Automotive Locksmith

A modern car key is three things at once: a mechanical blade that fits a lock, a transponder chip the car must recognise before it will start, and often a radio remote for the doors. Any one of them can fail on its own, and the symptom tells you which.

That is why the first question is always the vehicle, not the symptom. Two cars with identical complaints can need completely different equipment, and a key that can be cut in minutes for one model may need to be ordered for another. Give the year, make and model early and everything downstream gets more accurate.

What the symptom usually means

• Doors unlock, engine cranks but will not start — often the transponder, not the battery or the starter.
• Remote buttons do nothing, key still starts the car — usually the fob battery or the remote, and the smallest job on this list.
• Key goes in but will not turn — steering lock binding, a worn key, or a failing ignition cylinder. Do not force it.
• Key turns in the door but not the ignition — the key is fine; the ignition cylinder is the suspect.
• No key at all — key origination from the vehicle, which needs proof of ownership and takes longer than duplicating an existing key.

Have this ready before calling

• Year, make and model — and the trim if you know it, because keys change within a model line.
• Whether any working key exists, even a worn one that only opens the doors.
• Whether the key has buttons, a plastic head, or is a flat blade with no electronics.
• Where the vehicle physically is, including which level of a parking structure.
• Registration or insurance in your name, since ownership has to be established before a key is made.

Common questions

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