When a key has been broken into 2 pieces, most of the time a key can be made from the 2 pieces.
You must have all pieces of the key!
If one of the pieces is still in the lock we have special small tools that we can use to remove the key from the lock. Yes we can even remove a broken piece of key from any ignition switch, in 20 years and thousands of cars, only on one occasion have we not been able to remove the key.
With that being said, there are exceptions to that, they include but are not limited to; customers attempting to remove the key by using ANYTHING!; including but not limited to paper clips, pliers, coat hangers, needles, super glue, screw driver, hammer, or anything else. Doing any of the things I listed above will result in permanent damage to your switch. So please call us to remove the key otherwise you risk ruining your switch, which can cost you hundreds of dollars to repair and also having the inconvenience of 2 separate keys to operate your vehicle.
So if you have a broken key, by all means take it to your local locksmith shop and they can make you another, either by copying or for a better guaranteed key have them make a code key from the broken one.
By visually sight reading the key, a code key can usually be made, providing it is not to worn out, this is a much better key than just making a copy of the broken key, which most locksmiths will NOT guarantee.
If you have a piece of it still in the lock, PLEASE call us before anyone damages the lock and we will be able to pull the piece out and make you a new key and the lock will still function as normal.
Automobile VIN numbers.
The truth about auto VIN numbers, they do not tell you how to make a key to a car, they never have. What the VIN number does tell you is the make, model, year, where it was made, what engine it it is supposed to have under the hood and lastly, the number sequence of that vehicle.
Now on some vehicles it is sometimes possible to retrieve a key code from the manufacturer using the VIN. Here is why this is possible in some cases. Not all manufacturers did this, and only a few are still doing this today, and it is being done even less as we go into the future.
Let's use Chevrolet for this example. For years as the car rolled off the assembly line an employee would make a file using the VIN number, inside this file he would add things such as what color the car was or what special added features the car had etc.... at the same time he would also record the key code for that car. So you see the VIN number is only a file number which the dealer can use to look up the key code.
Not all manufacturers did this. The few that did are beginning to do away with this practice.
Here's why,-- over the years as we moved into computers instead of files in file cabinets,when the info was transferred, some of the info was incorrectly recorded. I learned this over time as more and more of the key codes I retrieved from the manufacturer would not work. Because it was either incorrect or the car was so old that it had new locks because the old ones stopped working or the car had been in a wreck and a different door or steering wheel had been installed.
Still on occasion, and only if the car is not over 8 years old it may be possible to get a key code from the dealer. They will only give it to the legal current owner, in person. They won't give it to a relative or a friend, or over the phone. PERIOD! So take the cars tag receipt or title and ID with you when you go, or you will have wasted your time.
We can make a key to the car, we don't use the VIN number, because
1. most car companies never recorded the key code.
2. more often than not the code they give us is wrong.
3. the few that did record the key code only keep records going back 8 years.
With all that being said there is ONE exception. All Chrysler products that have transponder keys require a code that is specific to each vehicle in order to program new keys. That number can only be retrieved from the manufacturer using the VIN number.
Now on some vehicles it is sometimes possible to retrieve a key code from the manufacturer using the VIN. Here is why this is possible in some cases. Not all manufacturers did this, and only a few are still doing this today, and it is being done even less as we go into the future.
Let's use Chevrolet for this example. For years as the car rolled off the assembly line an employee would make a file using the VIN number, inside this file he would add things such as what color the car was or what special added features the car had etc.... at the same time he would also record the key code for that car. So you see the VIN number is only a file number which the dealer can use to look up the key code.
Not all manufacturers did this. The few that did are beginning to do away with this practice.
Here's why,-- over the years as we moved into computers instead of files in file cabinets,when the info was transferred, some of the info was incorrectly recorded. I learned this over time as more and more of the key codes I retrieved from the manufacturer would not work. Because it was either incorrect or the car was so old that it had new locks because the old ones stopped working or the car had been in a wreck and a different door or steering wheel had been installed.
Still on occasion, and only if the car is not over 8 years old it may be possible to get a key code from the dealer. They will only give it to the legal current owner, in person. They won't give it to a relative or a friend, or over the phone. PERIOD! So take the cars tag receipt or title and ID with you when you go, or you will have wasted your time.
We can make a key to the car, we don't use the VIN number, because
1. most car companies never recorded the key code.
2. more often than not the code they give us is wrong.
3. the few that did record the key code only keep records going back 8 years.
With all that being said there is ONE exception. All Chrysler products that have transponder keys require a code that is specific to each vehicle in order to program new keys. That number can only be retrieved from the manufacturer using the VIN number.
Garage Door Security.
Here are some tips to make sure or to at least limit the chances that someone will try to enter through your garage doors.
1st. Clear all remotes out of system and then reprogram your remotes back in. That way you don't have to worry about who might have a remote that works your garage door.
2nd. Shorten the red manual release cord on the track to about 5 inches, so it will be tougher for a crook to use a tool to reach in and pull that in order to open your door manually.
3rd. If you have windows in your doors, tint them with window tint you can pick up just about every where, or cover them with curtains. That way the potential crook will not be tempted by the valuables you have in your garage since he won't be able to see them.
I can't stress enough how important number 1 is, I know of situations where entry was made by people who kept remotes to old houses. So please clear your system and then reprogram your remotes back in, now only your remotes will work the doors.
1st. Clear all remotes out of system and then reprogram your remotes back in. That way you don't have to worry about who might have a remote that works your garage door.
2nd. Shorten the red manual release cord on the track to about 5 inches, so it will be tougher for a crook to use a tool to reach in and pull that in order to open your door manually.
3rd. If you have windows in your doors, tint them with window tint you can pick up just about every where, or cover them with curtains. That way the potential crook will not be tempted by the valuables you have in your garage since he won't be able to see them.
I can't stress enough how important number 1 is, I know of situations where entry was made by people who kept remotes to old houses. So please clear your system and then reprogram your remotes back in, now only your remotes will work the doors.
Locksmith reveals who has keys to your house or apt!?!
A LOT OF PEOPLE!!!
Here is what the general public does not know about.
1. When you buy a new home and are given the keys, trust me that's not all of them. here is all of the people who have or had your keys and might still have a copy.
The contractor and all of the subcontractors, which can be as many as a 100 people. The reason for this is convenience so that the workers can come and go as they please because they are usually working on more than one project at any one time. Plus most of these houses are mastered to one key so that the Realtor and contractor don't have to carry a ring of 30 or 40 keys with them.
They don't tell you this because they don't want you to make them absorb the cost of re-keying the locks so that you have the only key. Plus their job is to build the house as fast as they can to get it on the market and get a key to the Realtor, and in MOST cases even the Realtor is NOT aware of this information to even be able to pass it on to the buyer.
I know what your thinking, and YES, I personally do know of a couple of instances where some of the workers kept keys and burglarized houses in a few neighborhoods nearly 5 years later, after they worked on the houses. I heard about it from the home owners that called me out to re-key their locks after they were burglarized and also from my relatives who are in law enforcement.
2. Apt.'s and used homes are similar.
I know you think, well it's okay cause the old owners moved out of state or you know they are nice people, maybe even friends of yours. Okay? Ask yourself, who have they given keys to? Neighbors? Their kids? Ex husbands, ex wives, ex girl friends? and how many keys have their kids lost or had stolen from them? Can you trust all of those people? Do you even know all of those people? Plus, did they ever have the locks re-keyed when they moved in? Now how many keys are out there, that you don't know about?
So isn't it worth the small fee of usually around $100. to $200. to re-key your locks to have peace of mind and know that you have the only key to your house?
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