Key stuck, sticking, or refusing to turn? We repair and replace ignition lock cylinders at your car, usually in under an hour.
An ignition lock that binds, sticks, or refuses to turn is one of the few car problems that gets worse every time you use it. Each forced turn wears the wafers a little further, until one morning the key does not turn at all. Locksmith on Wheels repairs and replaces ignition lock cylinders on-site across metro Atlanta, so you are not paying for a tow to find out what a $199 job costs.
Our technicians diagnose the cylinder first. Sometimes the fix is a worn key rather than a worn lock, and a freshly cut key solves it for a fraction of the price. When the cylinder really is the problem, we repair or replace it at the curb and, where the vehicle allows, match the new lock to the key you already carry. Every job is quoted flat and confirmed before we start.
Ignition work often arrives alongside other trouble. We also handle car key replacement, car lockouts, and key fob programming as part of the same visit, for nearly every make on the road.
Catch it at the first symptom and it is usually a repair. Wait until the key stops turning entirely and it is usually a replacement.
The earliest and most ignored symptom. Worn wafers no longer line up cleanly with the key cuts, so the cylinder only releases at one particular angle. It will not get better on its own.
A key that has to be pulled hard, or that will not return to the off position, points to a binding cylinder or a lock retainer that is failing. Forcing it is how keys snap off inside the ignition.
If the key spins freely with no resistance, the cylinder has usually lost its connection to the actuator behind it. This one strands you immediately and needs the cylinder replaced.
Usually the end of a long run of sticking. We extract the broken piece without damaging the housing, then cut a fresh key and address whatever wore the lock down in the first place.
Good news when it happens, because the lock is probably fine and your everyday key is simply worn round. A newly cut key is the cheapest fix on this page.
This one usually points past the lock to the electrical switch behind it. We tell you if that is what we find, because it is a mechanic's job rather than a locksmith's, and we would rather say so than sell you a cylinder.
Upfront starting-at prices on the jobs we do most. Final price is always confirmed on-site before work begins.
Prices may vary depending on vehicle make, model, year, lock type, and system requirements. Final pricing is confirmed on-site before work begins. See the full price list.
Mobile means the van comes to the car. Same service, same upfront prices, in every city below and the surrounding metro.
