Josh-the-Locksmith
25 Years Experience
Austin, TX
Male, 46
I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.
Well Kwikset & Schlage are definitely the most common, but some others I run across are Baldwin, Emtek, Dexter, & Weiser. Medeco & Mul-T-Lock are high security locks, but I wouldn't say they're "common".
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Yes you can do that. That's not that uncommon actually. If you have the time to wait, you can special order hardware specifiying the color inside & out, as well as handle style. Maybe online retailers, or maybe from your local walk-in locksmith. Not sure what the cost would be.
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There's no easy solution to a corroded & possibly stripped Allen set screw. If you're replacing it anyways, may as well drill the sucker out! Don't be afraid to go a little bigger than the hole. Use a new bit, otherwise you'll get frustrated quickly when you're not getting anywhere.
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If you still have both halves of the key, you should be able to take it into a lock shop and they should be able to cut you a new one for under $20 (make an extra copy this time). If you don't, and need someone to come out, as long as it's a reputable locksmith, I would assume it won't be much more than $150. Really depends on where you live though. Prices fluctuate quite a bit around the country.
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Yes if you can buy a batch of different skeleton keys, try that. They come in all different sizes & shapes, you'll probably find 1 that will worK if you try enough. Worst case scenario, call or bring it into a well-established lock shop. They should have a lot to try as well. They can also be custom made using blanks, but not a lot of locksmiths do that these days.
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I'd go to a tire shop & see if another manufacturer's key might work. It's not a locksmith job. If that doesn't work, take a socket that barely fits over the lug nut & pound it on with a hammer. It will destroy the socket, but should be tight enough to wrench it off. (I've had this happen to me before too)
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This is the 2nd 1 I've seen like this. They're definitely going to get more popular, but I think we still have a ways to go before a majority will move away from a standard key. I have found that most people don't care about the few extra seconds they'll save by not having to use keys, & it's not worth the extra cost for a small convenience. Personally I love it & can't wait to see what's next!
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