Frequently Asked Questions

Almost always the latching-speed valve is open too far, or the closer has lost hydraulic fluid and can no longer control the final few inches. If the unit is dry, no amount of adjustment will fix it — the fluid that provides the resistance is gone and the closer needs replacing. If it still holds fluid, adjusting the latch valve usually resolves it in minutes.

It might be, but check the door itself first. A door that has dropped on worn hinges, a swollen wood door, or a frame that has shifted will bind before it latches, and the closer gets blamed for a geometry problem. We diagnose the door and frame before touching the closer, because fitting new hardware to a misaligned door only destroys the new hardware too.

A correctly sized grade-1 closer on a normal commercial entrance will typically run well over a decade. The lifespan collapses when the unit is undersized for the door, mounted without proper reinforcement, or installed on an entrance cycling far more than it was specified for. High-traffic doors need hardware rated for the actual cycle count.

No. A required exit must be openable from the inside without a key, tool or special knowledge whenever the building is occupied, and padlocking one is a serious Fire Code violation that carries real penalties and real risk. If the problem is unauthorised use or after-hours entry, an alarmed exit device or a delayed-egress system solves it legally. We fit these regularly for exactly this reason.

On a vertical rod device this nearly always means the top and bottom rods are out of adjustment and are not retracting together. On a rim device it usually means the latch is not aligned with its strike, because the door has settled or the strike has shifted. Both are adjustments rather than replacements in most cases.

It depends on the occupant load and how the exits are configured, but assembly occupancies such as restaurants reach the threshold at relatively modest capacity, and required exits from them generally need panic hardware. This is one of the most common findings when a retail space is converted to food service. We will assess the doors against the occupancy and tell you what is actually required rather than selling you hardware you do not need.

On a wood door, that is moisture — the door absorbs humidity and swells, and it binds. On a metal door in a metal frame it is more likely thermal expansion combined with a latch that already has almost no margin. Either way, the correct fix is to create the clearance the door needs rather than to force the latch, because a latch operating with no margin will fail at some point regardless of season.

Repair is usually cheaper and often lasts as long, provided the door slab itself is sound. When the door is structurally compromised — a torn stile on an aluminium door, corrosion through a steel skin, a delaminated fire door — repair stops making sense. We give you the honest comparison, including the caveat that on a labelled fire door your repair options are constrained by the listing.

Alignment work, hinge replacement, strike adjustment, closer service and most lock work are same-day. Anything needing a matched extrusion, a replacement frame section or a specific legacy part depends on availability, and we will tell you at the assessment which category your door falls into rather than discovering it later. Where a door cannot be made secure the same day, we can secure the opening temporarily.

How bad this is depends entirely on the keyway. On a restricted system, a lost key cannot easily be copied, so you have time to respond in a measured way — reissue at the affected level rather than rekeying the site. On an open keyway you have to assume copies could be made, and the prudent response is rekeying every cylinder the lost key operated. This difference is the strongest practical argument for restricted keyways on any system of consequence.

Usually yes, provided the original system had expansion headroom and we can identify the keyway and the existing combinations. If the original keying schedule exists, that makes it straightforward. If it does not, we can decode the existing cylinders and reconstruct the schedule, which takes longer but is entirely doable.

A well-designed one is not meaningfully less secure, and the operational control it provides usually improves overall security. A poorly designed one genuinely is less secure, because excessive master levels create extra shear points and unintended cross-keying. The variable is design quality, not the concept.

On the right door, clearly yes — particularly for the key control, which is the benefit most businesses actually use day to day. On the wrong door they are wasted money, and the wrong door is any door where the surrounding construction is the weak point. We assess the whole opening and tell you where the money is best spent, which is sometimes a reinforced strike and frame rather than a better cylinder.

Not at a hardware store or a kiosk — the blanks are patented and not sold on the open market. Copies come from the authorised dealer holding your system, against documented authorisation. That is the entire point: duplication becomes an auditable event rather than an anonymous two-dollar transaction.

Very often, yes. Many commercial locksets accept interchangeable cylinders, so the lock body, trim and door prep stay exactly as they are and only the cylinder changes. It is substantially cheaper than replacing complete locksets and it is the first thing we check.

The cylinder is turning without driving the latch — usually the cam or the tailpiece has failed, or the set screws holding the cylinder have backed out. It can also mean the hook bolt has broken internally. It is not a door you should leave overnight in that state, because it is effectively unlocked while appearing locked.

