Spokane Locksmith Automotive Lock Change

Sometimes we come to the decision that a lock change on our car’s door by a locksmith in Spokane WA is the best choice we can make for the protection of our vehicle and the valuables we keep within it.

If your car door locks are damaged, it can make it irritatingly difficult to enter the car or; on the other hand, impossible to lock it up.

Another reason for having your car door locks changed is that you lost your car key or had given a copy of the key to the wrong person. No matter what your exact reason is, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to change your locks for an experienced automotive locksmith.

Make sure to stay cognizant of the fact that the majority of cars on the roads today use the same key for the doors and the ignition. When you get the lock cylinders changed on your car’s doors, you will have to keep two separate keys always on hand: one key for the ignition and the other to unlock the car doors.

This is true unless you decide to have the ignition cylinder changed as well. This task is possible to do, but it is a type of task that is a bit more difficult. Changing the ignition cylinder and key will also be much more expensive, as it requires a specialty key blank with a chip embedded within.

If you do decide to do the job by yourself, there is a lot of information online that will help you get a decent start on the work when it comes to changing the locks on your car. Some steps will vary slightly depending on the make and model of it, but the basics are generally the same. However; if you want to make sure that the job is done correctly so that you valuables and vehicle can be kept safe, the affordable option that will guarantee success is to hire a licensed locksmith. An experienced professional will be able to manage the situation at a cost that is significantly cheaper than a car dealership.

 

Automotive Locksmith Services

Do you run a business and has a fleet of vehicles that are utilized for the business?
It can be stressful and time consuming to manage when the company vehicle’s keys are lost or end up broken. When you call your local locksmith in Spokane they will be able to service you and provide a new functioning ignition key. A professional locksmith will be able to generate a key and do the programming at the same day so that you can have your employee back on the road as soon as possible.

The way that an automobile ignition key make is performed will depend on the year, make, and model of the vehicle. This information is entered into a locksmith database along with the vehicle’s VIN in order to access the necessary key code to cut the key with a specific machine.

Once the key has been properly cut, it will unlock the doors and the trunk of the vehicle, but there is a chance it will not start car. The reason behind it is the fact that many make and model vehicles nowadays are equipped with a transponder system. This type of anti-theft system requires that the car transponder key be programmed. How a vehicle’s key is programmed varies from different models and makes and can be easy or super hard. Hiring a professional Spokane locksmith to handle the job is the fastest way to ensure your company’s vehicle is drive-able as soon as possible.

If the keys to your company’s vehicle had broken, know that there are ways to prevent such situation in the future. You can begin to have employees check keys periodically to make sure that the key blade does not seem to be worn down. Ensuring that a key is not worn down is the best way to prevent a key from breaking in two inside a lock or ignition.

If a key is in need of extraction from the ignition, contact a professional locksmith as they often use special tools to fix these types of situations. Additionally, most automotive locksmith companies offering ignition repair and replacement to automobiles as well. This can be necessary when a key is broken inside of the ignition and is found so far inside that it isn’t retrievable.

Automotive Ignition Services

Here at Premier NW Locksmith Spokane we offer a wide range of automotive locksmith services which includes ignition switches malfunctions as well. Understanding an ignition issue is important as many make and model vehicles will share similar causes for the malfunction. We noticed that Chrysler models for example, had the same issues occur when it came to the ignition switches of the vehicle. We were able to identify couple of repeating issues.

When there is an issue with an ignition switch, you may be able to still insert the key inside the ignition switch, but in some cases, it won't turn the ignition which in return will not start the vehicle. Most of the time, the user would think the key is at fault where in reality it will be the ignition switch.

Similar to a traditional residential door lock, an ignition switch will have small wafers inside it to accommodate a specific key that will match it. Normal wear and tear or damage are things that can cause the wafers to move out from their place which can cause the issue of operating the ignition switch. The key may not fit all the way inside the cylinder and the user will not be able to start the vehicle. Some of the time, this particular issue can be resolved without replacing the actual ignition switch by adjusting the wafers inside it.

As a mobile locksmith company, repairing or replacing an ignition is not the only automotive service we can offer, we also able to originate keys for most make and model vehicles in the market including Chrysler. Regular or transponder keys, our professional technicians will be able to make a key on location including programming it.

