Josh-the-Locksmith
25 Years Experience
Austin, TX
Male, 46
I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.
I think that you're probably right about that. My first boss always told me that I would probably see the end of mechanical locks in my day. I think we have 20-30 years before we see it trickle down to lower & middle class due to the cost of it. Obviously it's currently being use regularly in office bldgs everywhere, but the cost is $800+ a door. So they have a ways to go before we see the price drop low enough and have products designed simple enough for the mechanically-inclined homeowner to install it himself. They already have touch-screen deadbolts, remote control deadbolts, & obviously regular keypad deadbolts. Generally the reason businesses want to eliminate keys is for more control. Audit trails, easy & costly elimination of a fired employee, lots of benefits really; but not a lot for residential reasons other than convenience. Which is why we prob won't see it for quite a while, & mostly in high end home with home automation.
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Sometimes there is a code stamped on a lock, & in those cases we can look up the cuts. Otherwise no.
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You can start a car by crossing wires on old cars, but you still can't just drive off. Steering wheels are locked & turning the key unlocks the wheel. Locksmiths don't do that anyways. We just make keys for the cars. Most newer vehicles have a chip in the key or the ignition. That security chip is required in order for the car to start, & every car's chip is different. That was designed to prevent people from "hot wiring" cars.
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People getting their locks picked by burglars is very rare. What you should be more concerned about is making sure you have good strong strike plates on your jambs with long screws that go into the studs. If you're concerned about your locks being picked or drilled, then sure, buy Medeco or Mul-T-Lock deadbolts. They're awesome. They will cost you $200+ per lock. I think the majority of burglars are looking for an easier way in. Kicking the door in or breaking a window.
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The first thing I'd try is squirting some high quality lubricant in there. Not WD40, and not graphite. Vehicle door locks get dry or corrode quickly, especially if you rarely use it. Secondly, I'd look at your key. If it's bent or a bad copy (possibly not visible to the untrained eye), that is very possibly the problem. A lock shop should be able to read & cut you a new factory-spec key. Past that, it's internal lock damage.
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Your best bet is to have one bookmarked before you actually need one. Get referrals from friends, check the Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and keep your eyes open for actual brick and mortar lock shops in your area. A lot of phonies will list an address online or in the yellow pages, but it will be fake. The fakes use local numbers that redirect to a national call center. They hire local contractors who will upcharge you once (if) they show up. LOTS of scammers out there.
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The first ones were, but they changed the lock to a higher security lock.
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