Common key & lock mistakes – And How To Avoid Them
It has been a while since I have produced a blog helping you to avoid needing to call out people like me. So here is a short list of common, avoidable mistakes people make that might just help you not make those same mistakes, hopefully saving you time and money.
Safe Keys
Putting override keys inside your battery operated safe: Safes are great, but if you have a key operated safe, the safe is only as good as the place you hide the key. People are quite obvious in hiding places, so digital safes are a lot better then simple key turn safes. The only problem is that digital safes have master key overrides and the safest place for these keys is in the safe itself. But if you only use your safe rarely there is a good chance you will forget about it, It gets placed in a built in cupboard, covered in clothes and out of sight, out of mind. The batteries start to die and because it is covered in clothes, you don’t hear the warning beep and pretty soon, you have a keypad that you cannot use. Thankfully, you have override keys…. But they are inside the safe. At this point, you can call a domestic locksmith who will gain access by destroying your safe and you will have to pay him for the privilege. You then have to buy a new safe. Potentially £100s because you forgot to change the batteries and left the override keys inside the safe. You can try a safe specialist to come and pick the lock, but the cost might still be £100s because safe specialists are rare (the courses and equipment are expensive) and they don’t get many calls compared to standard locksmiths.
How to avoid disaster? Firstly, take those override keys and trust a family member/good friend to look after them for you. If their house gets broken into and a burglar finds your safe keys, they have no idea what safe they open or where it is. But if they find those keys in your house, they can get into your safe. So, get those keys away from your property. Surprisingly, now your keys are not easily accessible in your safe, you will be more likely to check your batteries! But don’t rely on that. Check how long your safe manufacturer says batteries should last and halve it. Write on the calendar when to change the batteries. Use the old batteries for something else, but keep new batteries in your safe. I love Autumn and Spring because we change our clocks and this gives us a great time to do other things like regular battery changes. Have a list of other maintenance things to do like pre-winter gutter cleaning, etc, and put safe battery changes on that list. This will ensure that if you do have to call someone to open your safe, it will be because something has gone wrong rather than having to explain an expensive memory failure.
Car keys on holiday
I wish I had a sum of money for every time someone called me to say they lost their keys on the beach and the spare car key is 400 miles away on the other side of the country… Oh wait, I do! When you drive somewhere on holiday, take your spare key. When you get to your hotel/air B&B/caravan, etc leave your key somewhere safe at your destination. If you lose your car key, it will be a lot cheaper to get a bus/cab back to your holiday base than it will to call an auto locksmith to come and make a new key on the spot for you. A lot quicker too. Even when you go out on a normal day, if you have someone with you, get them to carry the spare key. If you bring the spare out and leave it in the glove box, you are making life difficult for everyone except car thieves.
Letter boxes
Sticking with cars, most cars are stolen from driveways or outside homes using the keys which have been lifted – either because the front door is left unlocked, or the thief has fished the keys through the letter box. Tools for opening locked doors via the letterbox are getting cheaper, easier to use, and ever more sophisticated. Even if you have an angled guard, there is a tool that goes around it. You might think this is a step back to your Grandma’s house, but a letter basket with closing lid, is a great way to foil the letterbox thief. Better still, seal up the letterbox, and have an external box. If you have room, get one that is big enough for parcels, We get so much delivered these days, a lockable parcel box is a great idea. At the same time, door cams record anyone approaching your door and will have images sent to your phone before they can vandalize it. But I digress..
Copy keys
If you are renting out a holiday home or have multiple carers, etc, get a locksmith to install a new lock, with all new, branded additional keys tried and tested before the lock goes in. Almost every time I get called back to job where the lock has failed, the customer shows me a key that has been copied elsewhere on some poor-quality blank. If you get keys copied and they foul up the lock, that is invalidating any guarantee the locksmith gives you, but if you are using additional keys supplied with the lock at time of installation, you are completely covered. But, if you must get copies made, make sure the original keys are the ones that get used most. I.E. let the guests use them. Yes, they might lose them (less likely if you request a deposit), but if they have poor quality keys and the lock fails and they are locked out waiting for a locksmith who destroys the lock getting in, the cost just multiplies. If you need multiple carers, please get a keysafe. It is better than having to collect keys later and ensures better keys are used.
