Transponder Key Replacement

If you are driving a vehicle that was made after 1995, a transponder key probably operates it. Transponder keys contain a small circuit that sends a message to your vehicle’s computer. If this communication isn't’t there, your vehicle cannot start. Transponder keys add a large amount of security to your automobile. It makes it much more difficult for your car to be stolen, because the technology is more advanced than the standard keys thieves are used to.

The flip side of this high-tech security is that it can also be very difficult to replicate or replace a transponder key. Well, difficult for untrained locksmiths, not Pop-A-Lock Fort Smith. Transponder keys are designed to make replication difficult. If you allow an untrained, uncertified locksmith handle the task, you could end up with more damage than you started with. You could ultimately loose access to your vehicle and this requires costly repairs.

The other option for replacing a transponder key used to be driving to your dealership to have it duplicated. This takes time and can be rather expensive. Thankfully, Pop-A-Lock can easily replace transponder keys. We come to you. Our mobile locksmiths will come to you. We can quickly duplicate your transponder key without causing damage.

If your transponder key has been lost or damaged, contact Pop-A-Lock Fort Smith. We are your trusted locksmiths. 

What Does A Locksmith Do?

I've been asked this question before, what does a locksmith do? I’m here to answer the question.

A locksmith is a professional who works with locks on doors, safes, cars, and much much more. Being a locksmith is not a backbreaking job, but what it lacks in heavy lifting, it makes up in finesse and carefulness. A lock is a fickle device that is meant to keep people out who don’t have a key, therefore wrangling one can be a difficult task. We deal with many different types of locks, but we can usually always handle any lock you throw at as. Our job is to take a lock and open it through various techniques that we have been trained to perform. Considering locksmith work opens locked door, it would be very unprofessional of us to teach the general public how to do so. Because of this, I cannot tell you exactly how we perform a opening, but you should know that it’s certainly no easy task. It requires patience and training along with a license. In most provinces, you can’t even purchase lockpick devices without a license. Therefore, leave it to us, the professionally licensed  locksmiths, Pop-A-Lock of Fort Smith.

Our locksmiths are trained in Lafayette, Louisiana, the home of Pop-A-Lock. They are given training in door unlocking, car unlocking, key cutting, transponder key programming, and so much more. Our locksmiths are trained to handle most of your locksmith needs. Visit our main web page to see which services we offer.

Pop-A-Lock of Fort Smith is the best example of what a professional locksmith is and should be. We offer competitive prices, professional service, and incredible dedication to our customers. Most locksmiths don’t offer the same things that we offer. We offer a community service called our PALSavesKids, which is a free community service that unlocks vehicles if loved ones are locked within. We offer this service because no one else is willing to step up and do the right thing.

So, give us a call any time. Our emergency services are ready to help you 24 hours a day and we hope that when your need for a locksmith arises, you dial 1-905-913-9288 for Pop-A-Lock of Fort Smith.

Who Says You Need To Get Spare Car Keys From The Dealer

Pop-A-Lock locksmith trucks are brightly marked and have big pictures of different automotive keys on the sides and back.  All the time, someone walks up to our trucks or pulls us over to ask if we make car keys.  We always tell them that we do, and we do many different types of keys – mechanical keys, keys with chips inside, key and remotes all in one, and proximity keys – the kinds where you push a button to start the car.  Most of the people say “I didn't know you could make that key.  I thought I had to go to the dealer.”

Dealers sure do have it easy considering most of those people didn't know about their options. Keep in mind that I do buy auto parts from a dealer, but only if I can’t buy them someplace else for less.  The $6 brake light bulb at a dealer is $2 at Autozone for example.  Its no different for your car keys, there are plenty of alternatives.

Pop-A-Lock sells, cuts, and programs car keys and remotes for the great majority of cars.  Our price for making a duplicate is typically about half of what the dealer charges.

What’s the downside of not having a spare key?  If you lose your only key, you essentially have 2 choices – call Pop-A-Lock to come out to where your car is located and make you a new key OR get your car towed to the dealer to make you a key.  If you happen to have auto insurance that covers towing, that’s helpful, but if you don’t, the cost of towing can be more than the cost of the new key itself.  Also, towing to the dealer takes time.  Given most people lose their key in the afternoon or evening, its most likely the dealership won’t get the key made until the next day, so you’re not going to have a car for awhile.

A locksmith like Pop-A-Lock is usually there in 30-45 minutes to start making you a key.   It typically takes 30-90 minutes to make a new key. Then you get to go home in your car. No towing to the dealership, no loss of use until they make you a key the next day, and the cost is less. So, why do you need a spare key?  The answer is that the cost for Pop-A-Lock to make a spare key is half the cost of making a key when you've lost your only key.  Why spend $200 to make a key after you've lost one when you can spend under $80 to make a duplicate?

