Know AAA: Automotive

Automotive—AAA Colorado offers a wealth of automotive services, beginning with AAA's famous roadside assistance program that follows the member, not the vehicle. Other services include Approved Auto Repair and Auto Body Repair facilities, automotive products at AAA Colorado offices, and auto sales and leasing through AAA Colorado AutoSource. All can be accessed through www.aaa.com, including AutoManager, which manages the maintenance of your vehicle.

For modern locksmiths, training is “key”

In the world of AAA Colorado, a group of “unsung heroes” go about their important job with hardly a nod of recognition—AAA locksmiths. Usually, the only acknowledgement they receive is the grateful appreciation of members who have locked themselves out of their vehicles.

To the rest of us, if we think of locksmiths at all, we conjure up an image of an old-fashioned lock and ancient skeleton keys. The locksmith comes along, finds the right key and the lock is opened.

Today, however, that image of a locksmith is as outdated as the image of AAA Colorado being just a towing service. Twenty-first century locksmiths are sophisticated craftspeople who deal with a dizzying array of computer technologies that seem to change on a daily basis.

Many service calls still involve the basic “I locked myself out of my car” scenario. AAA locksmiths are completely equipped to gain access to any vehicle, no matter the age or model.

When it comes to broken or lost keys, however, that's when it starts getting tricky. Of course, regular keys made of solid metal can still be cut and duplicated with the proper key-cutting machines. Most new cars, however, are now equipped with transponder keys, which contain a computer chip. Transponder keys were initially developed to increase auto security.

Unfortunately, this heightened security does have a maintenance price tag. Because a transponder key interacts with the car's computer, it requires new and expensive high-tech locksmithing equipment that can read the key's chip and interface with the vehicle's computer to encode the car's security code onto a new key. Such equipment requires a skilled operator who is trained in the most up-to-date technological advances.

These technological improvements have caused locksmiths to charge significantly more for their services. Even with such machines and people, sometimes a car will need to be towed back to the dealership for a new key and encoding.

As automotive technology advances even further—taking with it the transponder key—it will become critical for drivers to have access to highly educated, computer-equipped locksmiths prepared to handle any “key” emergency. AAA Colorado's locksmiths are ready to meet that challenge. (See your membership benefits to determine what locksmith services are provided.)