5 lever locks
Know your terminology; there is a difference between a five lever mortice lock and a multipoint locking system. If you have a wooden door the mortice lock, (often called a ‘Chubb’ lock) is the one that should be 5 levers. If you look at the front plate, It will tell you that it is either 2, 3 5 levers and preferably will display a British Standard kite mark that tells you it has been tested against picking, drilling, sawing and most other forms of attack. If you have a door where you lift the handle and various hooks/bolts/mushrooms, etc. move, this is not a five lever lock. This is a multi-point locking system and your insurance is happy with that, which is bizarre because these systems are only as good as the locking barrel you put your key into and insurance companies are yet to wake up to how easy these can be to bypass. Again, digressing, but please talk to your local locksmith about kite-marked barrels. And if your architect/builder/designer tries to tell you these new multi-point doors without handles are a good idea, ignore them. When there is no handle, all the force of opening the door goes through the key. The leverage ratio is tiny compared doors with nice big handles, and at some point, you will snap your key in your lock.
Complacency
My last one for this blog; Just the other day, I fixed a basic lock on the top half of a stable door. It was not insurance compliant. When I challenged the customer regarding this and told him that his insurance company would not pay out if he were burgled, he replied with one I have heard often: ‘This is Norfolk. Although I know someone in the next village got burgled and lost a lot, it’s highly unlikely I will.’ So why pay for insurance at all? If you are paying for insurance, you owe it to yourself to make sure you are compliant. A second house this week is having three locks replaced after one has stopped working. I pointed out the three locks were all 3 lever and not insurance compliant, so the customer in this case, ordered new locks without delay. If you have an older house, don’t just assume the locks are up to spec. Most decent locksmiths do a free security check and, speaking for myself, when I do security checks I will tell you where advice is necessary and where advice is just personal recommendation.
This article about insurance required locks is quite good.
Should you have any questions regarding the above, please get in touch.
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‘Skilled locksmiths are not cheap and cheap locksmiths are not skilled.’ This blog piece is an explanation of costs when you call a locksmith.
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What I have learned after 10 years as a Locksmith?
Lessons 10 years as a locksmith has taught me:
1. The multipoint locking mechanism on a double glazed door (or any door where you lift the handles before locking) is NOT a five lever lock. Five levers refers to the internal levers in a mortice lock which sits inside a wooden door.
2. All of those hooks, bolts, mushrooms, and rollers on a lift handle door mean nothing when burglars can attack the lock barrel easily. Having the correct barrel is vitally important and while you might get the insurance company to reimburse your financial loss, they cannot replace the heirloom given to you by Grandma that has enormous sentimental value. If your locking barrels do not have British Standard kite marks, you are practically inviting burglars into your home.
3. Home security is not necessarily about keeping intruders out. We all know they can smash a window. But they do not want to leave through that window carrying your stuff. You are looking to make it as hard as possible for them to leave with their arms full.
4. Look at your neighbour’s house when thinking about home security. Your aim should always be to make them look like an easier target. Crunchy gravel, CCTV, alarms, sensor lights are instant barriers before they even reach your door. Burglars recognise good locks and will go elsewhere. Your local locksmith knows the best brands you can’t buy on the high street.
5. That sneaky place you hide a spare key in the garden is glaringly obvious to the burglar. You are much better off with a quality keysafe.
6. You do not need multiple keys for carers. A keysafe can be much cheaper and easier for all. No more worries when keys go missing.
7. A home safe is not just about deterring criminals. A good one will protect important documents in the event of a fire. But batteries should be changed annually whether the low battery warning beeps or not, and override keys should be kept with a trusted neighbour or family member. Leaving the keys inside the safe is not a clever idea.
8. Taking your car on holiday? Make sure your partner takes the spare key. Nothing worse than calling a locksmith to open your vehicle when you lock the keys in the boot knowing a spare key is at home. Do not leave the spare key in the glove compartment.
9. Very few smart locks conform to BS3621, meaning they are not covered by your insurance.
10. Most lock failures can be avoided. If you notice your lock is getting harder to operate, or you have a special knack for opening the door, then something is wrong and needs addressing. It will be cheaper to sort now and if you don’t, the chances are it will fail when you are stuck in the pouring rain and are desperate to get in because you need to get ready for that important date/job interview/wedding/etc.
11. Hanging keys on a hook in plain sight of your door, or putting them in a dish/on a saucer near the front door is not good. Most luxury cars are stolen from drives after thieves use tools to hook keys through the letterbox. Seal the letter plate on your door and install a post box at the end of your garden. The postie and those who deliver your paper will love you for it.
12. Burglar alarms are not just about burglars; They now come with optional extras like smoke alarms and panic buttons allowing you to call a family member and talk to them through the system if you take a fall and cannot get back up.
13. Modern CCTV puts you in control. If you post images or film of a crime, the local community might help. A friend knew someone who did this when Christmas decorations were stolen from their garden. The theft was captured by a smart doorcam and posted. Locals soon identified the thief and the stolen items were returned (along with a box of chocolates!).