So, make the right and cheapest choice, and call Pop-A-Lock. 24/7, we're ready to help you.

11 More Things Your Locksmith Won’t Tell You

The information following reprint was found in Readers Digest and all of the contributors were locksmiths from around the country.  I found it interesting and a bit surprising, so hopefully will you.

11. I’ve seen my share of dead bodies.  It’s always a bad sign when the landlord calls to get into an apartment and nobody’s seen the tenant for 10 days.

12. Divorce lockouts are a challenge. The soon-to-be ex-wife will call and say she’s locked out, so I get her in and change the locks.  The husband then calls with the same request.  I refer him to a competitor.

13. Don’t feel bad if you have to call me twice in a short span of time.  I once had a guy lock himself out of his house 3 times in one day.

14. If you’re locked out, please just call one of us.  More than once, I arrived at a lockout to find 2 competitors trucks already there.  At that point, we all agreed to leave and abandon the inconsiderate victim.

15.  Never tell me “don’t worry, it’s an easy lock”.  Every time someone says that it takes an extra 10 minutes to get it open.  Its the kiss of death. 

16.  If its 2am and some guy calls me because he’s locked out of his car at a strip club, a service call that’s normally $55 is now $100.  If he’s got money for club’s, he’s got money for me.

17. Don’t believe a car dealer who says only he can duplicate keys.  In most cases, a locksmith who specializes in automotive work can make you a key – usually cheaper.

18. Try the door.  I’ve gone to houses and found it open, but I’m still going to charge you for coming out.

19. If your key won’t turn, try WD40 or silicone spray.  Sometimes the pins get jammed and 25-40% of the time, that solves the problem.

20. Have a house keeper that needs a key?  Ask me to key your door so that your master key works on both the dead bolt and the door knob but hers just works the door knob.  On the day she comes, only lock the knob.

21. Many locksmiths in the phonebook or online are scammers.  They’ll quote you one price, but when they get there, they’ll say you have a special lock they can’t pick, so they’ll have to drill it open.  Then they charge you $125 or more for a replacement lock you can buy at Home Depot for $25.

These are all topics that locksmiths deal with on a daily basis.  As your trusted locksmith, Pop-A-Lock seeks to 1) educate consumers about best practices in locksmithing , 2) provide secure solutions at an affordable price, and 3) identify and take steps against the scammers that prey upon consumers.  

10 Things Your Locksmith Won’t Tell You

The information following reprint was found in Readers Digest and all of the contributors were locksmiths from around the country.  I found it interesting and a bit surprising, so hopefully will you.

1. A lot of us do undercover works for the cops.  We make keys for them to get into places at 3am so they can set up surveillance equipment or put bugs into place.

2. Contractors stink at installing dead bolts.  I can’t tell you how many times I go out to rekey one or let someone in and I find problems.  If its not installed right it will not protect you.

3. The best lock is a dead bolt that properly installed. It should have at least a 1” throw and on the strike side, there should be a security plate with screws at least 3” long that go all the way into the door’s frame.

4. If you have a window near on or your door, a thumb turn will not do you any good.  They knock out the glass, stick in their hand, and turn.  Get a double sided dead bolt that needs a key on the inside.

5. Think twice before you buy a locked safe at a flea market or garage sale.  It’s probably going to cost you $300 or more to open it, and chances are, all’s you’re going to find inside is mouse poop.

6. When you buy a new house, always have your locks rekeyed.  Otherwise, there’s probably a master key out there that can easily open your home.

7. Keys stamped Do Not Duplicate are duplicated all the time.  Ask me about High Security locks that can’t be replicated at the hardware store.

8.   You’re suppose to check ID before you open anything.  But half the time when someone is locked out of their house or car, where do you think their ID is?

9. The biggest mistakes people make with their safe; spinning the dial too fast, trying to open it before its unlocked, and forcing it closed when there’s obviously a problem.

10. Its easy to defeat the cheapo locks from the big box stores.  Most are mass produced by reputable manufacturers but to very low standards.  Look for at least grade 2.

These are all topics that locksmiths deal with on a daily basis.  As your trusted locksmith, Pop-A-Lock seeks to 1) educate consumers about best practices in locksmithing , 2) provide secure solutions at an affordable price, and 3) identify and take steps against the scammers that prey upon consumers.  

Old School Isn't Always Bad

I’m old school.  When something breaks, I try and fix it. I believe it is cheaper to fix it than it is to completely replace something altogether.  And I hate throwing something away that’s still good. I'm outlying in today's way of life.