Glass in an aluminium door is held by removable stops and can normally be replaced on its own, provided the frame is square and the stiles are sound. If the door has racked badly enough to crack the glass, though, the racking has to be corrected first or the new glass will go the same way.

Usually the corner assemblies have loosened and the door is racking. Sometimes it is a worn pivot letting the door drop. On an exposed entrance, wind load accelerates both. The repair is straightforward if it is caught before the stile tears at the fastener points.

Far more often than people expect, it can be repaired. Old lock cases were built to be opened and serviced, and the usual fault is accumulated dust and dried lubricant rather than a broken part. Cleaning, inspecting and relubricating a seized case frequently restores full function. Where a spring or a lever has actually failed, replacing the internal case while keeping the original trim is usually the sensible route.

A mortise lock sits in a rectangular pocket cut into the door edge; a cylindrical lockset goes through a round bored hole. The mortise pocket allows a much larger mechanism, so the lock is stronger, offers more function options, and can combine latch and deadbolt in one body. It also costs more and requires more door preparation.

It means the spring cage or the hub inside the case is worn, and it will progress to the handle failing to retract the latch at all. On a commercial door that becomes a lockout, and on an exit route it becomes a safety issue. It is repairable at the case level in most instances, and it is better addressed before it fails completely.

In most cases yes — that is the main attraction. The strike replaces the keeper in the frame and the lockset stays as it is, so long as the latch profile is compatible with the strike. Deadbolts are the exception: a thrown deadbolt cannot be released by a strike, so doors that need electric release use a latch, not a deadbolt.

That depends on the specification, which is why it is chosen deliberately. Fail-secure strikes stay locked, and people inside still leave normally using the mechanical lever. Fail-safe strikes unlock, which is required where the electric lock is what permits egress. On any door where a maglock or an electric lock controls egress, release on power loss and on fire alarm is mandatory.

We would not recommend it, and not primarily for commercial reasons. The fail-safe versus fail-secure decision has life-safety consequences on egress doors, and the fire-alarm interface on doors that require it is a code matter. Beyond that, frame cutting has to be accurate and power has to be correctly specified. A wrong choice here can create a door people cannot get out of.

A correctly installed maglock is safe, and safety is entirely a function of the installation rather than the device. It must release on loss of power, on fire alarm, and on a request-to-exit device, with an emergency release button on the egress side wired to cut power directly. A maglock without those is genuinely dangerous, and we have encountered installations like that. If you are unsure about an existing one, it is worth having checked.

Strong enough that a person cannot pull the door open — the rating is the direct pull force needed to separate the magnet from the armature. 600 lb is standard for interior doors. Exterior and higher-security doors normally take 1200 lb. Holding force falls off sharply if the faces are dirty, misaligned or corroded, so the rating assumes proper contact.

Yes, and glass doors are the application where maglocks make the most sense, because there is often nowhere to fit a conventional lock. Frameless glass doors take a top-rail mount or through-glass fixings with a matched bracket set. Egress requirements apply exactly as they do on any other door.

Annual inspection of fire door assemblies is the widely applied standard, and Ontario Fire Code maintenance obligations require that fire separations and their closures be kept in good working order. Buildings with heavy traffic or a history of deficiencies benefit from more frequent checks. Your insurer may also set its own interval, which sometimes exceeds the code minimum.

Not in the field on a labelled assembly — any penetration outside the original listing voids the label. What is possible is hardware prepared under the listing, or a reader mounted on the wall beside the door rather than on the door itself, with the electrified component in the frame. There is nearly always a compliant route to the same functionality; it just is not a drill on site.

Treat it as urgent. A fire door that does not close and latch provides no separation at all, which means the compartmentation the building depends on is not there. It is also a straightforward inspection failure and a potential insurance problem after an incident. In most cases it is a closer adjustment or replacement, which is a same-day fix.

Substantially, in almost every case. Rekeying re-pins the cylinder you already own; replacement buys new hardware and refits it. On a site with a dozen or more doors the difference is large. Replacement only wins when the existing hardware is worn out, wrong for the application, or on a keyway you need to move away from.

Roughly ten to fifteen minutes per cylinder once we are on site, so a typical ten-to-fifteen-door office is a couple of hours. Larger sites are scheduled so that no area is left without access during the work.

Yes — that is precisely what it does. After re-pinning, only the new key operates the lock, and every previously issued key is dead. This is why it is the correct response to staff turnover or a lost key, and why it is worth doing on possession of any premises regardless of assurances about keys being returned.

