Automotive Locksmith Services and Why They Still Matter

In this ultra-modern age of “Keyless” entry and “Push-button Start” in our cars, does the humble car key even have a function anymore? The frank and honest answer is yes it does.

Keys have definitely become more complex and interesting, and the key fob is now arguably the most important element as opposed to the metal key bit, but keys and their related services remain a crucial automotive service that we all need.

Here at Gladney Automotive Solutions, we know that all too well, which is why we maintain a huge stock of 78,000 different keys to offer fast and efficient key repair and replacement services. In today’s blog, we’re looking first at what kinds of services a reputable automotive locksmith offers their customers and how to spot the good ones.

Automotive Locksmith Services – What Are They?

The modern key is more advanced and thus there are more things that can go wrong with it. The old-fashioned metal-bit key was crude, but it didn’t have batteries that ran out, signals that failed, or buttons that got stuck. What’s more, you never had to reprogram it. Still, those days are gone now. Here are the automotive locksmith services that define a modern enterprise.

Key Programming

Your key fob is a neat piece of kit. Many have digital screens and fancy designs, but their main function is still to house the signal hardware that allows you to remotely open the car, as well as communicate with the car’s computer to allow Keyless Entry and similar features to work properly.

Key programming services will restore a malfunctional signal emission or similar fault in your keys, allowing them to once again be used for their proper function. After a quick reprogramming, it will be as good as new.

Key Fob/Bit Repair and Replacement

While modern car keys depend heavily on their digital elements, they are nonetheless still physical objects subject to the same wear and tear as anything else. You can drop them, scuff them against hard surfaces, crush them under heavy objects in your bag…the list goes on.

Key fob and key bit repair or replacement will see that the structural integrity of every part of your key remains intact.

Key Duplication

Families very often will share a single car, for which you’ll need spare keys. In addition, there are times when keys go missing but we’re in too much of a hurry to find it, so we grab the spare. At other times, as described above, keys can get damaged or broken. In all of these circumstances, having spare keys is essential.

Another common automotive locksmith service is getting your keys duplicated for all of the purposes above and any other legitimate reason you might have. Typically, a duplication doesn’t take much longer than a few minutes and can include the key itself and a fob.

Car Locks

Finally, we come to one service that’s actually in the name of automotive locksmith services, and that’s car locks. Even the most modern cars continue to have mechanical locks, and these can go wrong.

Automotive locksmiths can repair or replace faulty car locks. Whether you have older more traditional locking systems or more modern ones, a good automotive locksmith can solve problems with all of them.

Why Do Automotive Locksmith Services Still Matter?

In a world where some drivers barely take their keys from their bags, instead relying on the car to detect the key fob, automatically open or lock, and start without needing to put a key in the ignition slot, the question arises: why do locksmith services matter?

1. Because We All Still Have Keys and Locks

No matter how much cars have changed over the years, we still have car keys. In the same way that our electronic devices still have the same cables and plugs as they did years before, so too does the need for car keys and locks stay with us.

In fact, there is a lot more that can go wrong with modern car keys than could back in the 1990s or 2000s. Whereas before, many car keys were either a straightforward key or a simple remote that would open and lock the doors, now they are a small computerized presence unto themselves. They have many additional pieces of hardware within them, so there’s more to malfunction or get broken.

As long as this reality holds true, we will always need professional and experienced automotive locksmiths to help us out of difficulties when they arise.

2. Modernized Keys Still Fail

Being more modern doesn’t make keys any less in need of our care ant attention. As we mentioned in the previous point, even the most cutting-edge keys can experience malfunctions, and find themselves in need of physical repair.

It is wrong-headed to think of keys becoming more advanced to mean that they need less maintenance. In fact, the opposite is the case. The more complex they become, the more of our attention they need. This brings us to the third point.

3. Key Repair and Replacement is More Complex

Whereas key repair and replacement used to be an entirely mechanical process done with key drilling machines putting holes and grooves into solid metal, modern key are altogether a different animal.

Maintenance and replacement of modern keys has the additional far greater technical element. Locksmiths have now to deal with the programming or reprogramming of sensor technology and other digital components. The key is now an integral component in a vastly more complex system.

4. Replacement Keys Are Expensive, so Repairs are Better

Repair services are important because a new key fob will always cost you more money than a repair job. If you can get your keys properly reprogrammed or fixed, then that service will save you money compared to getting a replacement key fob. This brings us to the final point.

5. Better Value than the Dealership

Going back to your car dealership to deal with key problems will most likely end up in them trying to sell you a replacement key fob. Whether you genuinely need a new fob or you think the fob can be repaired, we need independent, skilled and qualified automotive locksmiths in our world to provide us with a better-value alternative that doesn’t compromise on quality.

What Makes a Good Automotive Locksmith?

If you’re looking for quality automotive locksmith services in Texas, the you should keep one eye open for all the following attributes in an enterprise:

Comprehensive Service

All of the services that we have described above --- possibly even more --- are things that any worthwhile automotive locksmith service provider could do for you. A car locksmith that limits themselves to a single brand or only one type of key is not worthy of your attention.

The Proper Credentials

The automotive locksmith should be properly licensed and accredited in within whichever state they operate. Those credentials should be stated clearly on the company’s web platform.

As we have said, key repair, reprogramming, duplication and replacement in the modern age is a more complex business than it was years ago. To ensure a locksmith can meet the challenge, they must carry the right qualifications.

Experience

Accompanying the locksmith’s qualifications should also come a good body of experience in the team. A team with members who have many years of experience to teach new, younger members how to do the work is an invaluable setup for an automotive locksmith. They need both the technical know-how and the prior experience on how to apply that knowledge correctly.

The Right Tools and Equipment for Your Car

Next, in order to provide a more comprehensive and high-quality service, a reputable locksmith should be able to complete the job using OEM-approved tools. To do otherwise would be to offer a sub-par service to owners of each car brand. Different brands need different tools to get the job done right, it’s not always one-size-fits-all and a good locksmith will know that.

Speed and Quality Assurance

Finally, an automotive locksmith who knows what they are doing will certainly not keep you waiting too long for duplicate or replacement keys, nor to get them fixed again. They should be able to quickly identify the exact nature of the problem from your supplied details and their own diagnostic capability. From there, they should be able to offer a quick and effective solution.

Automotive Locksmith Services in College Station, TX – Right Here at Gladney

The team here at Gladney Automotive Solutions is happy to welcome you to our shop here in College Station, Texas for all your automotive locksmith needs. Not only can we do all the services described above, and exceed the requirements we described, but we can go one better and throw in our unique brand of high-quality customer service at the same time.

If you’re having trouble with your car keys or car locks, then give us a call today and we’ll see what we can do!