Silverado is the truck we get called about most, but Chevrolet's real footprint in Central Florida is wider than that — older Impalas, Malibus, and Tahoes still running strong decades after they were sold, alongside a steady stream of newer Equinox and Silverado models. That spread means a Chevy key call can go a few very different directions depending on the vehicle's age.
Call (407) 792-1378One of those directions genuinely surprises people, and it's worth explaining up front before we get into it.
On a number of older GM vehicles — well before today's trucks and SUVs — the key wasn't a simple metal blade with an electronic chip added on top. Instead, a small resistor pellet was built directly into the key itself, and the ignition system checked the electrical resistance of that pellet before allowing the engine to start. It's a different concept from the transponder chips that came later, and most owners who grew up on newer vehicles have never heard of it. When someone brings us an older Chevy sedan and asks why the key looks like it has something embedded near the tip, this is usually why.
As Chevrolet's lineup moved forward, the resistor pellet approach gave way to transponder chips similar to what most other manufacturers were using by then — a chip in the key head that the vehicle's computer checks for electronically, separate entirely from the mechanical cutting of the blade. This is the setup you'll find on a wide swath of Chevrolet sedans, crossovers, and earlier Silverado generations still on the road around Orlando.
On more recent Silverado and Equinox trims, the fob-and-push-button setup takes over. The fob doesn't need to touch anything — it just needs to be nearby — and the engine starts with a button rather than a turn of the wrist. As with most proximity systems, there's typically a small backup blade hidden in the fob for situations where the battery in the fob or the truck itself is the actual problem rather than the key.
If a working key still exists somewhere, we can generally use it to authorize a new one, which keeps the job more contained. If every key for the vehicle has gone missing — dropped at a lake, left in a rental return, simply lost — we have to originate a credential the vehicle has never accepted before, and that process takes longer by its nature, regardless of whether the vehicle uses an older resistor-pellet key, a transponder, or a proximity fob.
We also get plenty of calls after someone buys a used Impala, Malibu, or older Silverado privately and the deal only included a single key. That's common enough with private-party sales, but it leaves the new owner with no backup — and no way to know what generation of key technology they're actually dealing with until someone looks at it. Whether it turns out to be an old resistor-pellet setup, a transponder key, or a proximity fob usually depends entirely on the model year, and it's worth having a second key cut and programmed before the original one wears out or goes missing.
Ownership verification isn't a suggestion on our end — we ask for a valid photo ID and either the vehicle's registration or its title showing your name before any cutting or programming begins. This applies the same way to a decades-old Impala as it does to a brand-new Silverado.
We verify the vehicle is yours: photo ID plus a registration or title that matches it. Every reputable locksmith does this, and we will not skip it.
From a resistor-pellet key on an older sedan to a proximity fob on a new Silverado, Chevrolet has covered a lot of ground over the years — and we've worked across most of it. Call (407) 792-1378 and let us know what you're driving.
Some older GM vehicles used a resistor pellet built into the key that the ignition checked electrically before starting. It predates the transponder chips used on later models.
Yes. We work across the range, from older Malibu and Impala models to current Silverado and Equinox.
A photo ID and your registration or title in your name for that vehicle. We check this before touching any lock or starting programming.
No. We come to the vehicle wherever it's parked and do the cutting and programming there.
Searching locksmith near me in Orlando for a house lockout? We are mobile across metro Orlando and quote the price before we come out. Call (407) 792-1378.
ZIP codes we cover in Orlando: 32801, 32803, 32804, 32805, 32806, 32807, 32808, 32809, 32810, 32811, 32812, 32814, 32817, 32818, 32819, 32820, 32821, 32822, 32824, 32825. City services: Orlando Official Website.
