Polar Vortex Causing Increase In Frozen Locks

In the upcoming months our office will be flooded with callsfrom customers whose locks are frozen making them unable to unlock their homeor office door and even worse the car door. We have come up with a few tips onhow you can avoid being stranded in the cold with frozen locks.

 If you have access to a lighter or matches you can usethem to heat up the key for the lock you are trying to unfreeze. After you haveheated the key up insert it into the lock and jiggle it around a few timesallowing the heat to thaw out the locking mechanism inside the lock and thenturn the key. The lock should open right up, but you need to be careful whenheating the key not only because metal heats quickly and you could burnyourself but also when metal is hot it is very pliable and too much force couldcause you to bend the key making it unusable.

If you do not have a lighter or matches but have just steppedout of your vehicle and noticed the locks on your home or office are frozen youcan use the heat the your vehicle generates to try to heat up the key. Yourvehicles engine generates an extreme amount of heat so simply place the key onor as close to the engine block as you can and hold it there until the key ishot then try to stick it into the lock, again be careful not to damage your keywhile attempting to jiggle the lock.

There is a new handy little deicer on the market today that allows you to not have to worry about damaging your key it is called the The Hillman Group Lock De-icer available at some hardware stores. This device has a self heating pin inside of it that you can insert into the locks to thaw them out. Not very expensive so if you are living in a area where frozen locks are a common occurrence than it might be a great investment.

Maybe you do not have a lighter and your car is the one with the frozen locks do not worry we have a solution for you too. Hand sanitizer is carried by just about everyone and if you do not carry any right now we suggest you go get some. Since hand sanitizers are filled with alcohol you can use a little squirt on your key and the alcohol will thaw the locks in question for you. This is a much safer way than the lighter since you have no real chance of damaging your key but if your hand sanitizer is a lotion or one of the ones you get from Bath& Body works with the little beads in it DO NOT use it. If you do use it and put the key inside the lock residue will stay in there causing more problems down the road.

The best piece of advice we can give you is to stock upon thelock deicer which is sold at just about every hardware and drug store inthe world. A little bottle will run you a few bucks but will save you quite theheadache and stress of a frozen lock.

If all of our suggestions fail you we apologize but you needto call the professionals and we always have a full staff of licensedlocksmiths standing by 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Electronic Locks; Never Need Keys Again.

If you are like me keeping track of my house keys is almost next to impossible, so many nights I arrive home after a long day of work only to realize I do not have my keys with me.
 Did I leave them at the office?
 Are the still in my car, or even worse did I never bring them with me in the first place and they are still sitting safely inside my home.
 Since I have been down this road quite a few times before I have strategically placed spare keys with my neighbors, in my mailbox and yes even under my welcome mat. All of these are big no no's when it comes to home security but I was sick and tried of going into my van to pick open my own lock.

It was not until a few months ago that I made the best decision ever and upgraded my locks to electronic locks. These gifts to forgetful people like myself make life so much easier. Now when I arrive home and can not find my keys I no longer need to worry, I simply input my code into the door and voila open says me!

The possiblitlies of electronic locks are endless, maybe you want to input a code like I do into a lock like this.

A simple pin number that YOU WILL NOT FORGET is all you need and you will never be locked out again. This type of lock also makes it much easier to give access to your home to your in-laws, neighbors or house sitter. No more making copies of keys you can give each person their own pin code or share the one you created. 

Or you can even take it one step further and use your fingerprint to gain access into your home. with a biometric lock like this.

With this type of lock you can also give access to whom you want but you will need to add in their fingerprint into the database where as with the lock above you can create the code and tell it to them no need to have everyone over your house at the same time. 

If that is not high tech enough for you, there is one more step up which is the locks controlled by your smart phone. a simple push of a button on your phone and you can open up your entire home.

These types of locks just like the others above allow you to give access to other people as well and even keep track of when the come and go from the home. This lock is not just a lock for your door this system allows you to add your thermostat and even light system into the app so you can control the temperature and electric usage inside your home while sitting at work. A few cable providers offer this service in the area to learn more contact our customer service department to see if we can add this convenience to your life.

Vehicle Remote Not Working?

When is the last time you opened your vehicle doors the oldfashioned way? 

You know sticking the key in the door lock and turning it, ifyou are like me the answer is probably never. 

Just about all cars on the roadtoday come equipped with a remote 

either inside the key or separately thatoperates the doors, alarm and trunk. And since it adds such ease of use togetting inside your vehicle it is obvious why no one uses their door locksanymore. But just like everything that is used everyday your remote for yourvehicle can wear out, the buttons no longer work, the battery died or itbreaks. After a few days of not being able to unlock your doors as you arewalking up to your vehicle,  pop youtrunk when your hands are full or lock your doors from across the parking lotyou will see just how dependent you are on your vehicle remote.

