A 2016 Ford Focus with every key missing. No spare at home, no backup with a family member, no key at all to insert. We attended on site in Nottingham, picked the door to get in, decoded the lock, and cut and programmed two fresh keys the same visit.
The call
All keys lost (AKL) is the most involved car key job we do, but not for the reason most people expect. Once the car is open and the programming tool is connected, the software side is quick. It's access that eats the time - picking the door lock, decoding the bitting, cutting blades before the Autel can even be plugged in. Every stage has to be earned before the next starts.
Before we arrived the customer had already spoken to the Ford dealer. A dealer AKL is typically a 2-4 week wait for a specialist appointment, and in practice the dealer usually sub-contracts the job back to an auto locksmith anyway. Calling one direct skips the wait and the dealer fee in the middle.
How we replaced the keys
First step on site was access. The door cylinder uses the HU101 blade profile, so the HU101 Lishi came off the van - same tool we'd be decoding with a moment later, just used first to lift the wafers until the cylinder turned.
Inside the car, the HU101 Lishi went onto the ignition to decode the bitting. Tool in, wafers read one at a time off the gauge, bitting written down. No code-database lookup, no blade filed to fit by feel.
Both blades cut to the decoded bitting on the van.
Programming ran on the Autel MaxiIM IM608 PRO II via OBD. The tool authenticated against the immobiliser, wiped every key the car had learned before, and wrote the two new transponders into the approved list. The wipe is automatic on AKL - you can't selectively keep old keys - which means any missing original won't start the car again.
Both remotes paired to central locking and boot release on the same session. Tested door by door before pack-down.
Outcome
Two working keys in the customer's hand. Every previous key wiped from the immobiliser. Car back on the driveway the same visit, no recovery truck, no Ford dealer booking.
Lost every key to your Ford? We come to you - Nottingham and the East Midlands, on-site AKL programming. Year and model on the phone and we'll load the van with the right Lishi before setting off.
Published: 10th December, 2025 | Updated: 22nd April, 2026