I had a locksmith come out and he simply put on some jewelers glasses and made a key for me in about 2 min. he charged 45.00.
It was the same for me two years ago for my 94 Nissan pickup. They looked it up, made a new key from scratch. It seemed to be a small matter to them as they gave the apprentice the task. It was $55 for me.
Yes, and a thief can do it in 10 seconds… Paper clip and a screwdriver. broom broom.
Its easier on old locks because the parts erode away and the more they around the easier it is to get the part out of the way … to the unlocked state.
That is, worn out locks become unlocked, rather than permanently locked…
You didn’t specify what car you have, or how long ago this happened. It certainly wasn’t a car with a transponder key, like the 2000 Ford Crown Vic specified by the OP.
The time and money required to make a key depends on a lot of factors, such as what brand the car is, are codes available, does it use a transponder, is it daytime or after hours, and how far does the locksmith have to travel. If you lose the key to your 1995 Honda Odyssey minivan, bring me the glove box lock and I’ll make you a key for only $20 and it will only take 2 minutes. But lose the key to your 2000 Ford Crown Vic at 3am on a Sunday morning, 50 miles outside of town, and it will cost you $400 and it will take 4-5 hours (including travel time).
Worn out locks are easier to pick, yes, but that doesn’t help in the process of making a key, and it won’t work on cars that use a transponder. The majority of cars made after 2000 use transponders and people who drive those cars often don’t even realize the transponder is there, hidden inside the black plastic head of the key.