Q&A HOUSTON KEY LOCKSMITH

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE A LOCKSMITH TO UNLOCK YOUR CAR?

I WILL SAY AROUND 1-2 MINUTES, FOR A PROFESSIONAL LOCKSMITH, THE BIG MAJORITY OF CARS(ABOUT 95% OF LOCKED CARS). SOME OF THE CARS( THE OTHER 5%) ARE VERY HARD TO OPEN SO WILL TAKE, OF COURSE, MORE TIME.

 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO POP A LOCK AND UNLOCK YOUR CAR?

THERE ARE 4 MAJORE FACTORE.

  • DISTANCE AS WELL AS AREA(AN AVERAGE CAR LOCKSMITH PRICE IN TEXAS CAN BE DIFFERENT FROM THE AVERAGE PRICE IN LOS ANGELES, FOR EXAMPLE)
  • TIME OF THE DAY(NIGHT, TRAFFIC, OR WEEKEND MAY BE MORE EXPENSIVE)
  • TYPE OF CAR(LESS IMPORTANT FACTOR)
  • AND AVAILABILITY OF LOCKSMITH( IF THE LOCKSMITH CLOSES, THERE IS MORE LIKELIHOOD PLAY IN THE PRICE).

THE CHEAPEST CAN BE FOUND AT 60$ UP TO 150$. A GOOD FAIR PRICE, IN GENERAL, WILL BE AROUND 75$-95$

WHAT DOES A LOCKSMITH DO?

A LOCKSMITH IS A SKILL TRADE THAT IS PERFORMED IN THREE MAJOR FIELDS:

  • RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL- CHANGING LOCKS OR KEYES
  • AUTOMOTIVE- MAKING CAR KEYS, DUPLICATE OR REPLACEMENT KEYS, AND PROGRAM. FIX/REPLACE IGNITION
  • EMERGENCY- IF YOU LOCK YOUR KEYS INSIDE YOUR CAR OR HOUSE, YOU NEED A LOCKSMITH TO USE HIS SKILL TO OPEN IT.

THERE ARE OTHERS USED FOR LOCKSMITHS, BUT THOSE 3 ARE THE MAJOR ONES.

 

HOW MUCH DOES A AUTO LOCKSMITH COST?

A STARTING PRICE OF A DUPLICATE KEY CAN BE AS LITTLE AS 60$ CUT, AND THE PROGRAM
THE REPLACEMENT KEY WILL BE A MINIMUM OF 110$ AND UP
AND REPLACEMENT IGNITION WILL BE AROUND 200-300$
MANY FACTORS DEPEND ON THE PRICES. THE MOST EXPENSIVE KEYS ARE EUROP MAKERS LIKE BMW, MERCEDES OR VW PORCH ETC. IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE CARS PREPARED TO PAY AT LEAST 250$

 

HOW DO YOU UNLOCK A DOOR WITHOUT A KEY

CAR- THERE ARE A FEW WAYS. THE MOST COMMON WAY IS TO CREATE A GAP NEXT TO THE WINDOW BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE CAR. THIS GAP IS FOR YOU TO PUT A LONG STICK TO OPEN THE DOOR HANDLE. AND WALLA… IS THAT EASY…?

HOUSE- THERE ARE A FEW WAYS( I USE THEM BY THIS ORDER. IF ONE FAILS, I MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE)

  • FOR LEVER HANDLE OR KNOB LOCKS( NO DEADBOLT), I USE A PUMP WEDGE- MAKE A SPACE BETWEEN DOOR AND FRAME DOOR. AFTER PUMPING AND MAKING A SPACE, YOU NEED TO TAKE A FLAT SCREWDRIVER OR SOMETHING SIMILAR AND PRESS THE LATCH.
  • BUMP KEY- THAT’S AN ACTION THAT STIMULATES PICKING UP A LOCK.
  • PICKING THE LOCK. THE LOCKSMITH CAN PICK MOST OF THE HOUSE LOCKS.
  • DRILL THE LOCK. IF OTHER TECHNICS NOT WORKING, THE LAST OPTION IS TO DRILL THE LOCK. YOU WANT TO DRILL A LITTLE BIT OVER THE KEYHOLE(WHERE THE UPPER PINS ARE).
  • IN GENERAL, THERE ARE 5 PINS. AFTER THAT, YOU TAKE A FLAT SCREWDRIVER, TURN IT, AND… WALLA, IT’S OPEN ?
HOW MUCH DOES A LOCKSMITH COST?

