How easy to pick a lock with an electronic "engraved" key?

[tanaatsa]

I have a 2004 Honda with an electronic key that is engraved on the sides rather than having a sawtooth edge. If a determined professional thief were to target my car would he be able to pick and start the ignition? I am told that this can not happen because the keys have to be programmed at the dealer, and because keys with the engraved sides (what's the term for this?) are also extremely difficult to pick anyway. Thanks.

[Major Boothroyd]

A determined professional thief would find a way even if picking fails, but I mean, would you buy a new car just because there's a chance of it happening?

[tanaatsa]

Thanks. Just wondering how important it would be to install an alarm with kill switch feature. I keep cars a long time and this is my first that doesn't have a dumb sawtooth key.

[MacGyver101]

Without getting into the advanced-groups topic of how to pick an automotive lock, I can confirm that the type of lock you're referring to (often referred to as a "laser-track" lock) can be picked. The mechanics are a bit different... but, just as with conventional pin-tumbler locks, there are several ways to approach either picking or getting a working key for laser-track locks.

Having said that, though, you are right about the car being programmed to only accept certain keys. Even if you have a properly-cut duplicate key, there is a chip in the head of the key that needs to send a properly coded signal before the ignition will start. Bottom line: you can't start the car with just a set of lockpicks... but, then, again, Hondas are clearly still regularly stolen, so professional thieves clearly have some tricks up their sleeves.

The bottom line is that I can't really offer any alarm-purchasing advice: it'll ultimately come down to the risks in your particular neighbourhood. (I know that's not overly helpful, but hopefully it's of some use?)

[straightpick]

The term for your keys is "side milled" - they are also called laser cut, why, I don't know because they have never been cut by a laser that I know of. They come in 2 track and 4 track flavors. A key like the Lexus is an "internally side milled key". That is, the milling is in the center of the key, not on the edges. The old Bell keys for slots were this type. As far as being stolen, as long as they make rollback tow trucks any car can stolen, regardless of any electronics.

[barbarian]

....... If a determined professional thief were to target my car would he be able to pick and start the ignition? ......

I wonder if the thieves are taking the car to resell, maybe put it on a boat to some other country ?

Or do they chop it up for parts ?

It sounds like a tow truck would get past any key problems as straightpick said.
If it's going for parts, they won't care about the keys.

[mhole]

Can your car be picked and the electronic security features be bypassed somehow? Emphatically yes.

Will a thief do this, and drive off with your car asa result? Emphatically no.

However, that doesn't mean they can't steal your car, as others have pointed out, the car can stil be towed away, or equally likely, your car keys can be stolen. As car security becomes more advanced it's becoming more and more common for thieves to target house specifically for car keys.