Locked out of your car, or down to your last key? We open vehicles without damage, cut replacement keys on site, program transponder keys and key fobs, and repair door locks and ignition cylinders. We come to you, at any hour.
Car keys stopped being simple. A modern key carries a chip, a remote carries a transmitter, and a dealer visit is often the default answer when one is lost.
A mobile automotive locksmith is the alternative. We carry the cutting and programming equipment, so most jobs are done where the car is parked rather than on a tow truck.
What we do for drivers
- Damage-free emergency vehicle lockouts, 24 hours a day
- Cutting and replacing lost or broken car keys on site
- Programming transponder keys and key fobs to the vehicle
- Duplicating a working key before the only one is lost
- Repairing door locks, lock cylinders and ignition cylinders
- Extracting a broken key from a door or ignition
How an automotive call works
- 01
Tell us the vehicle and the problem
Give us the make, model, year and location. Say whether you are locked out, have lost all keys, or have a key that will not turn.
- 02
Confirm the key and the price
We check what the vehicle needs and quote before we travel where possible. Some vehicles need a detail that is only confirmed at the car; if that changes the price, you hear it before the work starts.
- 03
Open, cut, program, test
The door is opened, the key is cut and programmed if it is a chipped key, and every function is tested: lock, unlock, start, and the remote buttons where there are any.
Locked out of your car
Keys on the seat, keys in the boot, a child or a dog inside, a fob that stopped working. It is the most common call we get.
We open vehicles without damaging the door, the glass or the paint. That matters: the wrong tool in the wrong place on a modern door leaves a repair bill far larger than the lockout.
If the car has a dead battery or a failed fob, it can usually still be opened, and we will say so before we travel.
- Have the registration, the insurance document or the VIN to hand. We do not open a car for someone who cannot show it is theirs.
- Do not force the window or the door. It is the fastest way to turn a lockout into a body repair.
- If a child or an animal is locked in and in distress, call emergency services first.
Lost your only key
One key, no spare, and now nothing. This is where a mobile locksmith saves the day: on most vehicles we can cut and program a replacement at the car, without a tow and without a dealership appointment.
It depends on the vehicle. Some need a key code or specific blank, and some late-model cars are harder to programme on the road. We will tell you honestly whether we can do it on site before you commit.
If you still have one working key, make a spare now. Duplicating a key is cheap. Replacing the only one is not, and it never happens at a convenient moment.
Transponder keys and key fobs
A transponder key has a chip in the head that the car reads before it will start. A fob adds remote locking and, on many cars, a push-button start. Neither is a hardware-store item on most modern vehicles.
We programme replacement transponder keys and fobs to the vehicle using current diagnostic equipment. The old key is removed from the car where the vehicle allows it, so a lost key that turns up later is not a spare.
- Bring every key you still have: some vehicles need two to authorise a new one
- Phones, keyrings and other electronics can interfere with a fob, so we test properly
- We will not program a key without proof that the vehicle is yours
Door locks and ignitions that will not work
A key that will not turn, or turns only after a fight, is a wear problem. Ignition cylinders wear faster than door locks because they are used every time the car starts.
A worn cylinder can sometimes be repaired or rekeyed to a fresh key rather than replaced. When it cannot, it is replaced and keyed to suit the vehicle.
A key broken off in a door or an ignition is a normal call as well. The broken piece comes out and the lock is checked so it does not happen again next week.
What affects the price of automotive work
A car key is priced by what is inside it and what the vehicle needs, not by how long the key looks. A plain metal key and a programmed transponder key are different jobs with different costs, and you get the figure before we start.
We can only quote accurately with the make, model and year, and a photo of the key you still have if you have one. That information changes the answer more than anything else.
- Make, model and year of the vehicle
- Whether the key is plain metal, a transponder chip key, a remote head key or a smart fob
- Whether you still have one working key to copy from
- Whether the vehicle has to be programmed through the diagnostic port or on the bench
- Whether the door lock or ignition needs repair as well as a new key
- The time of day, because an emergency call at 2am is not a booked appointment
We do not publish a price list, because these jobs vary so much. A price on the phone beats a number on a page that does not apply to your door.
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