14. If you need to get copies of keys made, still use the originals as your primary keys. Ask your local key cutter to order genuine branded blanks, even if it costs more and you have to come back. 90% of my recalls for faulty locks end up being poor copies not working properly. When you order a new lock, think about the number of keys you need, and order them at the same time. If you need more than four extra keys, a keysafe can be cheaper.
15. Plastic doors are just as prone to weather conditions as wooden doors. Be aware of direct sunlight and salty sea air. Check regularly for signs of rust. Lubricate your doors every time you change your clocks (spring and autumn). You can find out how by reading my blog on door maintenance.
16. The industry recommends changing your locks every 5 years, especially when keys have been handed to builders, carers, lost by teens, etc. While 5 years might seem a bit too much, adult children might do well to check their older parents’ locks. Many older houses are simply not up to insurance standard. If you cannot find a British standard kite mark on their lock, they are probably paying insurance for nothing as the insurers will not pay out in the event of a burglary.
17. Making a new car key when you have one to copy from is much cheaper than calling out the emergency locksmith when you are stuck in the rain and locked out of your vehicle because you just dropped your car key down a drain. And some cars, like Fords, will require you to make two new keys when all keys are lost as the car will not start without two keys programmed and the process automatically deletes all existing keys.
18. Cloning a car key means any lost/stolen keys will still start your vehicle. Making new keys allows you to ensure only the keys you hold will start the vehicle.
19. Car keys have a huge difference in prices from vehicle to vehicle for many reasons. Some can only be reproduced with genuine branded parts. Others require the removal of the dashboard in order to read a certain computer chip. While most can be done on the day, you might find yourself without the use of your vehicle for some time. Another reason to have a spare key made when convenient rather than leave it to an emergency.
20. Everything comes in all shapes and sizes. Locks are no different. Beware of what you buy in shops or on the internet as they might not be the easy DIY job you were expecting. Always consult a professional locksmith. For example, lots of internet-based car key makers advertise Landrover Discovery keys, but these can only be produced by the manufacturer. In the home, only Chubb branded locks fit exactly into the place where a Chubb lock has been before. Any other brand will need carpentry work and movement of handles (which might expose paintwork that needs touching up that might lead to the painting of the whole door, meaning a quick job becomes a whole day event).
Thanks for reading. Please call us to find out more or ask any questions.
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Auto locksmith FAQ’s:
Do I have to bring my car to you?
No. A car locksmith has all the tools needed to cut your new car key and the computers to do the programming on board his/her van. Recently I made a new Fiat Ducatto key for a customer in Gresham village. I was able to copy his existing key in my van and then plug into his onboard computer via the OBD port and program his new key to the vehicle. This meant he could use his vehicle the same day. Had he taken the key to the dealer or manufacturer, he would have had to leave it with them, possibly waiting weeks without the use of his own vehicle.
Does the locksmith change the locks on my car?
No, if you lose your keys, we will only make new ones, but they will be coded differently, so the old keys will be useless for driving your car away. Unless you leave valuables in your car, this should not be a problem. If you want to change the actual locks on your vehicle, you should, in most cases, go back to the manufacturer. If you have had your locks modified or changed in any way, you must inform the vehicle locksmith if you later require his help. I remember being called out to a Jeep in Brancaster late at night. It was parked in a very quiet beach car park. When I tried, my Jeep lockpick, I found the whole thing felt wrong and asked the customer if anything had been changed, at which point he told me the vehicle locks had been changed for aftermarket products. This meant I was unable to do the job without damaging the vehicle, so alternative arrangements had to be made (they paid me plus an expensive taxi home to get the spare).
How much does a car locksmith cost?
This is like asking how long a ball of string is. Unlike house locks and keys, auto locksmithing has many components. And the cost will be based on how many of those components you need. Will I need to pick the lock? Will I need to work out the key shape from the lock? Will I need to access a database that charges me for certain codes to allow me to program the new key to your car? Can I use aftermarket products or do I have to use genuine branded parts? How far did I have to travel to get to you? Does coding your key require me to a plugin, or do I have to take half of your dashboard apart to get to the chip that I then have to remove, code and return? These and many more factors make up the cost, but in nearly all cases the auto locksmith can sort your problem on the day and will be cheaper than going back to the manufacturer. For example, I produced a key for a customer with a Renault Clio in Fakenham and saved them £300 on the price they were quoted by the dealership. What’s more, it was all done at the customer’s place of work, allowing them to get on with their day.
