A Phoenix Locksmith Blog

Custom Door Lock Installation

Andrew McColley

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

There is always an amount of fun involved when you find yourself in front of a custom iron front door that was originally fitted for a standard mechanical lock. The client wanted to upgrade the mechanical lock to a smart keypad lock to give easier access for the tenants and maintenance to come and go.

The new lock required the hole to be bore out in order to be fitted to the door. With a little work from a hole saw and lock guide it was ready for use.

Combination Gym Lockers

Andrew McColley

Friday, December 24, 2021

Deja Vu Med Spa in Goodyear, Arizona called Andrews Lock and Key to replace some unique combination gym locks on the members lockers. Over the years, the override keys had been misplaced and the time had arrived to replace these locks. The owner was able to track down similar combination locks with a more sturdy metal body than the plastic the old ones used. With limited modification to the tail piece of the lock we were able to fit the new locks and provide new override keys to the owner.

These locks are a one-time combination lock with an override key. There is over 10,000 combination options. You place your items into the locker, set the numbers to something you will remember, lock the locker, and then when the combination is entered to unlock, the lock becomes ready for a new combination from a different user. If the combination is forgot, that is where the manufacturer provided high security override key is able to open the lock, allowing for it to then be set again.

Car Locksmith in the Right Place at Right Time

Andrew McColley

Wednesday, July 06, 2016

So a couple weeks ago we were at a church working on an Access Control Unit in Tempe. The job was going well for the past couple of days drilling through concrete and pulling wires through the walls to get everything wired up. We were installing a new strike on their second entry door of their office, which led into the chapel and preschool they had on campus as people had been passing by frequently dropping of children and touring the church and preschool. As we continued on with the install, one of the visitors of the church left, walked out to her car with the child she was providing care for, and moments later we found her running in full sprint back to the churches front door. She immediately pulled the door open as if someone was after her, but there was no child near. She screamed "Does anyone know how to unlock a car?" The staff in the office jumped to her comfort as we realized she had just locked the child in the vehicle. As we raced out to the parking lot it was a great relief to find the vehicle running and the child locked safely in the car seat in the back. This is when she informed us that after putting the child in the car seat and securing the seat belt, she shut the door to get into the driver seat, and the child had hit the lock button on the door before she could get in. Her car was parked directly next to the locksmith van and I easily retrieved my tool and opened the car for her. She was amazed at how fast she was back in the vehicle and the child was safe with in her inside the car also.

Now although this situation turned out to be a great one with the vehicle running, we have been hearing the local news air more and more stories of little ones and animals locked or left in hot vehicles. The last thing that we want to see is someones window being broken in order to get the child or animal out of the vehicle but when it comes to the heat and not being able to open the car this is the last resort. Andrews Lock and Key is proud to offer free lockout service to anyone in the valley who has a child locked inside the car. 

Also if you ever find yourself in need of any automotive, residential, or commercial locksmith work, including making car keys, opening safes, or rekeying your home or office give us a call at 480-437-4022.  

How To Repair Ignition on 2006 Honda Element

Andrew McColley

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Andrew McColley shows you how to repair an ignition switch on a 2006 Honda Element after the owner had lost the key to the car. These ignition switches can be a little tricky to get some of the original manufacturer bolts off of the steering console in order to release the ignition. But Andrew, who has been a mobile locksmith in Mesa for the last 16 years immediately jumped into action and grabbed a flat blade screw driver and a hammer and tapped the bolts out.

After the ignition was removed from the Honda Element Andrew got in his mobile locksmith van to remove the switch and cut a new key for the car. He first starts off by removing the four screws on the side of it holding on the immobilizer antenna ring and the indicator and lighting for the switch. Then he tries to remove the roll pin by using an extractor tool put he ends up having to drill a small hole in the housing in order to get the roll pin out to release the switch. From there Andrew is able to read the code on the side of the switch which provides the key cuts that the Ninja Keyline Cutter will find and replicate. 

Andrew shows the switch housing having one code on it and the switch having a different key code. He points out the importance of making sure that you don't lose the spring that is on the back of the switch and also talks about how not being prepared led to him having to cut the Ilco key blank instead of a service key because none were on the truck at the time. Once the key is cut he rebuilds the switch making sure to lubricate the internal mechanisms with White Lithium Grease and loads the switch back into the housing then puts the roll pin back in securing the switch cylinder and puts the light and antenna ring back on.  

Take a look at the video:

Locksmith Sydney Mentions Us

Andrew McColley

Monday, May 09, 2016

It was an awesome surprise to wake up to a comment on The Locksmith Show from Ben of Locksmith Sydney that had talked about being a listener of our radio show. The comment also had a link to Locksmith Sydney's website that mentions Andrews Lock and Key as well as The Locksmith Show. The post is apart of the introduction on Locksmith Sydney's website and I am very pleased with the kind words that are written there talking about my involvement in the locksmith industry with both the consumer and fellow locksmiths. If you are a professional locksmith, Locksmith Sydney welcomes you to leave your information about your company and the services you provide in the industry. Either way, head on over and check out the paragraph they wrote about us.

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