UnlockItForMe employs professionally trained locksmith technicians. With that being said, we are not mechanics, nor do we hold ourselves out as a mechanic service. Therefore some key information…no pun intended needs to be clarified with regards to our services and fees. If you call us out to make a key, we are fully capable of coming to your location, and originating or duplicating a key for your vehicle. What is the difference you ask? Key origination is a locksmith service that is offered to customers who have lost all keys. Key duplication is just that. We make a duplicate of your key that you already have, which unlocks and cranks the car. Often times we get called out to cars that people don’t have much prior knowledge of. Alternatively, we have situations where a customer has prior knowledge of a problem and is trying to hide it to avoid being charged extra money for some reason. In either case, it is important to understand how modern as well as older ignition systems work.
Most modern cars put in use a Transponder Key & Engine immobilizer system. These systems require a special key that has been pre-programmed by a locksmith or the dealer. This key is not unlike a password used to login to your computer. If you decide you want to log in one day with a different password, you simply cannot decide this on a whim and just begin using your new password. You must go into the settings, and change, erase or add a new password. This is very much the same as with your car. If you lose your password or key, you must register a new key with the computer. If we make a key to your car, and it operates the locks and turns the ignition we have successfully made your key. If the vehicles security light illuminates with the key is out of the ignition, this indicates theft mode active. If we insert our newly programmed key and the light extinguishes, this means the key is successfully programmed. In this case, we have correctly done our job. If for some reason your vehicle still will not crank after this, it is likely a sign of a mechanical or another issue that we would need to refer you to the dealership or your local mechanic to resolve.
Often times people call us and ask to have their locks master keyed. What they want is all locks keyed alike, but they don’t know to call it that. Allow us to explain the difference. The most secure way to key all the locks inside building or facility is to have each lock keyed for its own individual key. In most cases, however, you can understand how this would be miserably inefficient. For example, the night cleaning crew would have to carry 500 keys in a building that had 500 locked offices to clean. 500 keys! For one building! That is insane! So what master keying allows for is one key that they can use to open every door they are needing to clean behind, while each person does, in fact, have 1 key that fits their office, but not any of the others. In a residential situation, having your locks keyed alike, means you have 1 key that opens the front door, back door, and all the other doors, very similar to master-keying, but there is only 1 key that is designed to open the lock, and the locks are all keyed alike. A Highly uncommon example of master keying your home would be if you for some reason wanted your home and office to be keyed alike, but also have a key for your maid at home or a service professional such as pest control or other maintenance staff.