Repair is usually possible and usually the right call. A split jamb can be structurally repaired and reinforced so it ends up considerably stronger than it was before — glued and clamped, backed with a reinforcing plate, and re-anchored into the stud. Full replacement is needed when the frame is racked out of square or the damage runs the full height.

A full-length steel reinforcing strike fastened with three-inch screws into the framing stud, combined with a latch guard on the outside and reinforcement on the hinge side. The principle is to stop relying on the jamb and to transfer force into the structure. It is inexpensive relative to almost any other security measure and it addresses the way doors actually get defeated.

Winter salt and meltwater collect at the base of the frame and corrode it from the inside out, so visible rust generally means the section behind it is worse. It matters because the hinge and strike anchorage depend on that steel. It is repairable with a welded section or a subframe wrap without replacing the whole frame in most cases.

Not automatically. The requirement is about opening force and clear width on a barrier-free path, and some doors meet it with a correctly adjusted closer. An operator becomes the answer where the door physically cannot meet the force limit, which is common on heavy exterior doors. What applies to your building depends on whether it is new construction, a renovation, or existing stock, so it is worth establishing that before spending anything.

Installed cost depends heavily on the site. The operator itself is a minority of the total on many jobs — the significant variables are getting power to the door, getting wiring to an exterior actuator, whether the existing door and frame can carry an operator, and whether lock integration is needed. A straightforward interior door with power nearby is at the low end; an exterior entrance needing a bollard, a core drill and lock integration is at the high end.

Usually, provided the door and frame are sound and the frame can take the operator's mounting loads. Doors that are already misaligned or hanging on worn hinges need that corrected first, because an operator will not tolerate a door that binds — it will fault out or destroy itself. We assess the door before quoting the operator.

The realistic range is wide because the door dictates most of it. A simple interior door with an electric strike, a reader and existing power sits at the low end. An exterior door needing a new lock, a weather-rated reader, power run from a distant panel, a door position sensor and a REX device sits at the high end. Software is a per-door or per-site subscription on cloud platforms, or a one-time licence on-premise. We quote per door after a site walk rather than by multiplying a single figure.

On a properly specified system, yes. Controllers hold credentials locally and continue granting access through an internet outage — you lose remote management and live monitoring, not the doors. For power, controllers and locks are normally on battery backup. The one thing that must never be backed up past its fire interface is a lock on an egress door, which has to release regardless.

Often yes, if they use a standard protocol. Retaining readers and wiring while replacing the controller and software is a common and much cheaper upgrade path, and it means staff keep their existing cards. We check compatibility at survey rather than assuming replacement.

Older 125 kHz proximity fobs can be cloned easily with inexpensive, widely available equipment. Modern encrypted smart-card credentials use mutual authentication and cannot be cloned by the same methods. If you do not know which type your building runs, it is worth finding out — it is a quick check and it changes your risk picture materially.

You disable that credential in the software, which takes seconds and takes effect immediately at every door, and issue a replacement. This is the core operational advantage over keys: a lost card is a two-minute administrative task, while a lost key on a master system can mean rekeying a building.

Yes, and on most modern platforms it is straightforward. Mobile credentials remove card purchasing, issuing and collection entirely, and people are markedly less likely to lose or lend their phone than a card. It needs readers that support Bluetooth or NFC, which may mean a reader swap on an older installation.

A good one on the right door is secure against the threats it is designed for. The weakness is procedural rather than mechanical — codes get shared and observed, and there is nothing to collect back from someone who leaves. Multi-code units with individual codes per person address most of that. For a door where you need to know exactly who entered and when, a card or mobile system is the right tool.

On a single shared code, every few months as routine and immediately whenever someone who knew it leaves. If that sounds unmanageable, that is the signal to move to a multi-code unit where you revoke one person instead of re-teaching everyone a new code.

Most electronic keypads warn you well in advance with a low-battery indication, and nearly all have an external contact point where a 9V battery can be held to power the unit long enough to enter and open. Many also retain a mechanical key override. The failure mode is inconvenient rather than catastrophic — but in an unheated exterior location, plan replacement proactively rather than waiting for the warning.

Repair is worth investigating first, and it succeeds more often than people expect. Many faults that present as "the system is dead" are a failed power supply, corroded wiring at the entry panel, or water ingress into the outdoor station — all repairable at a small fraction of replacement cost. Where the panel itself is genuinely obsolete and parts do not exist, telephone entry is usually the least disruptive replacement because it needs no unit wiring.

