Automotive locksmith in San Diego — we come to the car

We cut and program keys, transponder keys and fobs for most cars, vans and trucks on the road in San Diego. A small number of vehicles — usually very recent models, or systems that will only accept a key issued through the manufacturer — have to go to a dealer.

Call (619) 703-0328 with the year, make, model and the vehicle identification number and we will tell you which side of that line your car is on before anybody drives anywhere.

That is the normal outcome. We work the door mechanism with proper automotive tools rather than forcing the glass or the frame.

A modern door skin is packed with wiring looms, window regulators, speakers and side airbag sensors. A coat hanger or a screwdriver through the weather seal is exactly how a lockout turns into a trim panel, a regulator and a paint repair.

Yes, and it is worth saying on the phone. With no key to copy we have to originate one for the vehicle — reading the lock or working from the key code held against the vehicle identification number, then pairing the new key to the immobiliser.

It takes longer than duplicating a key you still hold, and some vehicles impose a built-in security wait before they will accept a new key. We plan for that. See what to do when you have lost every car key.

Yes — you or somebody named on the paperwork. We ask for photo identification and something that ties you to the vehicle: the registration, the title, or an insurance card in your name for that plate.

It is a short check and it is the same check that stops somebody standing next to your car doing this to it.

If the dashboard shows a security or immobiliser light, or the engine turns over and dies after a second, the car is refusing the key rather than failing mechanically. That is usually a transponder that has lost its pairing or a damaged chip, and it is fixable at the kerb.

If nothing at all happens when you turn the key, that is more often a battery, a starter or an ignition switch. Tell us what the dashboard does and we can usually tell which of those it is before we set off.

Do not force it, and do not use pliers on the key head. A worn ignition wafer set or a worn key will bind, and a key snapped inside an ignition cylinder is a far bigger job than the one you started with.

First try turning the steering wheel gently side to side while easing the key — a locked steering column jams the cylinder and that alone solves a fair share of these. If it still will not move, call us; ignition repair and ignition cylinder work is on our list.

Yes. We are mobile, so we come to wherever the car is standing. If it is a parking structure, tell us the level and the nearest bay number when you call, and whether there is a height restriction on the entry — that decides which van comes.

If you are on a live traffic lane or a freeway shoulder, get out on the far side from traffic and call the California Highway Patrol first. Safety before keys.

Yes. Trunk openings and storage-unit openings are on our regular list, with the same identification check as any other opening — bring whatever shows the vehicle or the unit is yours.