AutoSmart Advisor App: What It Is, How to Use It, and Why Every Automotive Locksmith Needs It

If you’ve spent any real time doing automotive locksmith work, you already know how it goes. It’s 2 a.m., you’re standing in front of a vehicle you haven’t worked on in months, trying to remember the exact tumbler progression, code series, or transponder chip it takes. You can flip through outdated reference books and hope the information is still accurate… or pull it up instantly on your phone. 

That's exactly what the AutoSmart Advisor app was built for.

The Legacy Behind the App

Before we talk about the app itself, it's worth understanding where it comes from because that context matters.

Michael Hyde is the name behind AutoSmart Advisor. For years, Hyde authored the AutoSmart Foreign and Domestic reference books, which became arguably the most comprehensive and widely used automotive locksmith reference guides in the industry. He also wrote the user manuals for the Advanced Diagnostics MVP, T-Code, and T-Code Pro programmers' tools, many of which you still have in your vans today.

Those books were beloved. Locksmiths everywhere had them covered in handwritten notes, dog-eared pages, and highlighter marks. The information was solid, the coverage was broad, and they quickly became a staple reference for anyone serious about automotive work.

But books have a ceiling. The moment one went to print, it started going out of date. A new vehicle model, a change in transponder requirements, an updated code series and suddenly that book is a step behind. Hyde recognized that limitation, and AutoSmart Advisor is his answer to it: all that same depth of knowledge, now living inside a smartphone app, updated automatically and always current.

What Is AutoSmart Advisor?

AutoSmart Advisor, downloaded as MyAutoSmart from the Apple App Store or Google Play, is a professional-grade automotive reference tool built specifically for locksmiths and auto repossessors. It consolidates an enormous amount of vehicle-specific information into one clean, searchable interface that you can access from your phone or tablet on the job.

The data it covers includes:

• All methods to make the first key for every vehicle, every scenario

• Code series and key machine setup information

• Tumbler charts and progression data

• Ignition retainer details

• Airbag information

• Code locations

• Key silhouettes — visual references of key profiles

• Transponder data — chip types, PIN code requirements, and cloner compatibility

• Valet key information

• Parts and model notes from vendors like ASP and Strattec

• Personal user notes — you can add your own field notes to any vehicle record

It covers vehicles across a wide range of years, from classic 1970s and 80s models all the way through current-year vehicles, and it distinguishes between keyed and proximity fob configurations where applicable.

How to Use It

The app is built for speed, not for reading at a desk, but for pulling information fast while you're standing in a parking lot or crouched next to a car door.

Step 1: Search by Vehicle

Tap Vehicle Search, enter the year, make, and model, and you're in. For vehicles with both keyed and proximity fob variants, the app prompts you to select which configuration you're working with, a small but genuinely useful detail that saves you from pulling irrelevant data.

Step 2: Navigate the Data Tabs

Each vehicle record is organized into clear sections:

Key Information — This is where you'll find key blank part numbers (including ILCO, JMA, and dealer numbers), code series, Lishi tool references, code card numbers for machines like the 1200, spacing and depth specifications, and compatibility notes for tools like the Determinator, ACU Reader, and Cobra Reader.

Transponder — Chip type, PIN code requirements, programmer compatibility (Smart Pro, AutoProPAD, etc.), and cloner information if applicable. This section also includes model-specific notes that can save you from a frustrating mistake, like knowing that a certain trim indicates an older body style with different transponder requirements.

Making a Key — Multiple documented methods for producing a working key, ranging from checking for a code in the owner's manual, to using a lock decoder in the door, to full disassembly and impressioning. Critically, this section includes wafer position charts for door, ignition, trunk, and glove box, the kind of granular detail that makes the difference between a clean job and a lot of unnecessary guesswork.

Key Silhouettes — Photo references of key profiles, useful for quickly confirming you've grabbed the right blank before you cut.

Parts Department — ASP and Strattec part numbers when available for that vehicle.

Step 3: Work Offline if Needed

The app requires a live data connection, either cellular or Wi-Fi, to function. But if you know you're heading somewhere with spotty coverage, you can tap Download on any vehicle record to cache it for offline viewing. It's a small but practical feature for those rural lockout calls.

Step 4: Add Your Own Notes

One of the most underrated features is the personal notes field. Every vehicle record allows you to add your own observations, the kind of field-learned details that used to end up in the margins of paper manuals. That institutional knowledge now lives in the app, attached to the vehicle it applies to.

Why It Matters

Automotive locksmithing has quietly become one of the most technically demanding trades in the field. Modern vehicles carry transponder systems, proximity fobs, PIN code requirements, ADAS considerations, and an ever-expanding list of trim-level variations that affect how a key is made or programmed. No working professional can hold all of that in their head.

What AutoSmart Advisor does is eliminate the knowledge gap between what you know and what you need to know on any given job. It's not a replacement for experience; it's a tool that makes experience more effective.

Here's a real-world scenario: it's a Saturday afternoon, you get a call to make keys for a 2015 Nissan Rogue. You haven't done one recently. Before you even load up your van, you're in the app confirming the key blank, the code card you'll need for your machine, the Lishi tool, the PIN code process, and the wafer positions. You show up prepared. The job goes smoothly. That's the value.

It's also worth noting that the interface is explicitly designed for job-site use, not office use. The navigation is deliberate and finger-friendly, with no unnecessary steps between a search and the information you need.

Who It's For

AutoSmart Advisor is a restricted professional tool. It is sold exclusively to verified locksmiths and auto repossessors. New customers are required to provide credentials before an order is processed. It's also currently available to North American customers only, and each subscription is a single-user license tied to one device.

The app supports switching between devices up to three times every 180 days, with additional switches available by contacting support. This makes it practical if you upgrade your phone or tablet without being locked out entirely.

For shops or companies with multiple technicians, each user requires their own subscription.

Conclusion

The AutoSmart book series has been a trusted resource for automotive locksmiths for years. AutoSmart Advisor builds on everything that made those books so valuable, including detailed information, reliable data, and broad vehicle coverage, while eliminating the limitations that come with a printed reference.

The app stays up to date automatically, travels with you wherever you go, and gives you quick access to the information you need when you’re standing in front of a vehicle you haven’t touched in years, often at the worst possible time.

For locksmiths who do automotive work regularly, AutoSmart Advisor is one of those tools that simply makes the job easier.