When your remote stops working you have a few choices on howto get it fixed, you can go online and look for a replacement (just be warnedvehicle  remotes need to be programmed toyour vehicle before they will work), take the remote to the dealership (andover pay), go without the remote and open your doors like everyone did “back inthe day” or you can call your local locksmith and have them come right out towhere you are and provide you with a new remote and program it to your vehicle. 

If you opt for replacing the remote yourself then you shouldcheck out this website, itgives you the instructions on how to program the remote but just remembervehicles are run on computers and it is usually best to leave this type ofdelicate work up to the professionals. 

Dealerships are not always the best option, most of the timethey will not have the remote in stock meaning they will have to order it foryou which usually can take a few days. Once they receive the remote they willneed you to come back in with the vehicle so they can program it to yourvehicle this can be quite a hassle and also very expensive. 

The best option available is to call your local locksmith,they always have a huge stock of various remotes and are able to come right outto your location and program the remote right there on site. The prices arevery reasonable also usually ranging between $ 65- $ 135 depending on the typeof vehicle you have. Since locksmiths are always available 24 hours a day 7days a week you can get the ease of use of unlocking your vehicle in a fewminutes.

Residential locksmiths

Not many peopleunderstand the importance of a quality residential locksmith service, when mostpeople think of locksmiths they thing of being locked out and stranded in themiddle of the night. And while our emergency locksmiths do handle quite a fewemergency lockout situations it is only a tiny part of our business.Residential locksmiths are responsible for all service calls that involve ahome or apartment, so if you are locked out of your home or lost your apartmentkey and cannot contact the landlord then a residential locksmith is your savinggrace to get you back into your residence where you belong.

Unlocking doorsis not all a residential locksmith is responsible for, let’s say you have justmoved into your home and everyone is telling you that you need to change yourlocks. Well a residential locksmith is who you are going to need, sure you cantry to change the locks yourself but c’mon who has time for that when you aremoving? Residential locksmiths perform this type of job all of the time andmost local companies will provide you with a discount since you are a new homeowner.

Lock changes arenot always necessary. You see there is a thing called rekeying, when you rekeya lock you simply take apart the tumbler inside the lock which it the part thatthe key goes into and reset the pins. To a regular Joe that sounds like a verycomplicated job but for a professional residential locksmith this is one of theeasiest cheapest ways to provide their customers with a secure feeling thatonly they will be able to open their doors. Here is a picture of the pinsinside a lock and what rekeying does.

A professionalresidential locksmith is also able to provide you with things other than locks,like security cameras, safes or intercom systems. A residential locksmith isbasically a home security expert equipped with the training and certificationto provide your entire home with the highest level of security your budgetallows.

Since residentiallocksmiths main focus is on the home they are well versed in the latest methodsthieves are using to break in to homes and they are constantly devising newways to defend against them. If you live in a area with a high break in rate callyour local locksmith and request a free home security evaluation so you candetermine just how safe you and your loved ones are.

Lost Car Keys? Not Anymore!

Sounds too good to be true right?

You will never have to wonder where you put the keys or whichchild last had the remote control last. A new anti theft location mechanism ishitting the market in early 2014 it is called the TILE, this little piece of magic hooksonto key chains, self adheres itself to just about anything from cell phones ,laptops, remote controls, bikes and yes cars. It is considered the biggest lostand found in the world using your smart device to assist you in locatingwhatever it is that you have the tile attached to. Since it is still in beta itis only currently compatible with the iPhones and iPods but they are expectingto have full smart device capability soon.

In short this little tile once registered with the app will showyou exactly where whatever it is attached to is at within 150ft from yourlocation, the benefit of having other people who also use this app is that ifyou are out of range yet there is someone else with the tile app near your lostitem it will automatically update the location of your tile on your app so themore users the more coverage.

 Another great feature is thisdevice also has a speaker built in so you are able to sound an alarm to assistwith locating your device, so when the remote is stuck in the couch cushionsinstead of looking for it you are now able to just listen for it. The tile doesnot take batteries so you will never need to search around for the right sizebattery the tile holds a full charge for about a year and then you will need toreplace it with a new one. At a reasonable price of around $20 it’s not a badinvestment especially if you are like every other person on the planet whosimply cannot remember where you put your cell phone or keys.

 As a locksmithcompany this type of technology does not threaten our way of life, weare always looking for new ways to assist our customers out. But remember theeasiest way to replace lost or stolen keys is to call a locksmith but it neverhurts to have a backup plan and the tile seems to be a perfect idea. The alarmfeature is great for things lost inside the house and the location feature thatshows when you are getting closer is perfect for those dark nights when you droppedyour keys or cannot remember where you parked your car. Since the TILE will notbe available until 2014 make sure to have your local locksmith’s number on fileand ready to go in case you lose your keys, unfortunately we are unable toassist you with lost cell phones, remotes or vehicles.

