Photo ID
Driver license or state ID. We match the name to the paperwork.
Mobile automotive locksmith
Car Keys, Fobs and Car Lockouts in San Marcos
We come to the car, whether it is in an apartment lot near Cal State San Marcos, a space at Grand Plaza, or the trailhead lot at Discovery Lake. Lockouts, lost keys, spares and fob programming, done on site.
- Licensed and insured
- Background-checked technicians
- Open 8am–8:30pm, every day
Locked keys in the car
Keys on the seat, keys in the trunk, a toddler who locked the doors from the inside. We open the car without damage using wedges and reach tools or, on older cars, a lockout tool in the door. Before we start we check your ID against the registration or insurance card, and the door is the only thing that gets touched.
Trunk lockouts on cars with a locked pass-through take longer, and we tell you if yours is one. Trailhead lockouts at Double Peak Park and the Discovery Lake lot are regular calls: tell us which lot and roughly where you parked. Both are inside town, so no extra trip fee applies.
Locked out of the house too? That is a different page: home and business lockouts.
Lost every key
An all-keys-lost job means cutting a key for a car with nothing to copy. We do it at the car: read the lock or pull the key code from the VIN, cut the blade, then program the transponder chip or fob to the car's immobilizer. Bring-back-to-life jobs take longer than a spare because the car has to learn a new key from scratch. Plan on about an hour for most makes.
Have these ready when we arrive:
Registration or title
On paper or on your phone. If the car is in someone else’s name, we need them on the phone or in writing.
The VIN
On the dash at the base of the windshield, the driver door jamb sticker, or your insurance card.
Spare keys and fobs
A spare made while you still have a working key is the cheapest key you will ever buy. The car already trusts one key, so adding a second is a copy-and-program job instead of a start-from-nothing job. If you commute the 78 every day, or one key serves a car two people drive, a spare is the call to make before the bad day.
Aftermarket versus OEM: aftermarket fobs cost less and work well on most Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia models. Some vehicles only accept the manufacturer's own fob; we know which ones and tell you on the phone. We can also program a fob you bought online, as long as it is the right part number and has not been paired to another car. The questions below cover the details.
Which vehicles we handle
Most of what is on the road in North County: Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Mazda, Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Volkswagen, and many Lexus, Acura and Infiniti models. Chip keys, flip keys, push-to-start proximity fobs, and plain metal keys for older trucks and the first cars a lot of Palomar College students drive.
Honest note: some late-model BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Land Rover keys are locked behind the dealer's system, and brand-new model years sometimes have no aftermarket tooling yet. If yours is one, we say so on the call and point you to the dealer instead of charging you a trip to find out.
Transponder chip keysPush-to-start proximity fobsFlip and switchblade keysRemote head keysPlain metal keysMotorcycle and fleet keysIgnition repair on request
Car key questions
Is a locksmith cheaper than the dealer for a car key?
Usually, and almost always faster. A dealer typically needs the car towed in and books you days out; we cut and program at the car the same day, with ranges on our pricing page. The exception is a handful of late-model European vehicles whose key data is locked to the dealer network, and we tell you on the phone if yours is one.
Can you program a key fob I bought online?
Often yes, with two conditions: it must be the exact part number for your year, make and model, and it must be new or properly unlocked, since many used fobs stay paired to their first car. Send us the listing before you buy and we will tell you if it will work.
Do you need my original key to make a new one?
No. A working key makes it cheaper, because the car already trusts it and we are adding a second. Without one, we read the lock or pull the key code from the VIN, cut a blade, and program the chip or fob from scratch. That takes longer and needs your ID and registration.
Can you make a car key when every key is lost?
Yes, for most makes on the road in North County. We come to the car with a cutting machine and programming tools, generate a key from the lock or the VIN code, and pair it to the car. Plan on about an hour. Some brands require the dealer for all-keys-lost, and we say so up front.
Can you meet me at a campus or shopping lot?
Yes. We meet drivers at apartment lots near Cal State San Marcos and Palomar College, at Grand Plaza and the centers along San Marcos Boulevard, and at the Double Peak Park and Discovery Lake trailhead lots. Campus parking structures have their own rules for service vehicles, so tell us if the car is inside one and we will sort out access.
Need a car key or locked out of the car?
Call with the year, make and model and where the car is parked. We quote it on the phone and come to you.