Locksmith FAQ
The recurring questions, answered once properly instead of scattered in fragments across a site.
Call (408) 418-0044
Most locksmith calls contain the same half-dozen questions in a different order. Whether to rekey or to replace. Whether a lock will have to be drilled. What happens when no key exists at all. Why proof of ownership is asked for. Answering them once, in one place, is more use than repeating fragments of each on every page.
The other reason to read this before calling is that several of these answers change what you would ask for. People routinely request a lock change when a rekey does the same job, or a whole new fob when a coin cell would have done, and the entire difference is in knowing which question applies.
The short answers
- Rekey or replace? Rekey when the hardware is sound and the problem is who holds a key. Replace when the hardware itself is failing or under-specified for the door it sits in.
- Will it be drilled? Usually not. Drilling is a last resort for high-security cylinders and locks that are already damaged, and you should be told before it happens rather than after.
- No key at all? Still solvable for most doors and most vehicles, but it is a longer job with more steps, and proof of ownership becomes mandatory.
- Why the ownership question? Because the work ends with somebody holding access to a property or a vehicle, and that check is the only thing standing between that and a stranger.
- Why does the vehicle model matter so much? Because a car key is a mechanical blade, a chip, and sometimes a radio, and the make and year decide all three independently.
Questions worth asking before work starts
- What is actually being done: opening, rekeying, repairing or replacing.
- Whether the existing hardware is being reused or changed, and the reason either way.
- Whether anything will be drilled or cut, and what that means for the door afterwards.
- How many keys you will finish with, and whether any old key will still work.
- What happens if the diagnosis at the door turns out to differ from the one given on the phone.
If your real question is what moves the figure for a job up or down, that deserves its own page rather than a line here. see the pricing guide.
Common questions
Can a locksmith open any lock without damage?
Most, but not all. Ordinary residential cylinders, common commercial hardware and the majority of vehicles open non-destructively. High-security cylinders designed to resist exactly that, and locks that have already been forced, sometimes cannot, and then the lock is sacrificed and replaced.
I lost one key but still have another. Is anything urgent?
Nothing is stopping you getting in, so it is not an emergency. It is still a live security question, because a lost key is a key somebody else may be holding. Rekeying on your own schedule closes it without replacing any hardware.
Does a new lock come with new keys, and how many?
It comes with whatever the manufacturer packs, which is usually a small number. If several people need one, say how many up front so enough are cut during the same visit rather than on a second trip.
Is it worth buying hardware myself before the visit?
Sometimes, and it can also backfire. Boxed hardware assumes a standard door thickness, backset and bore, and older or unusual doors frequently have none of the three. Describe the door first, then buy.
Related locksmith services
Describe the lock or key problem
A short description of what happened gets the right tools out for the job.
Call (408) 418-0044