A single-door system for a house or small office is at the low end. A multi-tenant building panel with a directory, video and per-unit stations is substantially more, with the biggest cost variable being whether unit wiring exists and can be reused. Telephone-entry retrofits in older buildings often come in well below a full wired system precisely because they skip that.

Yes. Telephone-entry systems dial your phone and you release the door with a keypress, wherever you are. App-based IP systems go further with video on your phone. Both are common retrofits and neither needs in-unit hardware.

Doors keep working. Controllers hold the credential database locally and continue to grant and deny access on their own; events are queued and upload when the connection returns. What you lose during the outage is remote management and live monitoring. This is standard across reputable platforms, but confirm it for the specific one you are considering rather than assuming.

Reputable platforms encrypt credentials in transit and at rest and patch centrally, which in practice often makes them better maintained than an on-premise server that nobody has updated in three years. The weak points in most real deployments are not the cloud layer at all — they are cloneable legacy cards, unencrypted Wiegand reader wiring, and administrator accounts without multi-factor authentication.

Subscriptions are typically billed per door or per site and vary considerably by platform and feature tier. The figure matters less than the total over the system's life, so we model it over ten years alongside an on-premise alternative when you are deciding. For multi-site operations cloud usually wins clearly; for a single small site the answer genuinely depends on the numbers.

We take emergency calls 7 days a week, 8 AM to 11 PM. Actual arrival depends on where you are in the GTA and what is already in progress, and we will give you a realistic time when you call rather than an optimistic one. If you are waiting on police attendance before anything can be touched, tell us and we will time our arrival to match.

Police first, and get the occurrence number. Insurers require it, and obtaining it later is harder. If the property may still be occupied by an intruder, do not go in — wait outside for police. Call us once the scene is released, and we will attend to secure it.

Most commercial and home policies cover damage from forced entry, typically subject to your deductible, and many cover emergency make-safe work separately. We cannot tell you what your specific policy does, but we can make sure the documentation is right: itemised invoice, photographs, and a description of the method of entry. Photograph everything yourself before we start as well.

We treat board-up as an emergency call and dispatch accordingly, 7 days a week from 8 AM to 11 PM. The work itself is typically under two hours once on site. When you call, tell us the size of the opening and whether glass is involved, and we will bring the right material on the first trip.

It depends on the size of the opening, how much framing is needed and whether it is at height. A single door opening is at the low end; a large storefront window needing bracing is at the upper end. We quote on site before starting, and the board-up is itemised separately from any repair because insurers often treat make-safe and permanent repair differently.

If the boarded opening is not your customer entrance, generally yes. If it is, a boarded frontage will cost you significant trade, and it is worth asking whether a temporary secure repair — a replacement cylinder and reinforcement, or a temporary door leaf — can get you trading normally instead. We will tell you honestly which is achievable.

Repair is possible in the large majority of cases, and done properly it leaves the frame stronger than original. We glue and clamp the split, back it with steel spanning past the damage, and re-anchor into the stud. Replacement is needed when the frame is racked out of square or the split runs the full height.

It probably did everything it was designed to do. On nearly every kick-in we attend, the deadbolt is still locked and undamaged — the jamb around the strike plate split and the bolt tore through the wood. The lock was not the weak point and a better lock would not have changed the outcome. Reinforcing the strike into the structural stud would have.

A full-length reinforcing strike fastened with three-inch screws into the framing stud, three-inch screws in the hinge plates, and a deadbolt with a full one-inch throw. That combination addresses the actual failure mode. It is inexpensive, it is fitted in under an hour, and it is materially more effective than upgrading the lock itself.

No. Replace what was damaged, and rekey anything that keys may have been taken for. Undamaged locks that no taken key operates can generally stay. What matters more than blanket replacement is fixing the weakness that actually worked, which is often the frame rather than any lock.

Snapping breaks a cylinder at its weakest point to expose the mechanism, and it is effective against many standard euro-profile cylinders. An anti-snap cylinder has a deliberate sacrificial break line, so when it is attacked the outer section snaps away and the lock stays secure. If your cylinder was snapped, the replacement should be anti-snap. The cost difference is modest.

It depends on how they got in. If the lock was picked, drilled or bumped, then yes, a high-security cylinder addresses it directly. If the frame split or the glass was broken, a better cylinder changes nothing and the money belongs in frame reinforcement or security film. We look at the evidence and tell you where the money actually helps.

Both, usually in that order. We board the opening the same day so the premises are secure, deal with any damage to the door and hardware, and coordinate the glazing. Calling a glazier alone often leaves the building open overnight, because glass is rarely available immediately in the size you need.

