FAQ
Car locksmith FAQ for Coronado and San Diego
What people ask before they call. If your question is not here, call or text and ask.
Every day, 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM
Getting help
How do I reach you?
Call or text (619) 313-6749. Texting works well if you can send a photo of the key, the fob or the lock along with your location. We reply from the road, so a text is often the quickest way to get a price.
What are your hours, and what if I am locked out after 10:30 PM?
We work every day from 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM. If you reach us after that, text your location and the problem and we will book you for the first available slot in the morning. If someone is in danger inside a car at any hour, call 911 first.
How soon can you get here?
It depends on where you are and where we are coming from. We give you an honest arrival window when you call, before you commit. Coronado and the Silver Strand are closest.
What should I have ready when I call?
The year, make and model of the car, where it is parked, and a photo ID. For a new key, the VIN helps too. You can find it at the base of the windshield on the driver's side or on your registration and insurance card. Proof of ownership can be the registration, the title or an insurance card in your name.
Do I have to be at the car?
Someone with ID and proof of ownership has to be at the car. Tell us who is meeting us if it is not you.
Which areas do you serve?
We are based in Coronado and cover the neighborhoods around the bay and the beaches: Downtown San Diego, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Mission Valley, North Park, Imperial Beach, National City and Chula Vista. If you are on the edge of that area, text your location and we will tell you straight away whether we can come.
How does a visit work?
You tell us the problem and where the car is, and we give you a price. We drive to the car, check your ID and proof of ownership, and do the work on site, whether that is opening a door, cutting a key or programming a fob. You test everything before we leave. Nothing is towed and nothing is sent away.
How long does it take?
A lockout is usually minutes once we are at the car. Cutting and programming a key takes longer; we tell you the estimate when we quote.
Keys and fobs
Can you make a car key if I have lost all of them?
Yes, with no original and no trip to the dealer. We pull the key code from the vehicle, cut a new blade and program the chip or fob at the car; see car key replacement for what to have ready.
Can you program a key fob at my car?
Yes. We supply the fob, pair it to your car where it is parked, and erase any lost fobs from the car's memory if you ask. Details are on the key fob programming page.
What is a transponder key, and why does my copy not start the car?
A transponder key has a chip in the plastic head that the car's immobilizer checks before it allows the engine to start. A copy cut at a hardware store has the right blade but no programmed chip, so it opens the door and stops there. We program the chip at your car. Read more under transponder key programming.
Should I get a spare made now?
If you are down to one key, yes. Copying a working key is a shorter, simpler job than replacing a lost one, and it means a lost key is an inconvenience rather than an emergency. Our spare and duplicate keys page explains the difference, and our guide to what happens when every key is lost shows what the spare saves you.
The car is not in my name. Can you still help?
Yes, if you can show you are authorized: a bill of sale, the rental agreement, or the registration plus a way to reach the owner. Without that we cannot open the car or make a key.
Do you work on European luxury brands?
Some of them. We work on most makes and models; ask about European luxury brands when you call, and see car key replacement for the makes we handle routinely.
Lockouts
Will you damage my car getting in?
We use entry tools made for your make and model and protect the door edge and seal while we work; the aim is no mark. Our car lockout page covers what to expect.
Why do you ask for proof of ownership?
Because we open cars for their owners and nobody else, so we check ID and a document that ties you to the car before we start. If your papers are inside the car, we check them as soon as the door is open; the car lockout page lists what counts.
My key fob is dead. Am I really locked out?
Maybe not, since most fobs hide a metal key inside the case and most driver's doors have a keyhole, sometimes under a small cover. If that does not work, we open the car and replace the battery or program a new fob on the spot; run through the fob-not-working checklist first, or see key fob programming.
Pricing and payment
How does pricing work, and do you quote first?
Always. You get a price when you call or text, based on the job, the car and where it is, and it covers the trip, the work and any key or fob we supply. The price we quote is the price. If the job turns out to be different once we see the car, we stop and requote before going on.
What affects the price?
Mainly the type of key. A plain metal key involves less than a transponder key, which involves less than a smart key. Whether you have a working key to copy matters a great deal, since an all-keys-lost job takes more steps. The make and model and your location also play a part. Our guide on dealer or mobile locksmith for a new key goes through each of these.
How do I pay?
[PAYMENT METHODS: confirm with owner]. You pay once the door is open or the key has been tested.
Still have a question?
Call or text and ask. A quick description of the car and what happened is usually all we need to answer it.