An afternoon fishing, swimming, or boating on a lake in Dickinson County is a great way to enjoy the outdoors … but not if you drop your keys in the water! It’s common for people to lose their keys at Big Spirit Lake or either of the Okoboji lakes. Luckily, Motor Inn of Spirit Lake provides convenient key-cutting services to solve the problem of your lost keys.

How does key-cutting work?

Key cutting is a simple process that will produce an exact duplicate of an existing key. A machine called a key duplicator uses a cutter to follow the unique teeth pattern of your car key and cut out an exact match out of a blank key by adding the unique ridges pattern. The process only takes a minute and is generally very affordable.

Can you get car keys duplicated this way? That depends on your vehicle. Older cars that use basic keys resembling house keys can be cut this way using a key duplication machine.

However, key replacement for a newer vehicle requires specialized equipment and is more expensive. That’s because newer keys use electronic components and a key fob for conveniences like keyless access. Plus, they use lasers to cut for ultra-precision and enhanced security to prevent easy duplication.

What should I do if I dropped my keys in the water near Spirit Lake?

First, see if you have access to a spare car key that you can use to unlock and drive your car. Perhaps your partner possesses a copy of your car key, or you have a spare at home. If you have an extra key, you can simply drive your car to a business like Motor Inn of Spirit Lake where we can copy the existing key for you.

If you lost your only copy of your car key by dropping it into the lake, don’t worry. Call Motor Inn of Spirit Lake, and we can help. Our key-cutting system doesn’t need an existing key to create a duplicate. Instead, we can look up your key based on your vehicle’s unique VIN and create an OEM-official, factory-original replacement key for your vehicle.

After we order the replacement for you, we will contact you to determine a time when you can come pick it up and have the key fob programmed. Our helpful parts department staff will gladly make an arrangement that works for you.

If you have any questions regarding our key-cutting services, please call the Motor Inn of Spirit Lake parts department at 877-392-9341.