Nashville and Middle TN | 208 Thompson Ln
Sorento, Sportage, Optima, Soul, Forte, Telluride. We cut and program Kia keys and smart fobs at the shop or at your vehicle, without the dealer wait.
Get a Kia Key Quote
Send the year and model. We will tell you the key type and what it takes.
Know what you have
Almost every Kia on the road takes one of two things, and the difference matters more than the model name does. Look at what you carry now.
A remote with a metal blade that springs out of the body at the press of a button. Common on Rio, Soul, Sportage and older Sorento. Cheaper to replace, and the blade is cut mechanically as well as programmed.
Push to start vehicles that unlock as you walk up, with a small emergency blade hidden inside the fob. Standard on newer Sorento, Telluride, K5, Carnival and Niro. A more expensive part, but we program them in house.
A plain metal key with a transponder chip in the head, no buttons. Found on older Kia models. The cheapest of the three to replace and usually the quickest.
Kia and Hyundai share a great deal of engineering, so if you have owned both you may notice the keys look and behave similarly. The programming procedure is often related too.
You may not need us at all
A number of Kia models allow onboard programming: if you already hold two working keys, the vehicle itself can be put into a mode that accepts a third without any equipment at all.
If that applies to your Kia, you can buy a blank fob and add it yourself for the cost of the part. Your owner manual will describe the sequence if the feature exists on your model. It will not work if you are down to one key, and it will not cut a mechanical blade for you, but it is worth ten minutes of your time before calling anyone.
We are telling you this because most people never find out it was an option until after they have paid someone. If it does not work, or you only have one key left, then call us.
All keys lost
This is the situation people panic about, and it is usually less dramatic than expected. When no working key exists we originate one from the vehicle itself rather than copying, which means cutting a blade to the lock and writing a new key to the immobiliser.
It takes longer than a duplicate and it costs more. It does not normally require a tow, because we bring the equipment to the car. What it does require is proof the vehicle is yours, so have your registration or title and photo identification ready. Any locksmith who does not ask you for that is one to be wary of.
A note on buying fobs yourself: refurbished and aftermarket Kia fobs vary enormously in quality, and some cannot be programmed at all. If you want to supply your own part to save money, send us the part number first and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth buying.
Who does the work
Rahim Ezzadpanah
Owner and technician, Armstrong Locksmith Inc.
I have been cutting and programming automotive keys for 20 years and still do the work myself alongside Kawa and Sako. There is no dispatcher in the middle taking a cut and no subcontractor turning up in an unmarked car.
If your Kia can be programmed at home from your own driveway, I would rather tell you that than take the job. The people who find that out are the ones who call us when it actually matters.
TN License #406 | 208 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37211
More about the shop
Common questions
Yes, for most Kia models. We originate a new key from the vehicle rather than copying an existing one, which involves cutting a blade to the lock and writing the key to the immobiliser. It takes longer than a duplicate and costs more, but it usually does not need a dealer or a tow. Send us the year and model to confirm.
On a number of models, yes, but only if you already have two working keys. The vehicle can be put into a mode that accepts an additional fob without equipment. Your owner manual will describe the sequence if your model supports it. It will not help if you are down to one key, and it does not cut a mechanical blade.
Normally yes, and by a meaningful margin, because we supply the fob and do the programming ourselves rather than marking up a dealer part. You also avoid the tow if the car will not start. We will not pretend we beat the dealer on every model, but on Kia we usually do.
We are happy to program a part you supply, but send us the part number before you buy. Refurbished and aftermarket Kia fobs vary a lot in quality and some cannot be programmed by any equipment. We will tell you free whether the one you are looking at is worth buying.
Registration or title in your name plus photo identification. We check this on every all keys lost job without exception. If a locksmith offers to originate a key for a vehicle without asking, that should worry you.
Either. Bringing a drivable Kia to Thompson Ln saves you the service call fee. If it will not start because the key is gone, we come to you anywhere in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Where we work
Based on Thompson Ln in South Nashville, covering the metro daily.
Call the shop with your year and model. We will tell you the key type, the method and the cost before you drive anywhere.
Armstrong Locksmith Inc. | 208 Thompson Ln, Nashville, TN 37211 | TN License #406
