Q: I have a chip-type key for my car and sometimes it won’t start. When that happens, I have to use the spare chip key and it starts fine, then will run for quite a while with the original key. Is there something than can solve this problem without paying for a new key? — Jeff

A: These chip keys can intermittently fail due to electromagnetic interference and other things, and many times the keys eventually fail entirely. My best advice is to use the spare key as your main one and note how long everything works properly. If the new key starts failing, then you might have to have the car’s module checked out. Before that, however, disconnect the battery and then reconnect it after a couple minutes. That might allow the entire system to reboot itself. In the worst case, though, you might have to replace a key or module.