Ignition Switch Service

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Ford Ignition Cylinder Solution

As a locksmith technician with many years of experience in the field there were many times I ran into common issues with certain vehicle makes and models. The issues will mostly be related to the ignition system of the vehicle. Whether if its the switch, cylinder, key, or all 3, I found that there is a solution around for most issues. However, many times, these types of issues can throw the beginner locksmith technician off track chasing solutions that not only will add the cost to the service, but also most likely wont solve anything.

One time I remember getting a call from a customer who had some issues with getting the key to work the ignition switch of his 98 Ford F-150. According to him he recently had a hard time removing and inserting the key to the ignition switch. Back then, I did not have much experience working with vehicles' ignition switches, but for me it didn't seem such a big deal, I figured that the cylinder probably just needed cleaning inside it.

The first thing I did once I got to the customer's location was grabbing a bottle of WD-40 and a key blank to assist me with the cleaning process of the cylinder. After I finished the cleaning process, I noticed that there was no improvement in the function of the key with the ignition cylinders. Before making other conclusions, I decided to call a Spokane locksmith co-worker of mine to see if he had any insights regarding the issue at hand.

According to my co-worker, this type of issue was very common with Ford 10 cut ignitions. Apparently the ears on the switch tend to become loose from constant force being applied using the key when operating the ignition. He mentioned that there was no official fix for this type of problem, so the plug would need to be replaced with a new unit which meant I had to go to the dealer and see if they had one in stock. Unfortunately they didn't have the part I needed in stock and since the customer could not wait few days for the part to arrive, I went with an aftermarket cylinder plug which tuned out to be more rigid and according to the customer the issue did not came back.  

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Automotive Ignition Broken Key Extraction

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Ford Probe Key Origination

Originating a key for a vehicle is a fairly simple task most of the time for the experienced locksmith technician. With so many year, make and model vehicles in the market from different manufactures it is hard at times to keep track of all the different ways that are available for a professional locksmith to make a key. Most of the times, the door lock or ignition cylinder would need to be removed in order to retrieve a unique code that will allow the technician to originate the key. However, sometimes things will not go as smooth and an nontraditional solution would be required.

A while back I got a call from a customer who lost the keys to his 94 Ford Probe. I rarely got to service these types of models, but I knew that it would be the same key for the door lock and the ignition which meant I would need to remove either or in order to get the stamped code to make the new key. Thinking I had the solution figured out, I decided to accept the job, took the customer's information and was heading on my way.

When I got to the customer's home (where the car was parked), I reviewed my options again in order to originate a key for the customer. Normally, removing the ignition cylinder in order to get the stamped code would be much preferred. However, in that particular situation where the original key was not available, it meant that the ignition cylinder would need to be picked and I knew it may take a while since its a 10 cut ignition. I decided to go with my other option which was removing the door lock.

As I began removing the studs that hold the door panel, I noticed couple of them were giving me a hard time and didn't want to come out. Failure to remove those studs meant I would not be able to remove the door panel and access the door lock to get the code, but after about 10 minutes of trying, I finally gave up and started looking for another solution. The only option I could think of at that point was drilling the ignition and put another one, but before doing that, I figured I should make a call for a fellow Spokane locksmith technician of mine for an advice.

After getting him on the phone, he mentioned something that I didn't know. Apparently, if I rolled down  the door window of the vehicle all the way down, I would have a clear look at the door lock and the stamped code should be visible as well. After finishing the conversation, I started rolling the driver's side window down and I was able to see the cylinder, but it seem a little dirty, so I couldn't get a clear view of the code. I had to take a small piece of rag and use a long bar I had to get to the cylinder and wipe the dirt off with the rag and the code was visible enough for me to originate a new working key for the customer.

Midget Key Origination

Key origination service for a locksmith technician can go the easy way or sometimes the hard way. Depending on the year, make and model of the vehicle, for most vehicles produced since the late 90's a key can be made from scratch by retrieving a unique code using the vehicle's VIN number. However, on the older models, one of the ways to retrieve that special code to make a new key is by taking apart the ignition cylinder, door, or trunk lock in which the code will be engraved on it. The other option is impression a key which I would usually try to avoid as this method has its flaws.  

I got a call the other day from a customer who needed a key made for his 77 MG Midget vehicle. When I looked at my key origination locksmith book, it was mentioned that both the ignition and the door keys lack the code on them which meant I would have to take some stuff apart to reveal the codes and make the keys. I did not have many jobs on me that day, so I decided to accept it and was headed to the customer's address.

