Car Key Replacement
Lost every key? We cut and program a new car key at your vehicle, no original needed, in Coronado or San Diego.
How it worksMobile automotive locksmith ยท Coronado & San Diego
Broken Key Extraction in Coronado and San Diego
Key snapped in the door, ignition or trunk? We remove the broken piece without damage and cut a new key on site.
Every day, 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM
Broken key extraction sounds dramatic. It usually is not, as long as nobody has been at the lock with pliers first. A key snaps because the metal fatigued at the shoulder, or because it was turned hard against a cylinder that had seized. Half is in your hand. The other half is inside the door, the trunk lock or the ignition of your car, somewhere in Coronado or San Diego.
We remove that piece with extraction tools that grip the blade and slide it out along the keyway. We work to leave the cylinder working and the trim untouched. Then we deal with the reason it broke, which usually means cleaning and lubricating a lock that was binding.
Finally, you need a key you can use. The snapped pieces are not safe to reassemble, and a key that has broken once is weak along its whole length. We cut a fresh one at the car and program the transponder chip if it has one.
What our broken key extraction covers
- Extraction from door locks, trunk locks and ignition cylinders
- Removal that leaves the lock in place, with no need to replace it
- Keys broken flush with the face of the lock, with nothing to grab
- A new key cut on site once the piece is out
- Transponder programming for the replacement key, when your car needs it
- A check of the cylinder to find out why the key broke
Common calls in Coronado and San Diego
Emergency blade snapped at the Hotel del Coronado
The fob died in the hotel garage, so you pulled the hidden blade out of it and tried the door lock for the first time in the car's life. The lock was stiff and the thin blade snapped inside it. We work the piece out of the door cylinder, cut a new blade for the fob, and check the fob battery, which was the real problem all along.
Key snapped in the ignition near the Observatory
The show let out late, the car was on a side street near Observatory North Park, and a worn key broke off in the ignition. Leave the stub where it is; the piece is easier to grip if nobody has been at it with pliers. We draw it out along the keyway without removing the cylinder, cut a replacement and program the chip if the car has one.
Broken trunk key at the Mile of Cars
You drove to the Mile of Cars to have the car appraised, and the trunk lock, long unused, grabbed the key and kept half of it. We remove the piece from the trunk cylinder in the dealership's lot and leave the lock working. Keep the key head in your hand; the transponder chip is inside it, and on many makes we clone that chip into the new key.
Keys that snap most often
Flip keys and remote-head keys break at the hinge or the neck of the blade. We pull the piece and cut a fresh one.
Audi flip key
BMW transponder key
Buick flip key
Cadillac transponder key
Chevrolet flip key
Chrysler remote-head key
Dodge transponder key
Scion remote-head key (Toyota family)
Not pictured? Most makes are within reach; call with the year and model.
How broken key extraction works
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Stop and call
Do not try tweezers, glue or a magnet. They push the piece deeper. Text a photo of the lock and the piece you still have, and we quote the extraction and the new key.
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We extract the fragment
At the car, after checking your ID and proof of ownership, we work the broken blade out along the keyway with tools made for it.
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We cut and program a new key
You get a fresh key, tested in the door and the ignition, with the chip programmed if your model uses one.
Around Coronado and San Diego
Keys break where locks are stiff, and salt air stiffens locks. We get called to trunk locks at Silver Strand State Beach and Central Beach on Ocean Boulevard, to door locks in the Coronado Ferry Landing lot and to older ignitions parked around Tidelands Park. In San Diego we extract keys downtown in the East Village and near Santa Fe Depot, at Dog Beach and along Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley, and in the streets off Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach. If it snapped, leave it in place and we will come to it.
Broken Key Extraction questions
Can I get the broken key out myself?
You can try, but most attempts make it worse. Tweezers push the piece further in, and glue on the stub bonds to the wafers. If the fragment sticks out far enough to grip cleanly, pull gently straight out. If not, leave it for us.
Will I need a new lock after the key is removed?
Almost never. The extraction is meant to leave the cylinder as it was. If the lock was already worn, which is usually why the key snapped, we can handle the ignition repair at the same time.
The key broke in the ignition and the car is stuck in the on position. What now?
Turn on the hazard lights if you are in traffic, then call or text (619) 313-6749. We can extract the piece, get the ignition back to the off position and cut a new key so the battery does not drain overnight.
Related services
Ignition Repair & Replacement
Key will not turn or is stuck? We repair or replace the ignition cylinder at your car in Coronado and San Diego.
How it worksSpare & Duplicate Car Keys
Copy a working key or fob before it goes missing. We cut and program spares at your car in Coronado and San Diego.
How it worksNeed broken key extraction today?
Call or text and tell us where the car is. We come to you anywhere in Coronado and across San Diego, 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM, every day.