Ignition Repair / Replacement across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County & the Bay Area.

This page explains ignition repair / replacement: what the job includes, what to have ready, honest limits and what sets the price.

An ignition lock cylinder is a wafer lock that wears a little every time a key goes in and out. Over years the wafers and the key both wear, the key starts to stick or turn only with a wiggle, and eventually the cylinder seizes or the key breaks off inside. Ignition repair is either rebuilding that cylinder with new wafers and springs, or replacing it with a new cylinder keyed to your existing key or to a new one, done at the vehicle without pulling the whole column apart where the design allows.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. The dispatch line at (888) 492-0666 is answered around the clock.

• Diagnosis of whether the fault is the lock cylinder (mechanical) or the ignition switch behind it (electrical); they fail differently and are different parts
• Removal of the steering column shroud and cylinder, with the battery disconnected where airbag components are nearby
• Rebuild with new wafers and springs where the housing is sound, or a new OEM-equivalent cylinder where it is not
• Rekeying the new cylinder to match your existing door and trunk key where the keyway and cut depths allow, so you keep one key for the whole car
• Transponder pairing of any new key so the immobilizer accepts it with the new cylinder
• Test of every key position: lock, accessory, run and start, plus the steering lock, the shifter interlock and the key release

• Key turns hard or only with the wheel jiggled
• Key snapped off in ignition
• Old GM and Ford 'won't start' issues
• Anti-theft light flashes and engine won't crank
• Used vehicle with worn-out cylinder

• Photo ID plus registration or insurance card
• Year, make, model and trim
• A description of the symptom: key will not go in, goes in but will not turn, turns but nothing happens, turns and the engine cranks but will not start, or key stuck in the cylinder
• Whether any key fragment is still in the cylinder
• Any key that still works, even poorly; it tells us the cuts and may let us keep the car on one key
• Whether the car has an aftermarket alarm or remote starter wired into the column

Typically 45-120 minutes. A straightforward cylinder swap on a common Ford, GM, Honda or Toyota column is at the short end. Seized cylinders that have to be drilled out, columns that need extra disassembly to reach the retaining pin, GM Passlock or Ford PATS systems that require a relearn, and tilt or telescoping columns that complicate access push the job toward the long end.

• Push-to-start vehicles have no mechanical ignition cylinder; a failed start button, electronic steering lock or smart-key module is an electrical repair that we assess separately
• Mercedes electronic ignition switches (EIS) and some BMW, Audi and Land Rover electronic ignition systems are module work that is generally dealer or specialist territory
• If the fault is the electrical ignition switch rather than the cylinder, the switch may be a dealer or parts-order item; we tell you what we find rather than replacing the cylinder for no reason
• Steering column damage from a theft attempt (broken lock housing, sheared column casting) can exceed what a mobile repair can do and may need a column replacement at a shop
• A new cylinder cannot always be keyed to match your existing key if the old key is badly worn or the original bitting is outside the new cylinder's range; you may end up with a separate ignition key
• Vehicles with GM Passlock or VATS resistor-key systems may need the anti-theft relearn procedure after the repair, which adds a fixed wait

The quote reflects the make and column design (how much has to come apart to reach the cylinder), whether the cylinder can be rebuilt or must be replaced, whether we are keying it to your existing key or cutting and programming a new one, whether the electrical switch also needs replacement, and the time of day. Diagnosis comes first so you are not paying for a cylinder when the switch is the problem.

The dispatcher gives you a range on the phone, and the technician confirms a written quote before any work starts.

Payment is by Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and you receive an itemized receipt listing what was done.

• Ford 8-cut and 10-cut ignition cylinders (older Ranger, F-Series, Explorer, Mustang, Focus) and Ford PATS keys
• GM ignition cylinders including Passlock and VATS-era columns (Silverado, Tahoe, Impala, Grand Am, Cavalier and others)
• Honda and Acura ignitions with HON58R and HON66 keyways
• Toyota and Lexus TOY43 and TOY48 ignitions, Nissan NSN14 ignitions, Hyundai and Kia HY16 and HY20 ignitions
• Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep Y159, Y160 and Y170 ignition cylinders, and the electronic WIN (wireless ignition node) units that replace them on some models
• Strattec and OEM replacement cylinders, wafers and springs

Repair when the cylinder is worn but the switch works: a sticking or wobbly key, or a key that needs jiggling. Replace when the cylinder is seized, keys keep breaking off, or an attempted theft damaged it. On a vehicle with a transponder, replacing the ignition can require matching the new cylinder to your existing keys or re-programming; we confirm by year, make and model.

We dispatch across greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area; see the city pages for local detail. For ignition repair / replacement, the city pages list ZIP codes, nearby communities and any local access notes.

Greater Los Angeles includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley, the Gateway Cities, the Santa Clarita Valley and the Antelope Valley. Ventura County includes the Conejo Valley and the coastal cities. In the Bay Area we cover Silicon Valley, the Peninsula and the southern East Bay.

For ignition repair / replacement, tell the dispatcher your address and what is wrong. You get an ETA before anyone is sent, a written quote before any work starts and a receipt when it is done. The line is answered around the clock.

One & Only Locksmith is bonded and insured; a certificate of insurance is available on request.