Car key lock stuck

and this is a ??? what vehicle?

laser cut? meaning one of the high security type sidewinders? then, perhaps contact the dealer and ask about the PROPER lubricant for the locks..

'heavy oil' is not good.. they may need removing and a 'heavy duty' washing/re lubing with proper lubricant. I see a LOT of trunk locks in my area get full of DIRT..and the key quits working till removed and cleaned out --Shiva--

Yep. And/or things are sticking a bit; that oil would NOT have helped matters.

I presume that's a thinko and you meant "debris".

Personally, I'd lean toward starting by trying to get some of the gunk you inserted back out of the lock by washing it down with WD40 or some other cleanser, then cutting a mechanical key to factory depths ("by code" except that you probably can measure the existing key rather than looking up the code), and see if that helps.

If not, then the problem's probably in the lock.

However, even among locksmiths, there are a lot who'd rather play sloppy shim-and-guess games...

did we ever find out the brand/model? I wonder if this 'laser cut' is not what we term a sidewinder --Shiva--

"Joe Kesselman" snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

yep, you would be correct..

thats what I meant by "your locks should be removed and cleaned/repaired"

thats my guess..

what do you mean by that?

good question.. would help to know..

Just what I said. I watched a character a few days ago who, when presented with a clear description of this sort of wear on a Toyota key, tried to deal with it by just re-cutting the key with a minor adjustment to raise the entire profile a thousandth of an inch in the hope that this would solve the wear problem. The idea of originating a brand new key to factory depths and spacing -- even for a customer who was clearly willing to pay a few bucks more for that service -- never even occurred to him.

And no, this isn't a fly-by-night; he's a storefront who's been in that location for some years.

OK, maybe this particular technician was less experienced than his age would indicate. Or just wasn't in a mood to deal. But the point remains that finding folks who are willing to take a moment to consider alternatives can sometimes be tough.

hmmm? I consider alternatives on every job. (for my benefit and also my customer) I always go for the quickest way for me (without jeopardizing quality) and the most cost efficient for my customer. its worked out over the years and has made some loyal customers and some good friends. what goes around, ya know..

guess I thought that most professionals would do the same.

Most, I think (and hope) would. But as I said, some don't, or don't always.

yeah.. had a good one last night..

4pm, Walmart called.. had a lady that her key was 'stuck' in the ignition, a 97 Plymouth Voyager.. wouldnt START OR turn to lock to get the key out.. BTW, leaving this morning for a 1 way trip to Colorado..'just to add to the fun'..

30 minutes work gets lock in hand and its pretty well stuck, but turns REAL GOOD in its limited range.. brake cleaner sprayed through it helped a bunch, as did gentle use of a vice and a pair of pliers.. finally got it turned to disassemble and carefully pulled apart..gee, WHATS THAT BLACK STUFF??? graphite.. whats that KEY BLANK?? not the one for the vehicle.. someone copied it onto a 93 blank which is a LOT thinner.. My guess is that the thin blank finally twisted enough to force the wafers just enough to get into a bind.. and the graphite was migrating under the wafer springs, adding to the jamb, and not allowing the thing to complete turning.. washed the black out, lubed it with some grease, and cut the key onto the PROPER blank..turned GREAT.. saved her $60 for a new ignition lock..

--Shiva--

I think 2 things come into play here.. the person that says...'I AM A LOCKSMITH'...but, REFUSES to say going in he 'doesnt do that kind of work, normally', and goes ahead and attempts it anyway..

OR, as to one I heard about some months back, he was asked to rekey a '$10' door knob on a house trailer, it being the kind you depress the pin to get the knob off..the back door having a Kwikset on it..which he DID do..(30 minutes was mentioned for the time on it) The owner called me the next day and asked if I could do it, and then he told me the 'whole story'... the 'locksmith' tried for 5 HOURS to figure a way of getting that cylinder out.. I give him credit in that he did NOTHING to tear it up.. the problem here? IMO, lack of 'real world practice/training'..and BTW, within another month, he had closed up shop, too.

--Shiva--

I will agree with that.... believe the same holds true with any profession...

g'day to ya Joe

there are a few in my area jsut like that..

well ??? he wasn't exactly the type professional I was referring to :-)

g'day Shiva

The term has a specific meaning and has been around a few years. Check the instructions for an ITL 9000 for both examples. Some other machines will do one version but not both. BBE.

laser cut adj. 1. a way of cutting a key so that the roots of adjacent cuts are connected by a straight-line cut; 2. a way of cutting a key so that the root of a shallow cut is widened until it intersects the included angle of an adjacent deeper cut

--Shiva-- wrote:

you are right.. but...just thinking for it to 'show up' on a post, from an apparent non locksmith, makes me wonder..

--Shiva--