She was sure of where she parked it and it couldn’t have been towed away by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly task force.

One of the traders told her she had seen a young man entering the car and driving it away. Then it hit her hard. She forgot to roll up her side of the glass. The car was gone, stolen.

Car theft is a daily occurrence these days. If you value your vehicle greatly, it is necessary to protect it against stealing with such effective means, as, for example, Transponder Keys. What is a transponder key? You will ask.

The transponder key is also called the starter key or ignition key. A car's transponder key has an electronic circuit known as the auto key chip with unique identification.

How does a chip key work? It is like this. When the key is turned in the ignition cylinder, the car's computer transmits a radio signal to the transponder circuit. The circuit has no battery. It is, however, energised by the radio signal itself. The circuit typically has a computer chip that is programmed to respond by sending a coded signal back to the car's computer.

If the circuit does not respond or if the code is incorrect, the engine will not start. Many cars immobilise if the wrong key is used by intruders. Chip keys successfully protect cars from theft in two ways: forcing the ignition cylinder won't start the car, and the keys are difficult to duplicate.

This is why transponder keys are popular in modern cars and help decrease car theft. Since the key is so important and unique to you, maintaining and repairing the chip key becomes indisputably necessary.

According to Mr Ernest Heymann, a Transponder Key Specialist and Managing Director of the Parts Plus Ghana Limited at Spintex in Accra, “the principal distinction between the transponder and ordinary car keys is that they have specific signal-evolving circuits, which are hidden inside the key cover.

The operating principle of a transponder key is that the system of electronic control makes a request to a car with the purpose of validating this number. In case the vehicle recognises no correct serial number, you will not be able to start the car's engine. The engine simply won’t come alive and there is nothing you can do about it.”

What should you do if there is something wrong with your transponder key? You can do something to make that up with the help of a transponder chip. Every car has its unique chip. There are many kinds of transponder chips: the AUDI glass chip, BENZ ID44 transponder chip, Chrysler ID46 transponder chip and so it is very important to be careful when you choose your transponder key.

Mr Heymann has this advice that if you ever have a problem with your auto transponder key, “look out for qualified people to get your car started again. The key is an important investment to your car. If you mess it up, your car could be parked in your backyard for some time or the dealer could take advantage of you.”

“There are a lot of people in the system that do not know what they are doing but still want to do it anyway. Yours is to save yourself the headache of immobilising your car,” he said.

When buying a vehicle that includes transponder keys, it's a good idea to have at least two keys. Sometimes keys are lost, so having a second valid, programmed transponder key is important.

Mr Heymann, who has been in the transponder key business for some years now, observed that transponder key technology was even more effective than the alarm systems because “people are gradually getting used to alarms. These days even when the alarm goes off, the response is; that is another car alarm again and it is ignored.”

“But with the transponder key system, if even there is a break in, your car is still safe since the ignition system is powered by the transponder technology.”

The transponder key expert who services a number of such problems weekly advised that in order not to damage the key, “do not drop your key; keep it away from water and don’t expose it to excessive sunlight.”

Additionally, he said it was equally important not put such keys in the hands of children and added that “you never know what a child might do with it. It could end up in his or her mouth.”