Once I got to the customer's house and ran a quick evaluation of the situation with the vehicle, I figured I could probably make the door key using the code that is on the glove box lock which may be much easier to take off than the door lock. From when I started working on the glove box, the lock was already in my hand within a minute and I was able to retrieve 3 digits. The code book I had mentioned a specific series model and tried that in addition to the 3 digits I retrieved and I was able to make the door lock key without further issues.

Next step was making the ignition key which was a little bit trickier since the ignition and the door lock keys initially have different cuts which meant I had to take apart some of the steering column in order to get to the lock mountain plate where I was able to read the code from. I was able to retrieve 3 digits, however, the book called for a 4 digit code starting with either series 2 or 3. Having only one key blank in stock, I didn't want to take my chances and decided to call another Spokane locksmith fellow of mine for advice.

Once I got him on the phone, he recalled doing couple of this type of vehicle and could swear to me it was most likely a series 2 key.  I went ahead and tried adding the 2 series digit to the other 3 digits I was able to pull from the ignition and it seem to work perfectly fine. It saved me a lot of time trying to impression in order to make the ignition key and by saving me the hassle of wasting the only blank I had in my possession.

Mazda Ignition Fix

I got a call recently from a customer complaining that his vehicle's key got stuck in the ignition switch. The vehicle was a 90 Mazda 929. According to the customer, the key seemed to get stuck once he was turning it to turn the car off and was not able to remove it after that. The customer also informed me that he had a locksmith technician he knew tried working on it, but without success. Once I got to the job site, I ran a quick inspection and saw that even thou the key was stuck in the ignition, I was still able to turn it to start the car and to the "accessory" position as well. When I looked closely after shutting the car off while I was doing the inspection, I noticed that the key would not turn all  the way to the "off" position. I then realize that this might be the problem, and if I could align it properly and get it all the way to the "off" position, the key will come out. In order to do that, I had to take apart the column shroud in order to see what causes the key to not turn all the way.

Once I got the steering column trim, I noticed there was a cable coming out from the top of the lock that seemingly will move forward and backward as the shift lever is changed from the D to R position. The cable however, seem to function properly, so that was eliminated as a cause to the issue. The next thought I had was maybe there is a bent or broken wafer inside the switch that will prevent the key from being removed. At that moment i realized I didn't have any choice and removed the ignition switch. However, when I took it out and inspected it, it seem to work fine, but once it was installed again, it seem to have the same problem. I then went further to remove the shift lever and I noticed that there was a component there that prevented from the the cylinder lock to go all the way to the "off" position. When I looked closer, I noticed it was a plunger that has an impression mark on it where it would stick to the lock. In order to solve this, I gently file the mark on the plunger piece and re-installed everything the way it was and the key finally was removed without any issues.

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Spokane Locksmith Ignition Service

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Key Extraction Tip

This is a good tip I learned from one of my fellow locksmith technicians years ago for extracting broken keys from foreign car ignitions and doors. The process goes by using two spiral key extractors. They would need to be screwed down the milling grooves of each side of the broken key. Once the extractors are in tight position to grab the key but not so tight that you can't pull them out of the lock, the two extractors would need to be twisted together. Only one time they can be twisted, but that should be more than enough.

Not only does this process cause the extractors to grip the key in a firm way, it also moves any wafers out of the way that might interfere with the removal of the broken key piece. On a trunk or door lock it is recommended to use a diamond rake tool to hold the dust cover open. By inserting it in the bottom of the key-way and turning it so it lays flat, the job will be done successfully.

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Automotive Key Origination in Spokane, WA

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Key Extraction

When it comes to key extraction jobs, there are different ways to get it done. A fellow locksmith technician working with the same company came up with an improvised extraction tool for broken keys. It consists of a piece of spring steel about .050 by .020, and about four inches long. The tip of the tool will look like a hook type broken key extractor, except that the tip is rounded. It will work the best usually when both parts of the key are present. With the "head" end in hand and the tip in the lock, I put the remains of the key into the lock and slide the tool along one of the grooves with the hook side facing the nearest edge of the key.

When it gets to the tip of the broken part, it will lock on strong. Then, the trick is to push in on the head of the key, pull on the tool, and pick the tip of the key off the car floor. If the bow of the key is not available, an uncut blank key can be used to perform as a guide to the groove and to raise the tumblers or wafers. I have also used Weiser shims, which I have shaped like a knife to raise tumblers. I have only used it twice, and it worked for both times.