The owner of this 2012 Ford F-350 in Sarasota had lost every key. There was no spare available, so I needed to restore a replacement from the truck itself. I completed the job with one flip key that could start the engine and lock and unlock the doors using its remote buttons.
The complete job took approximately 20–30 minutes, including the final checks. That was the time for this particular truck, rather than a promised turnaround for every lost-key job.
Restoring the key from the lock cylinder
Without an original key to duplicate, I worked from the lock cylinder to recover the information needed to make the replacement blade. This was a key restoration job: the starting point was the vehicle’s lock, not a surviving key.
Once the replacement was ready, the important question was whether it worked with the truck. I checked both access and starting before considering the work finished.
One flip key with remote Lock/Unlock
For this F-350, I made one flip key with a folding blade and buttons for locking and unlocking the doors. The customer received a single finished remote key; a second spare was not part of this job.
Checking the finished key
At the end of the work, I checked the functions the customer would rely on every day:
- The remote locked the doors.
- The remote unlocked the doors.
- The replacement key started the engine.
Everything worked correctly. The owner had a working key again and was happy with the result.
Why a separate spare is worth considering
This job ended with one working key. My advice after losing every key is to consider adding a spare and keeping it separately from the everyday key. That gives you another option if the main key is misplaced again.
Lost your Ford keys in Sarasota?
Contact Keyman Mobile Car Locksmith with your Ford’s year and model, your location, and whether any working keys remain. Those details help me discuss the right replacement options for your vehicle.