Locksmith or Dealership
A dealer replaces the ignition assembly. A locksmith makes a safe repair to the one already in the car.
A Fort Collins dealership orders a new ignition cylinder against your VIN, wants the car towed in, and hands it back keyed to a second car key you now have to carry. A mobile van rebuilds the cylinder at the car and re-keys it to the car key already in your pocket, so you leave with one key and the same lock you started with.
Types of Ignition Repair Job
Which fault the car has decides the price and the time on site in Fort Collins.
Worn Cylinder
The car key has to be jiggled in the lock, or turns loosely with no bite. The key cylinder wafers are worn. The most common ignition service by a distance.
Seized Cylinder
The car key goes in and the lock will not turn, or turns and will not come back. Often debris or a broken wafer inside the key cylinder.
Broken Key in Ignition
A worn car key snapped in the key cylinder. Extracted without drilling, then the lock is checked and left secure before a replacement car key is cut.
When Ignition Repair Takes Longer
Most ignition repair finishes in one safe visit. Three situations do not.
On some steering column designs the key cylinder is not serviceable and the whole assembly has to be replaced, which means a part on order. A key cylinder that has already been forced is a longer job, and less secure until it is rebuilt, than one that is simply worn. And where a new car key is needed, the chip still has to be programmed after the key cylinder is back together. We say which on the phone, not after the drive to Fort Collins.
Your Fort Collins Automotive Specialist
Licensed and insured ignition repair and car key service, covering Fort Collins and the towns around it. Key cylinders are opened in a safe, non-destructive way that leaves the column and the car's other locks untouched. Commercial fleet vehicles are covered on the same call-out.
Before You Call
Three things on hand make the Fort Collins visit shorter.
Every car key you own
Comparing a worn car key against a barely used key shows in seconds whether the car key or the key cylinder is the failing part.
What the car key actually does
The car key will not go in, goes in and will not turn, or turns and will not spring back. Each points at a different fault inside the key cylinder.
Proof the car is yours
Registration, title or insurance. It keeps the job safe and legal, and no car gets opened in Fort Collins without it.
What Changes the Price of Ignition Repair
Six things move an ignition repair service quote, and you can ask about all six on the phone.
- Repair or replace — rebuilding the key cylinder costs less than fitting a new one
- Make and model — some columns give up the key cylinder far more easily
- Re-key or new key — matching your old car key avoids cutting a second key
- Broken key extraction — a snapped car key adds a step before the key cylinder comes out
- Hour and distance — nights, holidays and longer Fort Collins runs
- Transponder work — a new car key still has to be programmed to the car
An ignition that will not turn, turns but will not return, or accepts the car key loosely is a worn key cylinder. Left alone it eventually strands the car somewhere inconvenient, and on most cars it fails on the coldest morning of the year. Column work sits alongside the lock and key jobs a Fort Collins locksmith covers.
We work on most makes and years, including fleet and commercial vehicles, and the van carries the car key and lock cylinder equipment, so the service happens where the car is. There is no tow to a dealership and no second appointment. Where the ignition is replaced rather than rebuilt, the door locks can be re-keyed to match in the same service, so you still carry one car key rather than two.
Call a Fort Collins Locksmith
A locksmith answers this phone around the clock, and the response is fast when your security cannot wait.
Frequently Asked Locksmith Questions
The questions Fort Collins drivers ask a locksmith most, on car keys, fobs and ignition service.
Do I have to tow it to a dealer?
Almost never. A Fort Collins locksmith brings the cutting and programming equipment to wherever the car is standing, so work happens on your driveway not a forecourt. A Fort Collins dealer orders against your VIN and wants it delivered. Exceptions are a few new models where the maker releases lock data only to franchised dealers, and a locksmith says so on the phone, not after driving out.
The key turns but the engine will not start. Why?
The blade was cut and the chip was never paired. A key that turns the door lock and the ignition lock but leaves the engine dead has a programming fault rather than a cutting one, the commonest reason a cheap online purchase fails a locksmith. Programming is a separate step at a separate price, and the door lock is never touched.
What if they are all lost?
Then a licensed Fort Collins locksmith reads the lock code off the car before anything is cut. That is more work than copying a spare, so the service costs more, and on some 2018-and-newer models there is a security wait of up to an hour that no locksmith can shorten. Say on the phone whether anything still works, because it moves the price.
Can you fix an ignition that has to be jiggled?
Yes, and it usually means rebuilding the lock rather than fitting a new lock. A worn ignition lock is rebuilt in Fort Collins and re-keyed to what you honestly still carry. Left alone that lock strands you on the coldest morning of the year, and the security of the vehicle goes with it.
Do you cover more than vehicles?
Yes. The same Fort Collins professional covers residential door locks, commercial security, emergency call-outs and strongboxes, so a lost ring that opened the residential door and the premises too is one call rather than three. A rekey or a new lock runs on that visit, and the security of every lock is checked by an insured team. Emergency work runs around the clock and is quoted fast, before the van leaves the yard.
Professional Locksmith Service Pricing
Locksmith service pricing in Fort Collins is quoted against the specific job before anyone starts.
Automotive Locksmith Pricing
| Service | What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Car Key Cut & Programmed | Most makes, cut and programmed on site | $139 – $350 |
| Fob Programming | Chip and proximity keys | $139 – $245 |
| Transponder Programming | VIN required | $139 – $245 |
| Ignition Repair | Any vehicle | $139 – $350 |
| Car Lockout | Non-destructive entry | $55 – $165 |
| Broken Extraction | Vehicle cylinder or ignition | $139 – $245 |
Service charge ranges vary with location, time of day and what the locksmith finds on site. Lock and security upgrades are quoted separately. Late nights, holidays and the longer runs out of Fort Collins can cost more.
Get a quote for the service you need today, call (970) 803-1100