Ignition Repair & Replacement in Vancouver
Key won’t turn, cylinder feels gritty, or a key snapped off in the barrel? A licensed Vancouver locksmith comes to you, diagnoses the ignition on the spot and gets you moving again. We repair and replace ignition lock cylinders on most makes and models — roadside, mobile and fully equipped — right across Greater Vancouver.
Why an ignition stops turning
An ignition lock takes the same abuse every day — a heavy keyring hanging off it, grit worked into the wafers, thousands of turns over the years. Eventually the wafers wear, the springs weaken or a spring-loaded pin seizes, and the key stops turning cleanly. Sometimes it’s the key that has worn down, sometimes the cylinder itself, and sometimes a key snaps off flush in the barrel. Jiggling and forcing it usually makes things worse and can leave the steering column locked.
Our first job on-site is to tell you which it actually is, because the fix and the price are very different. We test the key, the cylinder and the steering lock, extract a broken key if one is stuck, and confirm whether the barrel can be cleaned and re-pinned or needs replacing. Whatever the outcome, you get a fixed, upfront price agreed before we start — no call-out surprises and no after-hours markup for an evening or weekend fault.
What an ignition repair covers
- On-site diagnosis. We isolate whether it’s the key, the cylinder or the steering lock before quoting.
- Broken-key extraction. A key snapped off in the ignition removed without drilling the barrel where possible.
- Seized cylinder freed. Worn wafers cleaned, lubricated and re-set so the key turns smoothly again.
- Cylinder replacement. A new ignition lock fitted and re-keyed to your existing key when the barrel is beyond repair.
- Worn key remedy. A fresh cut key to the lock’s original code when the key, not the barrel, is the fault.
- Most makes & models. Domestic, European and Asian vehicles, with transponder re-programming arranged if needed.
From stuck key to smooth start
Test & diagnose
We check the key, cylinder and steering lock roadside to pinpoint exactly what has failed.
Approve the price
You get a fixed, itemised quote for repair or replacement before any work begins — drilling is always last resort.
Repair & test
We free or swap the cylinder, key it to your existing key where possible, and confirm a clean start.
Non-destructive first, drilling last
A forced ignition or a rushed drill-out can wreck a barrel that only needed cleaning, and it turns a modest repair into a column job. We work non-destructively first — picking, bypassing and extracting before anything is cut — and if drilling really is the only route, we tell you and quote it before we touch it. It’s the difference between a stranded morning and a car that starts on the first turn.
Licensed, bonded & insured · BC Security Worker Licence #E106677 · fixed upfront pricing, open 24/7 with a ~20-minute average response.