It will not stop the glass breaking, and any installer who says otherwise is overselling it. What it does is hold the broken glass in the frame so there is no clean opening to step through, turning a two-second entry into sustained, noisy, visible work. Against smash-and-grab, which is what most retail break-ins are, that is usually enough.

Often not at all. If the glazing is intact and the damage is to the door or hardware, we can frequently repair it the same visit and you open normally. If glass is gone, you can typically trade behind a board while glazing is arranged, depending on your business. We will tell you which situation you are in within minutes of arriving.

A full-length reinforcing strike fastened with three-inch screws into the framing stud. It addresses the way doors actually fail under force — the jamb splitting, not the lock breaking — it costs very little, and it fits in under an hour. Almost nothing else offers the same improvement per dollar.

Repeat victimisation is a well-documented pattern in criminology, and the elevated risk is highest in the weeks immediately following. The reasons are practical: the intruder knows the layout, knows what is there, knows how they got in, and knows that replaced items are likely new. That is why the upgrade after an incident matters more than a general security review would.

An alarm is worth having, but it detects rather than prevents — it tells you an entry is under way. Its value depends on there being enough physical delay that the response means something. Physical hardening and an alarm work together; an alarm on its own tells you promptly that you have been burgled.

Call 911 if anyone is hurt, if you believe an intruder is still on the property, or if a crime is in progress. For a break-in discovered after the fact with nobody present, use the non-emergency line for your service — Toronto Police, Peel Regional, York Regional, Halton Regional or Durham Regional depending on where you are. Either way, get the occurrence number.

Policies vary but most require prompt notification, often within a specified number of days, and delay can genuinely jeopardise a claim. Report as soon as you reasonably can, even before you have a complete list of what is missing — you can supplement the claim afterwards.

Try not to. The scene is evidence, and disturbing it can affect both the investigation and your claim. If police are attending, wait. If they are taking the report remotely, photograph everything thoroughly before you touch anything, and keep any damaged hardware.

It depends almost entirely on the key type. A basic mechanical key for an older vehicle is at the very low end. A transponder or remote head key is mid-range. A proximity smart key for a recent luxury vehicle is at the top, because the blank itself is expensive and the programming takes longer. In nearly all cases we come in below dealership pricing, and we can quote accurately on the phone if you give us the year, make and model.

Yes. This is an all-keys-lost job, and it is routine work for us. Depending on the vehicle we either originate the key from the VIN through authorised code channels or decode the lock directly, then cut and program to the immobiliser. It takes longer than duplicating an existing key and costs more, but it does not require a tow to the dealer.

Usually noticeably so, and there are two reasons. Dealer pricing on key blanks carries a substantial markup, and the dealer route generally means towing the vehicle there and leaving it. We come to the car, which removes the tow entirely. On common makes the saving is significant; on some very recent vehicles with tightly controlled security access the gap narrows.

Yes, and it often saves money. Send us the FCC ID and part number before you order and we will confirm it is right for your exact vehicle — a fob that looks identical can use a different frequency and will not program. Also note that some makes only accept new, never-paired fobs, so a used one from a marketplace may be locked to a previous vehicle and unusable.

A dead battery, by a wide margin. Beyond that: corroded contacts, water damage, a broken button pad, or the fob losing its pairing. Check the battery first — it is the cheapest possibility and the most likely one. If a new battery does not fix it, the fob may need reprogramming rather than replacing, which is also cheaper than a new unit.

Yes, bring every key you want to keep working. On a number of makes, adding a key requires erasing all stored keys and reprogramming each one. A key left at home will simply stop working, and getting it back means a second appointment and a second charge.

The key was cut but not programmed to the immobiliser. Mechanically it is a perfect key — it works the lock and turns the ignition barrel. Electronically the vehicle does not recognise it and refuses to authorise fuel and spark. It needs programming, which we can do on site, usually in well under an hour.

The blade can be cut there; the chip generally cannot be programmed there. That is exactly why people end up with a key that opens the door and will not start the car. Some kiosks can clone certain older chips, but coverage is limited and it does not work for all-keys-lost situations at all.

Nearly every vehicle from the late 1990s onward does, and immobilisers have been required on new vehicles sold in Canada since September 2007. Visually, a transponder key head is thicker than a plain metal key because it houses the chip. If you are unsure, give us the year, make and model and we will tell you in seconds.

Meaningfully more than a conventional key, because the fob blank itself is expensive — and considerably more again on recent European and luxury vehicles. We are still typically well below dealer pricing, and we come to the vehicle so there is no tow. Give us the year, make and model for an accurate figure.

