady roving locksmith, but most locksmiths are bogus. I guess.

I would have driven up and gotten her, if it had come to it. That is, I would have delivered the spare set of keys. I had family I could drop the kids with for the afternoon, and we would have been back before bedtime.

Thanks all!
posted by Straw Cab at 3:40 AM on March 18, 2016 [1 favorite]