What goes wrong
We handle the common emergency calls: house and apartment lockouts, broken keys stuck in mortise cylinders, snapped deadbolt bolts, and jammed knob or lever sets. When a key fractures, we extract the broken bit from the cylinder using extractor tools and, if the cylinder is too damaged to operate, we remove and replace it with a compatible cylinder or a whole lockset. For doors with reinforced strikes or long-throw deadbolts that have failed, we realign or replace the strike and frame hardware so the bolt works cleanly again.
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What the job involves
For car lockouts we pick through standard wafer, pin tumbler and some truck tailgate locks, and we can remove broken automotive keys from ignition cylinders. We keep a range of blanks for common vehicle keys and can cut a working key on site when the vehicle’s keyway and ignition are intact. If a car uses an electronic transponder, we explain the options and, where practical, we get a replacement programmed or advise on next steps. We work on vehicles in Upper Darby and nearby Drexel Hill when that’s where the call is.
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Good to know
While you wait, make the scene safe and keep any occupants, children and pets away from the door or street. If you have ID, the vehicle registration, or proof of residency for the address, have those ready so we can verify you are entitled to entry; that helps prevent unnecessary delay. If you can open a utility panel or remove a storm door, that can give us access for non-destructive methods. If there’s a visible broken key, keep the fragments together in a safe place until we arrive.
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Worth knowing
We drive out from Havertown with a stocked van carrying cylinders, mortise locks, deadbolts, latchsets, strike plates, replacement keys and the extraction and drilling tools needed for emergency work. We explain the mechanical condition of the lock and what we’re going to do before we start, including when drilling out a seized cylinder is the only practical option. When we leave, the door hardware operates, the key turns smoothly and we give straightforward advice on whether a tougher, reinforced solution would reduce repeat problems in Upper Darby or the surrounding area.
