What Can a Locksmith Do?

What type of services does a locksmith provide?

Locksmiths have been around for hundreds of years and as technology developed they started doing a lot more than just unlocking doors and installing locks. A real professional locksmith is able to do way more than this in today’s locksmith industry. On this blog we will talk about the major things a locksmith can do for you so lets go right into it!

What’s Included Under Automotive Locksmith

An experienced automotive locksmith is able to make keys for cars, motorcycles, and semi trucks, boats, and even airplanes! If the locksmith has the right tools and the knowledge then they can easily make keys for any vehicles. Some of these keys are easy to make because it’s only a metal key and does not require any programming. However most vehicles pass the year 2000 have a programmable chip inside them in order to increase security and prevent theft from happening. A good locksmith will have all the latest technology to successfully program the chip inside the key into the vehicles system in order for the system to allow the key to turn on the vehicle.

There are a lot of similarities between vehicle’s keys as well as some huge differences between them. For example a Toyota and Scion keys are very similar, but a Jaguar uses a Tibbe key which is much different than other car keys. Some vehicles are easily programmed and others take a lot longer time and expensive tools to program the key. This is the main reason why prices for key making can be significantly different depending on the time it takes and the equipment it takes to complete the job. It is important to state that local locksmiths are in general much cheaper than a dealer and you will not have to tow your car to the dealer!

What services are offered by residential locksmiths?

A professional residential locksmith can do a lot of safety concerning work in and around your house. Residential locksmith can change out any kind of lock on any door inside your house as well as rekey the lock. Often times people forget that a lock can be rekeyed and the old keys will no longer open the lock therefore it is as good as getting a new lock. A residential locksmith can also help with house lockouts. They are able to pick open the lock without damaging your door or the lock itself. If you broke your keys inside the lock then a professional locksmith can extract the broken key and do any repairs needed to fix the lock. Residential locksmiths can also make fresh cuts to your doors in order to fit in a different style locks or to add an extra deadbolt luck for extra security. Another residential service that a locksmith can provide is security camera installation. Security cameras are trending in residential homes and a lot of locksmiths offer installation and programming of the security camera system.

What does a commercial locksmith do?

A commercial locksmith can do the same things as a residential locksmith, but usually commercial locks are a higher security locks which means they are harder to pick and take longer time to install. It is not surprising that commercial locks can cost much more than residential locks because they are designed for much heavier compared to residential locks. Commercial locksmiths install a lot of security cameras inside and outside of businesses. As you can guess commercial places use panic bars or as some might call it push bars because these panic bars are extremely durable. Panic bars can be costly, but they can last you for a very long time and panic bars are often times required by fire departments in high crowd commercial places such as hospitals and schools.

Can a locksmith repair or replace your ignition?

Locksmiths are by no means mechanics, however it is good to know that a locksmith can repair or completely replace your cars ignition. This is good to know because a typical mechanic or a dealer will charge a lot more than a locksmith to replace a car’s ignition. Also once you replace your ignition you will need a new key because your old keys will no longer on the new ignition. Therefore it is more convenient to have a locksmith that can replace and make you a new key right on the spot. Ignitions are often time damaged by attempted theft and car owners feel more comfortable when they get their ignition rekeyed to a different key in cases where they lose their car keys. If you will need ignition work done anytime in the future make sure to call your local locksmith for a price quote before you decided where to go for your ignition problem solutions!  

Can a locksmith help you open your safe?

The answer is yes, but there is more than one way to open a safe and not all of them are damage free. The locksmith can pick open certain safes or use an electronic programmer tool to open electronic lock safes. However it’s not always this easy because some safes must be drilled through in order for them to open. Especially if you safe is jammed or damaged then the locksmith has no choice but to drill out the lock of the safe in order to open it. Calling a locksmith is probably the best idea especially for bigger safes since it will be a nightmare to transport your safe into someones shop to get it open especially if you have valuable items inside the safe!