Featured article · Automotive Locksmith
Locked Out of Your Car? What to Do, Step by Step
Keys on the seat and the door already shut? Here is exactly what to check, what not to try, and how to get back in without damaging the car.
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Locksmith Tips, Guides and Security Advice
Straight answers from the people who fix locks for a living: what to do when you are locked out, which key your car uses, when to rekey, and how to keep a home or a business secure.
Latest articles
Locksmith tips and how-to guides
Step-by-step help with the lock and key problems people call us about most, for drivers, homeowners, renters and businesses in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties and Philadelphia.
Automotive Locksmith
Locked Out of Your Car? What to Do, Step by Step
Keys on the seat and the door already shut? Here is exactly what to check, what not to try, and how to get back in without damaging the car.
Automotive Locksmith
Transponder Key, Key Fob or Smart Key? How to Tell Which One You Have
The kind of key your car uses decides what replacing it involves. Here is how to tell them apart at a glance, and what each one means if you lose it.
Automotive Locksmith
Lost Your Only Car Key? Here's What Happens Next
Replacing the only key to a car is a different job from copying a spare. Here's what you'll need, what the car needs, and how to avoid it next time.
Residential Locksmith
Rekeying, deadbolts, smart locks and older doors
Residential Locksmith Lock Replacement Smart Lock Installation Lock Repair
Residential Locksmith
The Key Turns but the Door Won't Open: What's Wrong and What to Do
When the key turns freely but nothing moves, the problem is usually behind the cylinder, not in it. Here is how to narrow it down before you call.
Residential Locksmith
Should You Rekey or Replace Your Locks? How to Decide
Moved in, lost a key or had a tenant leave? Rekeying is often all you need. Here is how to tell whether your locks should be rekeyed or replaced.
Residential Locksmith
5 Signs Your Deadbolt Is About to Fail
A deadbolt rarely fails without warning. These are the five early signs, what each one means, and what to do before it locks you out.
Residential Locksmith
Choosing a Lock for an Older Door: What Fits and What Doesn't
Many homes in Delaware County and on the Main Line still have their original doors. Here is how to secure an older door without ruining it.
Residential Locksmith
Thinking About a Smart Lock for Your Front Door? Read This First
What a smart lock actually replaces, what it doesn't, and the questions to answer before you buy one for your front door.
Residential Locksmith
Row Home or Detached House? How Your Home Changes the Locks You Need
Row homes and detached houses have different doors, entrances and weak spots. Here's what to check on each kind of home.
Commercial Locksmith
Master keys, mailbox locks and business doors
Commercial Locksmith
Lost Your Mailbox Key? Who Replaces the Lock, and How
Whether you call the Post Office, your property manager or a locksmith depends on who owns the box. Here's how to tell, for homes, apartments and businesses.
Commercial Locksmith
Master Key Systems for Small Buildings: How They Work and Who Needs One
One key for the owner, one key per unit or office, and no drawer full of spares. How master key systems work for small buildings, offices and rentals.
Emergency Locksmith
Locked Out of Your Apartment or Rental? What Tenants Should Do
Who to call first, what proof you'll need, and why getting back in and changing the lock are two different questions when you rent.
Emergency Locksmith
A Key Snapped in Your Door Lock or Car Ignition: What to Do Next
A key snapped in the door lock or the car ignition? What you do next decides whether the lock survives. Here's what to do, and what not to do.
Locksmith Tips
Calling a Locksmith? What to Say, and How to Spot a Locksmith Scam
Five details that get the right parts in the van, and the warning signs that the company on the other end of the phone isn't a real local locksmith.
Locksmith Tips
Frozen Lock or Sticky Key in Cold Weather? What to Do, and What Not To
When winter freezes a car door lock or makes a house key stick, a few simple steps get it turning again without damage.
Using these guides
Read first, or call first?
Start here
Every guide on this page starts with what to do before you call anyone. If a child or a pet is locked in a car, or someone is shut inside a home and cannot get out, call 911 first; a locksmith is the next call, not the first. For everything else, the guides walk through the checks worth making yourself, what to have ready when you call, and what to leave alone so a small problem does not turn into a bigger one.
What you can check yourself
Plenty of lock trouble can be narrowed down at the door: a bolt that drags because the door has dropped, a key that goes in but will not turn in the cold, a spare key that is closer than you think. The guides say which checks are safe and when to stop. Forcing a lock, prying at a car door or pouring oil into a cylinder usually makes the repair harder.
When to call us
Call when a key has snapped in the lock, when you have lost the only key to a car, when the key spins without moving the bolt, or when the locks need rekeying after a move or a lost key. The work happens at your door, your car or your business, anywhere in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties and Philadelphia.
Before we arrive
Have photo ID ready, plus the registration or title for a car, or something that shows you live at the address for a home. We check this before opening a door or making a key, for your protection as much as anyone else's. If you rent, your landlord may already have a key and may need to approve a lock change.
Hardware we work on
Deadbolts
Mortise locks
Rim cylinders
Knob and lever sets
Panic bars
Exit devices
Electric strikes
Door closers
Keypads and smart locks
High-security cylinders
Mailbox locks
Car locks and ignitions
Safes
Locked out, key snapped or lock failed?