Ignition and lock repair When the key will not turn.
A key that sticks, will not turn or will not come out is usually a worn lock, not a worn key. It can be repaired or replaced where the car is parked.
- Repaired where the car is
- Matched to your existing key
- Price agreed before any work
- Cars and vans
Quicker to ring? Call 07520 651 727 or message us on WhatsApp.
Thanks, we have your details.
We will text or call you back with a price shortly.
Or call now on 07520 651 727Key will not turn
First check the steering lock. Turn the wheel gently left and right while you turn the key. If that frees it, nothing is broken. If it has been getting stiffer for a while, the barrel is wearing and will fail completely before long. Do not force it, because a snapped key in a jammed barrel is a bigger job.
Key stuck in the ignition
On automatics, make sure the car is fully in Park. On any car, a flat battery can hold the key in. If neither is the cause, the barrel has probably failed inside and needs a locksmith.
Door locks
If the remote works but the key will not turn in the door, the lock has seized through lack of use. That matters on the day the fob battery dies. Locks can be freed, repaired or replaced, and set to work with your existing key so you do not end up with two.
After a break in
Forced door locks and damaged ignitions can be replaced and matched to your key. If keys were taken as well, have them deleted from the car at the same visit.
Get a price for your vehicle
Make, model and year is all we need to start.
How it works
Tell us what you drive
Make, model, year and what has happened. The form takes about a minute, or you can ring.
You get a price
One figure for your vehicle, with the earliest time a locksmith can be with you. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
A locksmith comes to you
Home, work, the roadside or a car park. The key is cut, programmed and tested with you before they leave.
Have this ready
- Make, model and year
- Whether you still have a working key
- The postcode where the vehicle is
- Photo ID and proof the vehicle is yours
Ignition and locks: common questions
Will I need a new key if the ignition is replaced?
Not usually. The new barrel can normally be set up to work with the key you already have.
Can I keep driving with a sticky ignition?
You can until the day it jams, and that will be somewhere awkward. It is cheaper to sort while the key still turns.
Do you repair or replace?
Whichever makes sense for the car. We tell you which and what it costs before any work starts.
Ignition and locks near you
We take enquiries from anywhere in England, Wales and Scotland. These towns have their own pages, and every area is listed here.
- Ignition and locks in Reading
- Ignition and locks in Slough
- Ignition and locks in Bracknell
- Ignition and locks in Maidenhead
- Ignition and locks in Wokingham
- Ignition and locks in Newbury
- Ignition and locks in Windsor
- Ignition and locks in Ascot
- Ignition and locks in Thatcham
- Ignition and locks in Sandhurst
Other services
Ignition and locks: get your price
Takes about a minute. No obligation.