Questions people actually ask

Almost never. We open with picks, bypass tools and decoding techniques first. Drilling is the last resort, needed on a minority of high-security cylinders, and we tell you before we drill, with the replacement price.

Something that ties you to the address: a driver's licence, a lease, a bill on your phone, or a neighbour who can vouch with a follow-up later. We photograph nothing and keep nothing. Every serious locksmith checks, and it protects you as much as the next tenant.

A service call, then a fair price for the opening, quoted before anything is touched. If you decline the quote, you pay the service call only. If you go ahead, the number you heard is the number on the invoice.

Rekey when the hardware is sound and you only need a new key: that is most cases. Replace when the lock is worn, low-grade, or when you want a deadbolt where there is only a knob. We quote both and you choose.

Yes, when the cylinders are compatible brands, and we carry enough of them to make them compatible. Keying alike is cheaper than most people expect because the labour is the same visit.

They are yours. We hand them back or cut them up in front of you. Nothing about your keys is recorded anywhere.

That is a master-key conversation: one key for you, one per unit for tenants, and a rekey at each turnover that never touches your master. Ask for the property-manager terms.

Most North American, Japanese and Korean models, and many European ones. Some newer European luxury models and some very recent models need dealer-only tools. We tell you on the phone from the make, model and year, before anyone drives.

Yes. Registration or insurance slip in your name, or ID matching the registered owner. Same reason as for a house: a locksmith who opens any car for anyone is a problem for everyone.

It depends entirely on the chip. You get the exact price for your model from the make, model and year, before anyone drives, and it is the price on the invoice.

Usually yes, with extractor tools, in minutes. The lock is then rekeyed, or a new key is cut from the two halves. We replace the cylinder only when the break damaged the pins.

Moisture inside the cylinder, often a summer of dust followed by a wet autumn. A graphite or PTFE lubricant in the fall prevents most of it. We do it during the visit; it takes thirty seconds.

It is worth a spray of dry lubricant first. If it is still stiff, worn pins or door alignment are the cause, and fixing that now is cheaper than the extraction when the key finally snaps.

Extraction and rekey: about 20-40 minutes. A full mechanism repair or a replacement cylinder: under an hour in most cases.

Break-ins go to the front of the queue. A technician is usually on site within 15 to 20 minutes, and the dispatcher confirms the window when you call.

A sliding door's factory latch is not a lock. We add a keyed lock and an anti-lift bar, and a security bar for the glass if you want it. A 40-minute job that removes the easiest entry on most houses.

Sometimes. A smart lock adds convenience and codes you can revoke; it adds no strength to the door. Strength comes from the strike, the frame screws and the deadbolt grade. We fix those first and talk smart locks after.