Auto Locksmith Training

[Jimmy07]

Thanks again to everyone aking time out of their busy schedules to reply.

Have been successful doing some Lishi picking with VAG, Vauxhall etc. I’m fairly confident I will pick this up. It’s transponders, choice if transponders, programming and techniques for various cars I struggle with.

I have no intention doing Mercedes,BMW or Volvo for quite some time so it’s just basic car makes to get me started

[rapidlocksmiths]

training courses are not going to help you with basic product knowledge , again this is all research and experience .

once you have accounts with reputable suppliers like NW keys and 3d group , their site has such info on it , ie enter make model and year and it will tell you what transponder , what remote , what key reference wtc is needed .

as you have an mvp pro , if an original unit then you will have access to advanced diagnostics IQ , this will give you the details of system and programming info what chip key and remote , as well as videos instructions and hints and tips for many too and also a very good forum to read and digest with like this forum a useful search function , access this from their site and theres also an app version of iq too , all you need is to own a genuine AD machine to access it.

as your kit grows , the better kit suppliers all have their own sites and info and videos.

youtube is full of programming videos.

tradelocks and genuine lishi sites have plenty of info and user guides

Diagnostic boxes tdb1000 if you buy the unit has instructions , videos and plenty of info on doing the job .

use the search function on this forum and discover a world of info , same on many other forums like AD forum , shoerepaier forum , truecode owners forum etc etc etc

basic product knowledge is missing from most courses , back in the day we used to rely on the silca car book , theres far more available now , nw keys do a very good cheap transponder book , telling you what key, what lishi pick, what chip if clonable , what remote and if programmable , all by make and model at your fingertips . there website too has valuable info, michael hydes transponder book is excellent if wanting to understand what makes transponders tick more .

this stuff you learn from research and experience and asking questions in places like here , and obtaining the resources like nw keys book , no short cuts here bar the offerings from nw keys book and theirs and 3ds sites , all this info is out there .

[Jimmy07]

Yes have accounts with Hickleys, Tradelocks, lock doctor etc. Managed to buy a used MVP pro like new at the right money and invested in a smart dongle and ariel. Tried a few older vags with TP23 an Astra J and an Insignia with I.D. 46 Followed all the instructions on machine but just ended up burning tokens 🔥😬

[rapidlocksmiths]

you burnt tokens on the polo due to lack of research/knowledge , i suspect had you waited 30 mins with the ign on after reading pin it would have been fine , though on some it just fails and alternate kit is needed, AD isnt the best on vag , battery voltage can also be crucial . there are far better and far more reliable kits for vag , but no single kit that will do all .

are you saying you burnt tokens on astra j and insignia ? if so why ?
was you using the correct remote key ? as if using a blank id46 carbon chip in a manual key or b series remote then it will fail
if properly generated on keydiy nb remote then this should have coded in fine , again i find the correct old nb remotes generated from the old nb zone better than the multi function remotes.
also cant beat oem keys on these and these can be sourced cheaply overseas.

mvp will take a token if the wrong chip is being used , alot of later id46 wont accept a carbon id46 chip , only a remote , some id46 applications will allow you to produce a chip to code in using a good transponder production unit like tango etc . some electronic boards can be sourced to allow manual keys to be coded using a board instead of a chip .

you will rartely go wrong if using oem parts , but more than 1 good programmer is also wise on some makes and models . cant beat truecode original .

[Jimmy07]

Yes this is where lack of experience comes in. OEM Keys seems to be the easiest route to move forward until I gain more knowledge. Researching each vehicle also looks like the way to learn. You know how it is when you get a new piece of kit I jumped in eyes closed and eager to get going. Time to take a step back and research and follow protocol for each model. Sometimes the problem with the internet is it is full of contradictions. The polo I was doing some say you have to pre program chip others say you don’t.

Trial, error, sound advice and patience is required moving forward. Rapidlocksmiths thanks for taking time to talk. I’m sure it’s tedious explaining the very basics to a newbie 🤨

[rapidlocksmiths]

on your polo the chassis will be your friend , a quick look at the vin number either on the tester or on car will id if precoded or not , if a 9N chassis no precode is needed , if a 6R chassis then precode is needed . if a 6r chassis you wont be doing a key if all keys are lost without removing the clocks .
also if it was just a spare key , as long as you had an internet connection then you could have cloned it with your kdx2 as kdx2 does id48 cloning , once cloned put the chip into a keydiy flip key , generate correct remote and code in remote with diag , you wont use any tokens on mvp this way .

[Jimmy07]

Brilliant thank you 😊

[sleepyrz]

Some of the best locksmiths out there went and learned it all themselves
No tutor
No class
Just books and videos and then going out and messing with it until you got it figured out

What is your background ?

You got any appreciable skills?

Best thing I ever did was borrow a guys set of Michael hyde auto smart books and read them both cover to cover a few times

[Jimmy07]

I used to decommission oil and diesel pipelines in power stations, refineries etc. Also desludged crude oil from installations and done prep for NDT. Quick learner just a bit daunting as anything is at the beginning

[sleepyrz]

Ok good you got some man hands

I just wanted to make sure we weren't dealing with a hair stylist

[Jimmy07]

No mate not too many hair stylists in the oil industry mind you a few of the lads could use one 😃

[sleepyrz]

What I mean to say I guess is you've taken a few mechanical systems apart and had to repair or replace components and things of that nature and you have that sort of instinct about you from years of doing said things and you can simply just start taking things apart and you're not afraid to do so because most of the problem with locksmiths today is there a bunch of scared little b****** and they don't even have the confidence to take things apart and just get inside and figure it out.
They want a key code.
This is the difference between what I consider a locksmith and a codesmith

Locksmith will say whoa that's weird never seen that before and dig right in and figure it out

Codesmith goes whoa I'm out of here! Scared of the unknown!
If they can't get a code from the VIN number they are out of there

[Jimmy07]

Yes done my fair share of stripping things, head scratching and problem solving as you can imagine. Usually while knee deep in crude oil. I see whole auto locksmith thing as a challenge and interesting. I want to wind down to a few days a week and control my working week to a degree. Unlike working in power stations etc where you start and don’t leave until project is finished sometimes months of long hours and 7 day weeks.

[rapidlocksmiths]

as said earlier , look up barry at autolcksmiths NI in newton ards , he is an excellent auto locksmith and may give you some pointers

[Jimmy07]

Barry is indeed a very good locksmith he is my friend’s brother in law. Did make contact a while ago but in this game everyone is very cagey. Don’t blame anyone for this as it takes years to build up knowledge through costly mistakes and wasted time. Very few will pass knowledge on unless it’s an employee or perhaps a son wanting into the business. I really appreciate the time everyone has taken to reply to a new member asking basic questions.