If you are going to order this device please let us know in thecomment section below!

Money saving tips for locksmith service!

Who doesn't like to save some money when they can?

 Ourlocksmith technicians are constantly looking for ways to help our customerssave a few bucks; here are a few examples that you should consider when gettingany locksmith service. First, get a spare before you need it! Remember hindsight is 20/20 and after you have lost your vehicle key you think back on allthe times you should have gotten that spare your grand mom kept telling you toget. Unfortunately  you are unable to goto the hardware store to get a copy of your vehicle key anymore but you cancall your dealership or local locksmith to make a duplicate of your vehicle keyso you can have a spare in case you ever loose or break your original. Gettinga duplicate of your vehicle key can cost almost half of what it will cost tohave a locksmith create a brand new vehicle key. So listen to your Grandmotherand get the spare now!

Another great way to save some extra cash is to look intogetting your locks rekeyed instead of changed completely. Most locksmiths willnot tell you about this money saving option because it is easier for them tochange out the locks than to re key your existing locks. So what is re key youask, simple let me explain. Inside of all locks are these little pins thesepins are set at different levels that match up to your key and allow the lockto unlock. Here look at this picture.

  Our third tip forsaving some of your hard earned cash is to do it yourself! Have a vehicleremote that needs to be programmed? Go online and search for how to program myremote you will be blown away with all the sites that offer step by stepinstructions on how to program it. This one is our favorite and yes we useit too. If you do not need to program a remote but are looking to change a fewlocks the internet will also provide you with some tips and how to videos thatwill show you how to change out the locks. 

Now remember it is always better tohave the professional locksmith take care of your locksmithing needs but do notbe afraid to try it yourself. 

Now there is one more thing you can do to helpyourself save money when it comes to locksmithing expenses, MAINTIAN your locks.People are blown away with what a little WD-40 can do for a sticking lock, whenyou notice that it is becoming increasingly difficult to turn the key spray alittle inside slide the key in and out and viola it’s like a brand new lock.The same goes for your vehicle key and remote it is always cheaper to get a replacementwhen you have the original so when the remote is not opening your doors everytime you push on it, it is time to get a new one. Same with your key once younotice that you cannot turn your car on as easily as you used to be able to geta new key! 

These preemptive actions can save you a lot of money down the road,for more money saving tips contact your local locksmith company and ask thequestions to the professionals!

Car Key Replacement

If you have ever lost your vehicle key you already knowexactly how frustrating of a time it can be, not only are you now unable to getwhere you need to be but car key replacement is not the cheapest serviceanymore. Since the 1990’s most vehicles have come equipped with a highersecurity key known as a transponder key. This transponder key has a smallcomputer chip embedded inside of it that communicates with your vehicleconfirming that it is the correct key which allows the ignition to turn over soyou can drive. Keys with this chip inside of them are much more expensive thanpeople are used to in the old days you could simply go to your local hardwarestore pay a few dollars and obtain a copy of your vehicle key. Not anymore; nowto get a copy of your key before you lose it you must either go to yourdealership or have them order it for you or call your local locksmith companyand have them create the duplicate key that matches your vehicle.

Getting a copy of your key is much easier than getting totalcar key replacement, it is always wise to make sure you have a copy before youneed it but sometimes that is not the way things work out. Car key replacementis much more involved now than it was even 20 years ago. Since like previouslystated vehicles come equipped with transponder keys, car key replacement nowrequires the skills of a trained professional. You are still able to go to thedealership but most of the time you are going to have to spend some extra moneyto get the vehicle towed over to the dealer so they can use the vin andignition. If you would like to save a few extra bucks your best bet is to callyour local locksmith company and have them come right out to your location tomake your car key replacement right there on site. Now even though thelocksmith option will save you money on the towing fees you must stillunderstand that car key replacement is not a cheap service. Most vehicle keysblank meaning no cuts in them or any programming cost the locksmith companyanywhere from $60-$90. Now once the key is obtained making the proper cuts init to fit into your ignition also cost money usually around $20-$40 dollarsdepending on the machine needed to do the cuts. You see some keys require thelaser cutting machine which requires key codes that are bought from themanufacture to put the cuts in your key. If your car key replacement requiresthe laser machine chances are you will pay more than someone who does notrequire this high tech machine. Another cost is incurred when it comes to carkey replacement that is the programming of the key to your vehicle again thiswill all vary on the maker of your vehicle ranging between $30-$90.

So let’s break it down; we will go middle of the road foryou to get a roundabout idea as to what it is going to cast you to get a carkey replacement.  $165 dollars is theaverage costs to get a car key replacement now remember this price can varydepending on the type of vehicle you own, it could be more or it could be less.By contacting your local locksmith and providing them with the year, make andmodel of your vehicle you can receive the exact price for your car keyreplacement.