SINCE THE LOCKSMITH HAVE A BIG VAST OF FIELDS THAT HARD TO ANSWER IN A FEW SENTENCES. THAT DEPEND ON THE TYPE OF JOB YOU NEED. AS WELL AS YOUR CITY THAT YOU LEAVE, ZIP CODE AND TIME FRAME OF THE JOB.

 AN AVARGE CAR/HOUSE LOCKSOUT WILL BE AROUND 75$-95$

AN AVARGE CHANGE LOCKS/ REKEY FOR HOUSE/BUSINESS WILL BE AROUND 125$-200$

AN AVARAGE CAR KEY WILL BE AROUND 150$

OPEN SMALL/MEDIUM SAFE AROUND 85$-175$

HOW DO YOU GET INTO A LOCKED CAR?

THERE ARE A FEW WAYS. THE MOST COMMON WAY IS TO CREATE A GAP NEXT TO THE WINDOW BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE CAR. THIS GAP IS FOR YOU TO PUT A LONG STICK TO OPEN THE DOOR HANDLE. AND WALLA… IS THAT EASY…?

 

HOW DO YOU PICK A DOOR LOCK?

2 TOOLS NEED TO BE USED.

  1. TENSION TOOL AND PICK TOOL. YOU USE THE TENSION ON THE KEYHOLE TO DO SOME PRESSER AND USE THE 2ND TOOL- THE PICK TOOL TO MOVE UP THE UPPER PINS. THE MISSION IS COMPLETED WHEN YOU CAN MOVE ALL THE UPPER PINS IN THEIR ORIGINAL PLACE THAT STIMULATE A KEY.
  2. THIS TECHNIQUE IS REQUIRE EXPERIENCE( UNLESS YOU ARE IN A MOVIE, LOL)
WHER CAN I GO TO MAKE KEYS?
  • IF IT’S FOR YOUR HOUSE OR OFFICE KEY, THE CHIPSET WILL BE HOME DEPOT, LOW’S, OR WALMART.
  • IF IT’S FOR YOUR CAR, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO USE THE PLACES ABOVE, BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROGRAM THE KEY. YOUR BEST BET WILL BE A LOCKSMITH. IF NEEDED, GIVE US A CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REPLACE A CAR KEY?

THE PRICES MAY VARY :

  • THAT DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF MAKE MODEL AND YEAR AS WELL AS ZIP CODE OF CUSTOMER. IN HOUSTON KEY LOCKSMITH, THE RANGE PRICE FOR TRANSPONDER KEY CUT AND PROGRAM IS 110$-195$
  • ANOTHER FACTOR TO BE CONSIDERED IS IT IS A DUPLICATE( 2ND KEY) OR REPLACEMENT KEY( YOU LOST ALL YOUR KEYS TO YOUR CAR).
  • A DUPLICATE CAN BE AS LOW AS 75$ CUT AND PROGRAM. REPLACE KEY WILL ALWAYS BE MORE EXPENSIVE.
  • A TRANSPONDER KEY( KEY THAT CUT AND PROGRAM) WILL ALWAYS BE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN A REMOTE KEY, A FOB, OR FLIP KEY.
CAN A LOCKSMITH OPEN A SAFE?

YES. A LOCKSMITH CAN OPEN A SAFE. SOME OF THE SAFES CANT BE RE-USED AGAIN BY CHANGING THE LOCK THE LOCKSMITH DRILL IT.

 

IS IT CHEAPER TO REKEY OR REPLACE LOCKS?

AS A ROOL OF THUMBS, IT WILL ALWAYS BE CHEAPER TO REKEY THE LOCKS.
SOMETIMES THE LOCKS ARE TOO OLD OR DIDN’T USED FOR A WHILE, SO IN THAT CASE, IT WILL BE SMARTER/BETTER TO REPLACE THE LOCKS.

 

HOW DO YOU BECOME A LOCKSMITH?
  • TO BECOME A LOCKSMITH, YOU NEED TO DIFFERENT SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE.
  • THE BASICS ARE OPEN A CAR, THAT IS VERY EASY, AND BASIC (DON’T NEED A LOCKSMITH LICENSE IN TEXAS)
  • AFTER THAT, OPEN A HOUSE OR BUSINESS(REQUIRE MORE SKILL KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS. ALSO MUST A LOCKSMITH LICENSE )
  • THEN, CHANGING LOCKS OR REKEY IN RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL AND ALSO DOING SAFES
  • LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CAR KEYS FOR AUTO. THAT REQUIRES MORE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND KEYS.
  • IN GENERAL, A LOCKSMITH WILL GO BY THIS ORDER BUT NOT ALWAYS.