Last week, while in Portugal, I lost my car keys during a cycling trip. I made the mistake of taking off my jacket while going uphill as it was quite hot and I had introduced the car keys in the pocket without unbuttoning.
For three days I walked around the trail I am almost sure the keys fell, but with no luck. The grass is still too high and they probably got hidden between it. I even tried to find them during one night with a flashlight expecting they would shine but no luck at all.
It could have been a disaster but I had another set of keys with me, I always carry two sets when we go on a trip, just in case, and have never had to use it, but I guess there is always a first time. I also had some other keys in the same set and will have to make new copies.
Today, I stopped by a key copy shop, the car ones are not cheap. A copy with no remote control to open the door was 65€ as they have a chip inside to let you turn on the engine. You can copy the key and open the door but if you do not introduce the chip inside, the engine does not start. If I wanted the version with the remote control to open and close the car from a distance it was €140. I decided to wait to see if someone found the keys when the summer dries all the grass. I told some of the neighbors in the village about it and I am sure if anyone finds them they will give them back, in the end, if they do not appear I will make a copy with the full remote control function.
Technology is great, but we rely so much on it, that when there are small "problems" in our daily life, there is a big price to pay for, and sometimes there is no solution at all. Some friends told me it used to be €700 for a car key copy several years ago.
The gentlemen in the little key shop told me it is good to always have a second set, if you lose them all it is way more expensive to make a copy due to all the security car companies have introduced for thieves to have a hard time stealing your car. I am sure it is harder for a regular Joe, but for professional thieves? they probably keep stealing cars whenever they want, they have just added some technology to their methods.
Today, while making the copies I decided I would also purchase one of those GPS key trackers. It will be cheaper than paying for a new copy and easier to find.