Prudent Prepping: The "Key" to Security

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

Or to be accurate, several keys to my new-to-me car.

How can a key make me secure?

In my pickup truck, it didn't matter what I had in the cab or even on the back seat; if you had a key, you had access to whatever was inside. Having a vehicle with a trunk has changed how and what I keep in my car, because I no longer need to worry "Is it obvious what I have in this bag? Am I tempting a break-in by having it on my floorboards?"

Two regular and Valet key

I previously posted about only having one key for my truck and breaking the loop off. It wasn't a very fun time. Fortunately, my truck wasn't new enough to have a security chip, so those copies were cheap.

Keys for a 2012 model car are not that cheap, not by a long shot. I was given one key when I bought the car, but a spare was needed, and since the programming fee is the same for one or 100 copies, I had two made.

Along with two regular, full-featured copies, one of the keys I had the dealer cut for me was a valet key. The regular keys have a door lock/unlock, a panic button and a trunk button, while the valet key does not.

Trunk and gas access

It's called a valet key because you give it to the valet to park your car without giving him access to everything inside it. A valet key only works on the door locks ignition; it won't open the glove box, nor the lockable lever that opens the trunk and pops the gas cap over. 

This may seem like old news to many, but I'm just getting used to having a fairly hidden and safe place to carry my valuables. My gear (such as firearms, range bags, even my Get-Home Bag) is now several times more secure that it was when in my truck.

The Takeaway

• Limiting who can get to all areas of your vehicle is important.
• Having spare keys can keep you from waiting for a roadside service call and an expensive locksmith fee .

The Recap

• Three keys and programming fee from the Honda dealer: $205.11 inc. tax. This was a comparable price to local locksmiths, while also giving me exact copies of the original key. 
• Nothing else was purchased this week. In fact, not much will be purchased for a bit, as this was a big hit to my Prepping and disposable/fun budget. 

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If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.