Will the locksmiths make keys for my old classic car?
To be honest, no. Cobblers and engravers can usually copy the keys of older cars and motorbikes. If not, you may have to change the locks and ignition barrels, in which case scrap dealers are always a good call. But for the auto locksmith, we can only make a profit on keys with computer chips. Travelling to Dereham from my home town of Holt to produce a key for an old Ford Capri is not even going to pay for the cost of the round journey, whereas making and coding a key for a 2015 Ford Mondeo will work for me. A very few auto locksmiths might just be able to produce older keys, but often the cost would be more than the value of the vehicle itself.
Can the auto locksmith make keys for all modern cars?
No. We can make keys for most car brands and models, and there are very few we cannot get into if your keys are locked inside, but there are a few when we have to tell you to go back to the dealer. Land Rover Discoveries and Volvos spring to mind. There just isn’t the data available for us to do our computer work on these vehicles. You might see websites advertising that they can indeed clone your key when the locksmith says he cannot, but these sites include every vehicle in their menus just to drive traffic to their sites. When you actually ring, they are just as powerless as the car locksmith.
What is the most common reason for an auto locksmith call out?
By far it is keys locked in the boot. When you are loading/unloading your vehicle, unlock all the doors. So many people only unlock the boot. They then put the keys down inside the boot, load the shopping, the golf clubs, the tools, etc, and then slam the boot down and swear in the next five seconds when they realise the keys are now in the back and they are locked out. There is no security benefit to only unlocking your boot if you are only going to lock yourself out of your car in a high crime area.
Does my breakdown cover include the cost of an auto locksmith?
No. Some recovery drivers will make a quick attempt for you, but I have been called many times by the biggest recovery service in the UK and I am a registered peripheral of the second largest. In all cases, I charge the customer direct. From Cromer, Fakenham, to Burnham Overy Staithe, call me first and save time. You don’t want to wait hours for the recovery service only to be told you have to wait even longer for me.
Can you make me a new car key if I have lost all the original ones?
Yes, I can read the lock using a special tool or get the information for many vehicles from your registration document, providing I have proof of ownership. Once I have cut the key blade, I can then let my computer talk to your car and program the new key to your vehicle. It is a much faster job copy from an existing key, though.
What is cloning?
Cloning is simply replicating an existing key. As far as the car computer is concerned, it believes there is only one key when you may have two or even more. You can clone some keys without having to plug into the car. This is a cheaper way to replace lost keys, but it does not protect you from those lost keys being used should someone else find them and want to steal your car. Making new keys that are uniquely programmed to your vehicle gives you the option of deleting the old keys, in exactly the same way you would put a stop on a lost credit card.
How do you get into my car if there is no keyhole?
There is always a keyhole. On modern cars, the keyhole is covered and the key is hidden in the key fob. But for safety, there must be mechanical access. A customer of mine in Norwich was astounded when I turned up to get him into his vehicle. His fob battery was flat and he could not get in. So I showed him the hidden key blade and then revealed the hidden keyhole on the vehicle. Had he listened to the dealer (if the dealer had even told him), or read the car paperwork, he could have made his meeting that day because the car will still work when the fob battery is dead. The customer was still happy though as he had expected a very expensive job. It was still expensive for a battery change he could have done himself.
How long does it take to pick the lock?
Seconds – hours depending on the vehicle, age, possible rust/damage inside the lock. I’ve taken two hours to open a car in Hunstanton and one and a half minutes to open a car in Beeston. Conditions like cold and rain might also slow me down. It takes as long as it takes.
How easy is it for thieves to hack the signal and steal my car?
Thieves that do this have bought special equipment. They are stealing cars to order. While not impossible, it is not likely for those of us with standard cars to have our signals stolen. You can, if you wish to, buy signal jamming pouches and I am happy to source them for you. But the biggest growing way for cars to be stolen is via your home letterbox. I see it all the time. People come home and put their keys on a table or other piece of furniture near the door so they can easily pick those keys up as they leave. Thieves are now fishing through the letterbox to get keys which can give them access to your home and they can use your own car as a getaway vehicle. Don’t make it easy for them.
If you would like more information on the above questions or have others to ask, please get in contact via any of the methods on my contacts page.
Thanks for reading!
Yesterday, I got to called to a house where the customers had accidently shut themselves out of their house. A nice easy job, I thought. Most nightlatches (often referred to as ‘Yale’ type locks) are simple to bypass. As I arrived, I got a bit more excited. The lock was a kite marked BSI 3621 variety, meaning I was in for more of a challenge and probably late for the next job of the day.
