.png)
Blog
The Proverbial We Seattle Car Keys LLC is a business of the smallest size; this entity is an army of one. I, Reid the owner and operator, entered into the locksmithing world after working 13 years in fine dining. Starting as bus boy and working my way up to bartender/lead server, I gained an imense amount of customer service skills and learned the art of hustling to the point of exhaustion. Despite being a star employee, it was not the career for me. Seeking a change, I decided to pursue a career in locksmithing after developing an obsessive love of lock picking. Soon after I took up an apprenticeship, I convinced my boss that we should try our hand at the automotive side of things. Without any aide or training, I taught myself the art of conquering the immobilizer (anti-theft modules). It soon became my passion, and I spent every waking moment of my leisure learning transponder theory and applying this knowledge during work hours to get real world experience. So when I say "we" reflexively, it is denoting the many hats one must wear to give clients the most intensive knowledge and skills available in industry, while consistenly preserving the utmost care and hospitality only the owner can provide. Nobody can match the concern the owner of a vehicle has for their mode of transpotation &/or leisure, but the very owner of the business that services it.
EEPROM Work Securtity systems of modern cars are becoming more and more difficult for third parties to deal with. That being said, no matter what an automotive manufacturer implements to inhibit third parties, there is no way for them to devise a system that operates without the presence of solid state data. My specialization in micro-soldering, car disassembly and depth of knowledge in regards to transponder theory are an outsourcing offering that attacks this vulnerability. Feel free to give me a call to learn more.
One Key from the dealerships? Before you buy a new car, make sure the dealership doesn't give you the slip. Almost all of my clients fresh off a new car purchase have reported only receiving one key. Even though I am often the beneficiary of this practice, it pains me to see this ubiquitous affront. I think it worth noting that before you sign the final sale papers at the dealership, make sure that if they do not provide a spare key, that they at least deduct the price of a key you intend to purchase from myself or another locksmith. This is just another example of the shady behaviour you may encounter from the dealership.
Ask a locksmith #1: What can I do if my ignition &/or my door locks are sticky or difficult to turn? Before you spend any money, try this: If you don’t already have, purchase a can of Tri-Flow; this product is effective for both displacing debris and lubricating the lock for the long-term. Make sure it is a pressurized can and that it has an applicator. Along with the Tri-Flow, you’ll need a rag and a working key. Now, for the more severe cases, insert the applicator tip INTO the keyway and use the rag to create a seal around the inserted tip. Here, you are essentially creating a gasket so the pressurized contents can penetrate deep into the lock. The rag is also crucial for preventing the Tri-Flow from spraying back into your eyes! After spraying into the lock (you don’t need much!), take your working key and repeatedly insert and remove it without turning. Make sure to periodically wipe the key off on the rag. Once you’ve felt the insertion and removal become easier, start turning the lock back and forth and wiping the key. It should become apparent relatively quickly as to whether or not the issue is resolvable via this method. For less severe cases, just spray the key instead of the lock and perform the same process. Don’t be frightened to be a little bit rough and remember to NEVER EVER USE GRAPHITE. The best way to preserve a lock is to not use it at all! Seattle Car Keys LLC sells remotes, fobs, slot-key, etc. NOTE: Unfortunately, we do not work on auto locks.
Ask a locksmith #2: The dealership said only they can make a key/fob for my car; is this true? Answer: No
Ask a locksmith #3: What's the deal with all these Kia's being stolen? Answer: Up until 2010, Kia cars did not have immobilizers; without one of these, a car is susceptible to low skill theft methods like "hot-wiring". Kia did not complete adding this feature to most of their models until 2013. Although this was not terribly uncommon at the time, there exists a compounding factor: Kia ignitions of the era can be bypassed using a common USB cable! What this adds up to is no effective physical or digital security.
Ask a locksmith #4: When I tried finding a locksmith online, HUNDREDS of results came up. Are they all legitimate? Answer: The world of automotive locksmithing (and locksmithing in general) is rife with opportunists capitalizing on the lack of knowledge about the trade. Dealerships, in my opinion, should be classified as one of these nefarious characters. It is important that if you do choose another locksmith for the job, you should carefully review any of the yelp or google pages associated with their business. Be sure to press them on specifics, like pricing and location of their business. Here are a few of the dead giveaways of a scammer: -a stock-type webpage resembling many other purported "locksmith" business webpages -call-centers -prolific reviews -non-Seattle telephone area codes -price changing Give us a call if you have more questions, even if you do not intend to use Seattle Car Keys.
Ask a locksmith #5: I've been seeing a lot of lockpicking videos online, how can I increase the pick resistance of my lock? Answer: Just to preface, I actually entered into the locksmithing industry after discovering the obsession-required art of lockpicking. Schlage and Kwikset, the most common residential locks, takes me about 0.5-3 minutes for me to pick my way in... Now, this is MISLEADINGLY DISCONCERTING!!! My grandfather-in-law, after 50+ years in law enforcement, had never once seen a robbery or break-in that employed lockpicking as the method of entry. Neither had my uncle who has 30+ years in law enforcement. All the instances of unauthorized entry occurred either via bypassing the lock or destructive entry. With the advent of cordless drills and angle grinders, breaking in is easier than ever. Can you imagine a meth-head picking a lock? Psychological deterents are by far the best method of addressing these vulnerabilities. Motion-activated lights (BRIGHT AS THE SUN), timed lights moving around the house, leaving TV on, alarms and alarm company signs, etc.
Ask a locksmith #6: Is it possible for someone to copy the transmission of my car or garage remote? Answer: If close enough to the unwary user, it is possible to read/copy the radio signals emitted; however, the useability of this data is increasingly dubious. In the early days of automotive remotes, "fixed code" transmissions contained a single set of unique data as the secret identifier between controller and receiver. For quite some time, manufacturers have used what's called "rolling code" as a more secure method to exchange data. As your intuition may have already revealed, these continuously altered communications contain binary series derived from complex computations known only to the remote and receiver. There have been many add-key jobs where I wish this would have been a valid method of remote duplication. I have numerous cloners and not once have I had success. I hope this quells any fears!
Ask a locksmith #7: I have a DTC on my dashboard (Data Trouble Code; i.e. tire pressurre sensor, check engine light, etc.) that I want turned off, is this something you can do? Answer: Save a few instances, yes, indeed! The diligent, modern & expert automotive locksmith must interface with the solid state data of a vehicle's control unit when adding or generating a key. This data is often stored alongside the DTCs affecting your dashboard. You need only ask the next time you have a key made!
Ask a locksmith #8: What are your thoughts on "the Club" steering wheel lock? Answer: Unfortunately, this product is unlikely to deter even a novice car thief. One only needs less than a minute with a cheap angle grinder to cut the wheel in two places and remove the device. As with all things security, the most effective method of defence is psychological deterrence. There are many ways of achieving this, I thought I'd share mine: Each night, I open up my fuse box (either in my engine compartment or my interior) and remove any fuses belonging to the key or ignition systems. Then remove your car's manual or any diagram denoting fuse types and locations and you just created an issue difficult to diagnose/remedy. This may not prevent entry, but your car will be in the same spot the next morning (if parking laws observed). Hope this helps!