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If you haven't heard, this took effect Jan. 1:
(from the Auto Club) the law requires an automaker to provide, at any time, the codes necessary for a registered locksmith to make a replacement key for vehicles sold or leased in California. (Manufacturers that currently permit no one but themselves to duplicate a key, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have until 2013 to comply with the law.) The law also requires the automaker to verify the locksmith's identification and registration, and it requires the locksmith to verify the vehicle owner's identification and registration.
What the legislation doesn't do
It doesn't apply to automakers that sell fewer than 2,500 vehicles in California. And it doesn't directly address how much replacement keys will cost. However, if a locksmith doesn't have to partially dismantle a car to make a replacement key, locksmith fees are likely to decline. And if independent locksmiths are able to make duplicate keys that now can be obtained only through an automaker and its dealers, the cost of replacement keys is also likely to decline.
From Yahoo, more info AND a new license plate law as well:
Key Codes. SB 1542 gives motorists a convenient and secure option for
getting replacement keys when theirs have been lost, stolen, or damaged.
Automakers must provide, at any time, the key codes necessary for a
licensed and registered locksmith to make a replacement key for vehicles
sold or leased in California on or after January 1, 2008. Exceptions
include automakers that sell fewer than 2,500 vehicles annually, and
manufacturers that make their own keys -- i.e. BMW and Mercedes-Benz -- who have until 2013 to comply with the law provided that, in the interim, they send a replacement key by overnight mail.
License Plates. AB 801 makes it illegal to sell or use a product that
obstructs or impairs the recognition of a license plate by an electronic
device operated by police or toll authority, such as a red-light camera.
The fine for obscuring a license plate is about $146, and the fine for
selling such a product is $900.
posted by 75.22.88...
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