Above are two sets of keys. I’ll get back to them later.
I used to do something that I thought was quite brilliant, although I’m sure many others had done it before me. I’d leave copies of my car keys at various places at which I often visited, including my father’s house, in-laws (ex), and work. Then, if I ever lost my keys or locked them in my car, I’d have a spare at that location so I could get in my car.
I recently decided I would do that again, and at about the same time I renewed my AAA (automobile club, not the alcoholics) membership. When they offered to upgrade me to a premium membership, I asked what the advantages were. One advantage was $100 yearly credit towards car key and locksmith services. I asked the woman, “Does anybody really spend $100 on car keys in a year?” I didn’t think that was much of a selling point for the premium membership, but I was wrong. Back to those keys in the picture.
To the left are the keys to a 2007 Mazda 3i. I went into the dealership where I bought it and asked about replacement keys. The key itself would be about $60. Then there’s the “programming cost,” which brings it up to about $170. They “key” on the right is a BMW 128i. That – device – is well over $300.
That $100 credit from AAA is suddenly looking pretty good.
