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Mercedes Key Replacement Oxford Spare Keys From £220
Chrome smart keys for A, C and E Class, GLA, GLC and Sprinter cut and coded at the car. We check your registration first, because some newer Mercedes keys can only come from the dealer.
Get a Mercedes key price
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
Registration checked first
We tell you on the phone if your Mercedes is FBS3 or dealer only.
Chrome smart keys
The infrared key most A, C and E Class cars from the 2000s and 2010s use.
Sprinter and Vito vans
Van keys made on site so a trade vehicle is not off the road for days.
From £220
Exact price by model and year, agreed before we set off.
Our Mercedes key replacement in Oxford covers spare and lost keys for most A, C and E Class cars, GLA and GLC SUVs and Sprinter vans, cut and coded at the car, usually the same day, from £220. Before anyone drives out we run your registration to see which security generation the car has. Many Mercedes from roughly 1998 to the mid 2010s use the FBS3 system that a specialist auto locksmith can work with. Some later cars use FBS4, and for those a new key generally has to be ordered through Mercedes. If that is your car, we tell you on the phone and you pay nothing. For other makes, see our main car key replacement service in Oxford.
Which Mercedes key do you have?
Mercedes has changed its key design far less often than most brands, which makes it easy to identify yours. Find the key, or a photo of it, and compare it with the table below. If you have lost every key, the registration tells us the same thing.
| Era (roughly) | What the key looks like | How it talks to the car | Usually made on site? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before about 1998 | Plain metal blade, sometimes with a separate infrared remote | Mechanical, with an early infrared immobiliser on some cars | Often, depending on model |
| About 1998 to 2014 | Chrome or black plastic smart key with a short blade hidden inside | Infrared signal to the Electronic Ignition Switch (EIS) when pushed into the dash slot | Yes on most FBS3 cars |
| About 2014 onwards | Newer slim smart key, often with KEYLESS-GO | FBS4 encrypted system on many models | Often dealer only |
| Older Sprinter and Vito vans | Flip key or three button key on many years | Transponder chip plus remote | Yes on most years |
The dates overlap because Mercedes moved models to FBS4 one at a time. A 2015 C-Class (W205) and a 2015 E-Class (W212) can behave differently, so we never guess from the year alone.
FBS3, FBS4 and why some Mercedes keys are dealer only
On most Mercedes the key is not cut to turn a lock barrel in the normal sense. You push the whole fob into the ignition slot and the car reads it by infrared. The part that decides whether the engine may start is the EIS, a small computer behind that slot, and it keeps a list of the keys it trusts.
On FBS3 cars a specialist auto locksmith can read the security data from the EIS with dedicated equipment and write a new key to match. That is how we make keys for a typical W204 C-Class, W212 E-Class or W176 A-Class without the car going anywhere.
The honest limit on newer cars
FBS4 uses encryption that, on many models, the aftermarket cannot generate keys for. If your Mercedes is FBS4, the realistic route is a key ordered through a Mercedes dealer against your VIN. We would rather say that on the phone than charge you a call out. Tools and methods do change, so it is still worth asking with your registration.
The same check applies to any premium make. Our BMW key replacement page and Audi key page explain how those brands draw their own lines.
Mercedes key problems that are not always the key
A Mercedes that will not start is not always a lost key job. These are the faults that come up most often with this brand, and some are cheaper than a new key.
Key goes in but nothing happens
Often a weak battery in the chrome key or a worn infrared window. The car may still start if the battery is the issue. A new coin cell, usually a CR2025 on these keys, is the first thing to try.
Key will not turn in the slot
On several C-Class, E-Class and CLK models the electronic steering lock (ELV) can fail and refuse to release, so the key stays stuck. That is a car fault, not a key fault, and we will tell you if it needs specialist repair.
Buttons work, engine does not
The remote and the immobiliser are separate inside the fob. Locking and unlocking can be fine while the start side has failed, which usually means a new key rather than a repair.
Sprinter flip key snapped
Hard daily use cracks the flip mechanism on older van keys. We can often move the chip into a new shell or make a replacement key on the same visit.
If the remote is the only part misbehaving, our car key programming service covers re-syncing and recoding without paying for a whole new fob.
How a Mercedes key replacement in Oxford works
- Send the registration. Phone 07520 644 595 or WhatsApp 07466 695655 with the registration, model and where the car is parked. We confirm FBS3 or FBS4 before quoting.
- Agree the price. Mercedes keys start from £220. The exact figure depends on the model, year and whether you still have a working key. It is fixed before we set off.
- Show ownership. At the car we need the V5C logbook in your name, or other proof the car is yours, and photo ID. No paperwork means no key, every time.
- Read and write. We connect to the car, read the EIS data and write a new key. On an all keys lost job this takes longer, as the module may need to be accessed directly.
- Test everything. Start, central locking, boot release and the hidden emergency blade are all checked before you pay. Where possible, lost keys are removed from the car’s list so they cannot start it.
Our base is on Woodstock Road in North Oxford, so Summertown, Jericho and the city centre are close. Anywhere within 5 miles of central Oxford has no travel charge.
Mercedes models we make keys for around Oxfordshire
Across Oxford the family A-Class and C-Class estates are the most common requests, followed by ML and GLC SUVs in the villages where a bigger car makes sense. Sprinter and Vito vans come from builders, couriers and tradespeople working out of places like the Oxford Business Park and the Kidlington and Witney industrial estates. For a van, a day off the road is lost income, so a key made where the van is parked matters.
Newer GLC, GLE and later A-Class cars are where FBS4 is most likely. Send the registration and we will say yes or no straight away.
Mercedes dealer or mobile auto locksmith?
Mercedes dealer
Can supply keys for every model including FBS4, ordered against your VIN. The car usually needs to be at the dealership, and new keys can take days to arrive from Germany.
The right choice for FBS4 cars and anything under a manufacturer warranty claim.
Mobile auto locksmith
Comes to the car on your drive, at work or in a car park. On FBS3 cars the key is usually made on the same visit. Cannot help with FBS4 models where no aftermarket key exists.
Usually quicker for FBS3 cars, especially when every key is lost and the car cannot be driven.
If your keys are locked inside the car rather than lost, that is a different job. See keys locked in car in Oxford for entry from £85.
Get a Mercedes spare key while you still have one
Plenty of Mercedes owners run on a single key for years because the second one went with a previous owner. The risk is that once that last key is lost, the job becomes an all keys lost job with the EIS read directly, which takes longer and costs more.
A Mercedes spare key made from your working key is the cheaper path. Our spare car key service explains what happens on a copy job, and the full locksmith price list shows every car key price we charge.
Mercedes key prices in Oxford
Mercedes prices start higher than most makes because of the EIS security, and the exact figure depends on model and year.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Mercedes key (spare, lost or keyless) | From £220 | Exact price by model and year. Cut, coded and tested at the car |
| Programming only (you supply a cut key) | £55 to £95 | Where the car and key type allow it |
| Mechanical key cutting (no chip) | £35 to £55 | Older Mercedes blades and spare door keys |
| Car lockout daytime | From £85 | Non-destructive entry with the keys inside |
| Car lockout nights, weekends, bank holidays | From £130 | Same method, out of hours |
| Ignition repair | £155 to £245 + parts | Where the fault is in the ignition rather than the key |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
