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Car keys, smart keys and lockouts in Kennewick
Lost keys, dead fobs and locked doors, handled in the shop or at your car across Kennewick, Pasco and Richland.
Chapter 01
What actually fails when a car key stops working
Most calls start with one of four problems. The only key is lost. The key turns in the ignition but the car will not start. The blade has worn until it sticks. Or the fob has gone quiet. They look alike from the driver's seat and they are fixed in different ways, so the first job is working out which one you have.
A key that turns but will not start usually means the chip inside the head is not talking to the car's immobiliser. The metal is fine, the conversation is broken. A fob that stopped working overnight is more often a dead battery than lost programming, and that is worth testing before anyone cuts or codes anything. A blade that catches and drags in the ignition is telling you it has worn past what the lock will tolerate, and it will eventually stay in there.
If you are stuck in a parking lot in Kennewick, Pasco or Richland, describe what the key does and does not do when you call (509) 585-2407. That one detail usually tells us whether the job is a battery, a reprogram or a full new key.
A car transponder key clamped in the shop's key-duplicating machine
How a key gets made for a car that has none
When every key is gone, nothing can be copied, so the key is originated instead: read from the lock or worked out from the vehicle's code, then cut fresh. Edge-cut blades and the high-security sidewinder style cut from the flat of the blade need different machines, and we keep both in the Clearwater shop and in the vans. We stock thousands of keys and blanks, and we can unlock and make keys for about 95% of the cars on the road, including Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and VW.
A cut blade is half the work. The transponder or smart key still has to be programmed to that specific car, and the last step is a real test: start it, lock it, unlock it, and try the trunk or hatch if the key has a button for it. Nothing leaves our hands until it has passed all of those.
Emergency mobile service runs 7am to 10pm Monday through Saturday, so a technician can come to the car instead of the car being towed to us. The shop is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm, for anyone who would rather drive in. Our technicians are certified by ALOA as Registered Locksmiths, and the business is licensed, bonded and insured under WA L&I contractor licence ALLPOPL836RK.
Chapter 03
Keeping the next lockout from becoming a tow
The cheapest time to cut a second key is while the car is already coded and the machine is already set up. One working key is one loss away from a tow truck and a long afternoon. Bring the spare in when you have a slow hour, not when you are standing next to a locked door.
Fob batteries are cheap and quiet. Replace yours when the range starts shrinking, not after it quits. And if a blade begins to stick, stop forcing it. A worn key wears the ignition cylinder in turn, and a fresh key cut from the code is easier on the car than one copied from a tired original.
"All Points Locksmith, are life savers! I was in a bind and need a key asap. My car was stuck at a grocery store. And Robert came, made me a key, and had me back on the road in no time! Thank you for understanding my urgency and responding quickly." Byron Laws, Google. Google rating 4.5 from 411 reviews.
Other work at the bench
Residential
Home lockouts, new deadbolts and rekeying so old copies of a key stop working.
Commercial
Panic bars, access control, high-security cylinders and safe opening for businesses.
Not sure what kind of key is in your pocket? Read Transponder, sidewinder and smart keys explained, or get in touch and describe the problem. You can also call (509) 585-2407.