I have owned several DVD players over the years.  When they break after a few years, I've learned that I can’t fix them. On top of that, its less expensive to buy a new one. I can buy a new one for $50 when it costs $80 just to have someone look at my old one and tell me what’s wrong it.  So, I guess you can say I've adapted to this throw-away society.

But not everything is a throw-away when it stops working.   for example.  After living in your home for 15 years, things have gone well.  When you need to get into your home, your key works just fine.  But lately, it hasn't been as smooth.  It’s getting hard to put the key into the lock, you have to try it several times, jiggle the key, and twist it side to side just to get it to work.  Or maybe it just doesn't turn as easily when you finally do get the key in. It’s just an old lockset you say – it was there when you bought the house 15 years ago.   Might be time for a new one.

So you get some quotes and it just so happens to be incredibly expensive to replace that old lock because of it's model. We’ve been trained that when it breaks, it’s time to get a new one.  Here's something to note, a good quality lockset can last a lifetime but it’s not maintenance free.   A little bit of maintenance can go a long ways with a lockset.

This kind of situation happens all the time.  We get a call that the owner wants a new lockset on their front door.  We could provide them a quote, but generally, we start asking questions – why do they want a new lockset?  Is it appearance or functionality?  We often hear, the old one just isn't working very well.  That’s when the old school in me comes out and explains that maybe all that old lockset needs is some servicing.  When the homeowner finds out the cost of the service is a quarter of the cost of replacing the lockset, most are willing to give it a shot.  Saving several  hundred  dollars is enough to make the service worthwhile.  It’s surprising how often a service call with a cleaning, adjustment, lubrication, and maybe a new code cut key makes all those finicky problems go away.

So perhaps being old school isn’t so bad…..at least for those folks we help save hundreds of dollars and make their lives just a little bit easier when they get home at night and that old cantankerous lock isn’t cantankerous anymore.

A Doggy Door Can Be A Downside To Have Man's Best Friend

We sure do love dogs in this country. According to the Humane Society, us Americans have about 80 million dogs living in our homes. We do everything we can to make their lives, and ours, better. This included installing doggy doors. These may seem nice and convenient, but could these doors end up being a downfall of having a pup?

This nice convenience has also made burglarizing homes more convenient as well. These small doors cut into a door are a gateway into the home. Most of the time, these doors are small enough to keep most adults at bay and squeezing through would likely result in getting stuck, which would not be a pleasant experience. So, most people assume that they are safe if someone cannot completely squeeze through. 

Here is a something to wrap your brain around. Can a person just put their arm through the slot and reach up to the locks on the door? Every tried doing that before? You might want to test that theory out before you learn the hard way. 

Does that mean that you should immediately cover that door and make poor fido have to wait on you to go outside and do his business? Well, if you can reach up and unlock the door yourself, then you certainly have a problem. If this happens to be the case, you have a few other options instead of covering the door. One of these solutions is to change the lock.

If your lock is a knob with a little button that you can turn by hand, that’s not going to stop the enterprising opportunist.  If you have a deadbolt that has a little handle or T-turn on the inside that unlocks it, you still have a problem.  Those knobs and handles can be easily manipulated by someone reaching through that doggy door and turning them.  One solution is adding a 2-sided deadbolt, the kind that requires a key to open on both sides.  Likewise, you can change your existing deadbolt (if you have one) to a two-sided deadbolt.  With that in-place, the chance that someone is going to be able to reach up inside and unlock the door is minuscule.

No lock or security is fool-proof but many crimes are crimes of opportunity.  Remove the opportunity and fewer crimes will likely occur. 

Inaugural Post

Welcome to my first blog post for Pop-A-Lock Fort Smith! If you've never heard of Pop-A-Lock, you should know that we are the largest and most trusted locksmith company in America. We have locations across the country, some in Canada, and even one in Australia as well.

We offer a wide variety of services that will help you with any need you have, and we offer these services 24/7. We offer services involved with:

• Automotive, which can include;
• Car door/trunk unlocking
• Key making
• Lock replacing/repairing
• Commercial, which can include;
• Biometric lock installation
• Lock changing
• Door hardware installation and changes
• Residential, which can include;
• High security lock
• Key control systems
• Key making

This is just a small list of the services we offer. A full list of services can be found on our home page.

We even have an emergency car door unlocking service  free of charge when a child is locked inside the vehicle. On top of that, we offer roadside assistance. This service includes:

• Tire changes
• Jump starts
• Fuel delivery

We hope that when your time of need arises, that you choose us. We are here to serve you as best we can. Even if you aren't in an emergency situation, but feel as though your home, vehicle, or business could use more security, call us. Your trusted locksmith in Fort Smith.

Sincerely,

Kristi Jones