Question 1

How do I spot a fake locksmith before I get ripped off?

Accepted Answer

Three things to check before anyone touches your vehicle.

First, a real business name with verifiable reviews on Google. Not just a phone number that appears on a generic map listing with no address and no history. If you can't find them before they show up, that's your answer.

Second, ask for a firm price on the phone for your specific vehicle. A legitimate tech will ask the year, make, and model and give you a real out-the-door number. Vague answers on pricing before the job become inflated surprises after.

Third, ask for the BSIS license number. Every locksmith company operating in California is required to carry one and give it out on the spot. No number, no work.

For a 2018 Ford Transit specifically, a real locksmith will know what key type your van uses and what equipment the job requires. If they're hedging on that, they either don't have the tools or don't have the experience. Either way, not your problem to solve for them.

Question 2

What is a remote head key and what does it actually do?

Accepted Answer

A remote head key is exactly what it sounds like: a key blade built into the same housing as the remote fob. Your 2018 Transit uses one. The blade goes into the ignition the same way a traditional key does, and the transponder chip inside the head communicates with the vehicle's immobilizer system to authorize the start. The remote portion handles your lock, unlock, and the other buttons on the four-button fob.

Both sides of that key have to be right. A blade cut to the wrong profile won't turn the lock. A key that's cut correctly but not programmed will turn the ignition and get nothing. A fob that's paired but on a blade that doesn't fit the door lock cylinder is useless in an emergency. When I replace one of these, all three things get verified: the cut, the transponder, and the remote function. That's the complete key, not just part of it.

Question 3

What equipment do you use to program a 2018 Ford Transit key?

Accepted Answer

Professional immobilizer programmers with Ford-specific capability. The 2018 Transit is not a vehicle where a generic OBDII reader gets you anywhere near key programming. The tools need to communicate properly with the vehicle's security and body control systems to register a new key.

The other piece is the cutting side. A blade that's off by even a fraction will feel like it turns but won't actuate the lock correctly, or it'll wear the cylinder faster than it should. Proper decoding and cutting equipment matters on both ends of this job.

If a locksmith can't tell you specifically what they use on a Ford van this age, that's worth asking about before you agree to anything.

Question 4

My 2018 Transit key fob range dropped off suddenly. Is the key dying or is it the van?

Accepted Answer

Start with the battery. The remote head key on this van takes a CR2032, and when it gets low, range drops before anything else fails. You might still get lock and unlock from a foot away but nothing from across a parking lot. Swap the battery first, seat it correctly with the positive side oriented right, and retest from a normal distance.

If range is still short after a fresh CR2032, try the other key if you have one. Consistent short range on both fobs usually points to the van's receiver rather than the key itself. Isolated to one fob, it's either a weak replacement battery, a slightly bent contact inside the housing, or the fob itself. That's a much cheaper problem to solve than the alternative.

Question 5

I only have one key for my Transit. Do I really need a spare, or is that just an upsell?

Accepted Answer

One-key situations are where people really feel the pain. A Transit with a single key and that key fails, gets lost, or ends up locked inside means the job goes from an add-a-key to an all-keys-lost procedure. Those are different jobs with different time requirements, and the all-keys-lost route takes longer because the existing key memory has to be cleared before new keys can be enrolled.

Having a spare doesn't just protect against losing it. It protects against the key failing, the blade wearing, the fob cracking. Vans that get daily use put more wear on a key than most passenger cars do. A spare made now, while a working key is present, is the faster and simpler version of this job.

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