Question 1

How do I spot a scam locksmith before I get taken?

Accepted Answer

Three things to check before you hand anyone your car.

First, look up the business name on the California BSIS website. Every licensed locksmith operation in this state has a Bureau of Security and Investigative Services license number they can give you immediately. If they stall or change the subject, hang up.

Second, get a firm estimate on the phone for your specific year and model. Not a range, not a "depends what we find." Scam outfits lowball you over the phone and invent reasons to multiply the bill once they're on site with your car apart.

Third, search the number that called you or that you called. A lot of these operations run dozens of fake business names through the same call center. Reviews on Google and Yelp are useful, but also check if the address listed is a real building or a vacant lot. The 2013 Audi A5 is exactly the kind of car that attracts dishonest bids because it's a European vehicle and people assume it's always expensive and complicated.

Question 2

What is a smart key and why does my A5 need special programming?

Accepted Answer

Your 2013 Audi A5 uses a proximity-style smart key, which is more than a remote. It contains a programmed transponder that the immobilizer checks before it will allow the engine to start. The four-button fob you carry handles remote locking and unlocking, but the security pairing is a separate layer underneath all of that.

A blank fob that hasn't been paired to your specific car does nothing. The immobilizer won't recognize it, full stop. That's why you can't just buy a replacement fob online and drop a battery in it. Programming that transponder to your vehicle's immobilizer requires the right diagnostic equipment and, on an all-keys-lost situation, bench-level access to the immobilizer module itself.

Some locksmiths will tell you this is dealer-only work. It isn't. But it does require someone who actually has the right tools for this platform specifically, not just a general-purpose key programmer.

Question 3

What equipment do you actually use on a 2013 Audi A5?

Accepted Answer

For standard key adding on the A5, I use professional-grade European vehicle diagnostic tools that can communicate with the immobilizer at the level this platform requires. For all-keys-lost, where the immobilizer module needs to be read directly, I work on the bench with equipment that reads the chip data, sends it through a calculation server, and returns a file I use to regenerate key credentials.

The reason this matters: forum discussions among working Audi locksmiths are pretty consistent that using the wrong tool on this module can corrupt the data and turn a solvable problem into a module replacement. I've recovered modules that were left in a locked state by previous attempts with the wrong equipment. That recovery is possible but it adds time and cost that shouldn't have happened in the first place.

If you're interviewing locksmiths for this job, ask them directly what their process is for all-keys-lost on the A5 specifically. If they can't describe it, that's your answer.

Question 4

My A5 fob range got really short, then it stopped unlocking the car entirely. Is the key dying or is something else going on?

Accepted Answer

Short range before total failure is almost always the battery going. The factory fob on this car takes a CR2032. When that cell drops below a usable voltage, you get degraded range first, then intermittent function, then nothing. Owners on Audi forums describe exactly this pattern and then replace the battery and it's fine.

That said, if a fresh CR2032 doesn't bring it back, the fob itself may have taken damage. These housings crack if they've been dropped and the internal contacts can shift. Pop it open and look at the board before you assume the key needs to be replaced entirely.

If the fob is fine and a new battery doesn't help, the next step is checking whether the car is actually reading the key at all. That's a diagnostic job, not a fob replacement job.

Question 5

I have one working key for my A5. Should I get a spare made now or wait until I actually need it?

Accepted Answer

Get the spare now. All-keys-lost on this car is a significantly bigger job than adding a second key while one still works. When you have a working key, the process is cleaner, faster, and less expensive. When you lose the last key, the immobilizer module has to be accessed at a deeper level to regenerate credentials from scratch, which adds bench time.

One key is also just a bad position to be in day-to-day. If it's lost or damaged, you're looking at the full recovery job with no fallback. A spare made today gives you insurance and keeps the simpler procedure available to you.

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