Car keys · Ajax
Ignition Lock Repair
Half the key is still in your hand. The other half stayed behind in the ignition when it snapped, and now the dash won't light and the wheel won't unlock no matter how carefully you nudge what is left.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 275-3289In plain words
The visit follows a steady order. On the phone, the vehicle and the exact symptom are described so the right parts and tools come along for the trip. On arrival, ownership is confirmed, the mechanism is assessed, and the cylinder is serviced, repinned or replaced as the fault requires. Every switch position is tested afterward, along with the steering lock, before the visit is called finished and any remaining electronic question is named separately.
How the visit goesA scrape sits beside the ignition slot, left by whoever tried the vehicle overnight in the driveway. The key that used to start it now does nothing at all, and the housing itself feels looser than it should.
Ignition Lock Repair · Ajax
How the visit goes
- 1
Checking the switch positions and the steering lock
Behind the part of the ignition a key touches sits an electrical switch with its own positions, off, accessory, on and start, and a mechanical steering lock that engages when the key is removed. The locksmith checks how the barrel behaves at each stop: whether it reaches start cleanly, whether the wheel locks and releases as it should, and whether the transition back to accessory is smooth. A fault confined to one position often narrows the cause before any part comes off the vehicle.
- 2
Cutting and matching new keys
New keys are cut from the fresh pinning rather than copied from a worn original, so they engage the wafers cleanly from the first use. Where the vehicle's doors and trunk already share the ignition's key, those cylinders are brought into the same pattern so a single key continues to operate every lock on the vehicle. Each new key is tested in the ignition and in every other lock before the visit ends.
- 3
Ready for the next stretch of rough weather
After a repair prompted by grit, salt or old grease, the cylinder is dried, cleaned and freshly lubricated, which carries it through a good stretch of the next season's driving. Keeping the key itself clean and dry, and avoiding a heavy keyring that drags on the barrel every time the vehicle starts, both help the repaired mechanism hold up through the weather that caused the original problem in the first place.
In the van
- Cylinder decoder
- Key blanks and cutting machine
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
- Trim clips and fasteners
- Steering column trim tools
What affects the quote
- 1
Confirming ownership on a recently purchased vehicle
A vehicle bought used, with incomplete paperwork or an unclear ownership history, takes a little longer to verify before any work begins, compared with a vehicle whose registration and owner are already on file.
- 2
Whether a working key is available
A repair that starts with a working key to test against and pin the new cylinder to is more straightforward than one starting from a key that is lost, badly worn or entirely absent from the household.
- 3
Number of new keys cut
One replacement key is the simplest case. A household or a business vehicle used by several people may want a few keys cut and tested at once, and each one is counted into the visit.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Ignition Lock Repair: questions
My key turns but the engine doesn't crank. Is that an ignition lock problem?
It can be, but it can also point past the lock entirely, toward the electronic immobilizer, the transponder chip in the key, or wiring behind the switch. The locksmith checks whether the barrel itself moves cleanly through every position first. If it does, and the vehicle still stays silent, the electronic side is one possibility among several, alongside the battery, starter and park/neutral circuit, so the cause is diagnosed rather than assumed.
What is actually different between ignition lock repair and dealer key programming?
The lock cylinder is mechanical: a key physically turns it through accessory, on and start. The immobilizer and transponder system is electronic: it recognises a chip inside the key before allowing the engine to run. A locksmith services or replaces the physical cylinder; programming a chip to the vehicle's electronic system is separate work that a suitably equipped automotive locksmith, a dealer, or an automotive electrical specialist can handle.
What is the difference between this and being locked out of my car?
A lockout is about getting into a vehicle that is closed against you; ignition lock repair is about the mechanism the key turns once you are already inside or once the door is open. The two sometimes happen together, a stuck ignition can follow a lockout, but a working ignition and a locked door are separate problems with separate tools and separate visits to arrange.
Car Keys
Bigger photo, sooner job: Emergency Book soon Plan ahead
EmergencyCar Lockout ServiceThe trunk is full of groceries, the cart is back in its corral, and the keys are sitting in the cup holder in plain view.
EmergencyCar Key ReplacementThe fob went through the washing machine in a jacket pocket.
Spare Car Key Duplication
Key Fob Programming
Transponder Key Programming
Ignition Lock Repair near you
Durham, Ontario
Ajax information
- Town
- Ajax, Durham, Ontario
- In business
- 29 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 275-3289
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
23%
Newer homes. About 23% of homes in Ajax were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
New homes frequently come with strikes held by short screws into soft framing. Replacing them with longer screws that reach the stud is inexpensive work that adds real strength, and it is one of the first things a locksmith checks in a newer area.
65%
Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 65% of homes in Ajax (2021 Census).
Families in houses hand keys to children, cleaners, dog walkers and neighbours. A locksmith can set up a keypad on the side door for the household and keep the front door on a conventional key, so access matches how the family actually comes and goes.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
Half the key is still in your hand.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 275-3289- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 29 years in business