Nearly all of these vehicles have a backup. There is usually a mechanical blade inside the fob for the driver's door, and a designated position — often the start button itself, a marked pad on the column, or a console slot — where holding the dead fob lets the transponder chip inside it authorise a start. Your owner's manual gives the exact location, and it is worth checking now rather than when you need it.

It is a documented method and it has been a real factor in GTA vehicle theft. Relay devices extend your key's signal from inside the house to the car outside. The defences are practical: store keys in a signal-blocking pouch away from the front door, enable motion-sensing sleep mode if your vehicle has it, use a steering wheel lock, and consider an OBD port lock to block the separate route of programming a new key through the diagnostic port.

Almost certainly not. We originate keys on site for the large majority of makes and years — from code through authorised channels, or by decoding the lock directly — then program to the immobiliser at the vehicle. No tow. For a small number of very recent vehicles the dealer is the only route, and we will tell you that on the phone rather than charging you for a visit that cannot succeed.

Typically one to two hours on site. It is longer than a duplicate because the key has to be created rather than copied, and many makes impose a manufacturer security wait of ten to sixty minutes during the programming that nothing can shorten. We will give you a realistic estimate for your specific vehicle when you call.

Vehicle ownership or registration in your name plus matching photo identification. If the vehicle is registered to a business, the registration plus business identification usually covers it. Tell us your situation when you call and we will confirm exactly what to have ready, so the visit is not wasted.

It is among the cheapest calls we do. Price varies with time of day, where you are in the GTA and the vehicle, and we quote it on the phone before dispatching. Be cautious of any company that will not give a figure until they arrive — quoting on site after you have waited is a known pattern and the number tends to be considerably higher than implied.

Not when it is done correctly with proper tools. The genuine risks on a modern vehicle are side airbags in the door and pillar, and the wiring looms inside the door, both of which can be caught by a tool used carelessly. That is the practical reason not to attempt it yourself — the potential repair costs far more than the callout.

Call 911 first, then call us and say a child is inside. If there is any distress, or the vehicle is in sun in warm weather, do not wait for anyone — interior temperatures climb dangerously fast and emergency services will break a window if needed. A window is replaceable. We prioritise these calls absolutely, but a 911 response may reach you sooner.

Try the steering lock first — if the wheel is under tension against the lock pin, the key cannot rotate. Apply firm pressure to the wheel in the direction that relieves the tension while turning the key. That resolves a large share of these calls in under a minute. If it does not, the cylinder is likely worn, has debris in it, or has a broken wafer, and it needs attention.

Repair is often possible — worn wafers and broken springs can be replaced within the existing cylinder. Whether it is the better choice depends on overall wear; a cylinder that is worn throughout will fail again soon after a partial repair. We assess it and tell you honestly which is the better value, including the case where it is replacement.

It depends on the vehicle and whether the cylinder alone or the switch behind it is at fault. Most are done in the vehicle without removing the steering column, which keeps the labour reasonable. Some makes require considerably more disassembly. We diagnose before quoting, and we check the key first because sometimes a worn key in a worn cylinder is fixed by a new key at a fraction of the cost.

In the large majority of cases, yes — extraction tools are made for exactly this and the lock is unaffected. The damage usually comes from what was tried first. Glue is the worst offender because it bonds the fragment to the internals and turns a ten-minute job into a cylinder replacement.

No, and do not try to start the vehicle with the fragment inside. Forcing it can push the piece deeper or damage the wafers, which turns an extraction into an ignition replacement. We attend the vehicle, extract the fragment and cut a replacement key on site.

It is one of the cheapest calls we attend when the break is straightforward. It rises if the fragment is deep, if the plug has rotated, or if previous attempts have jammed or glued it in. Cutting a replacement key is usually a separate small charge on top, and we would normally cut it from code rather than from the broken original.

Considerably, and the gap is a multiple rather than a small margin. Duplicating from a working key is a routine cut-and-program. Originating with no key requires ownership verification, code retrieval or lock decoding, and a longer programming procedure often carrying a manufacturer-imposed security wait. It is the clearest case of cheap prevention in the trade.

Get a spare, and seriously consider erasing all previously registered keys at the same time. You have no way to know how many working keys exist for that vehicle or who holds them — the previous owner, a family member, a former partner. Erasing and programming fresh keys costs a little more than a plain duplicate and means you actually know the answer.

Usually thirty to sixty minutes on site with a working original present. Proximity smart keys can take longer where the vehicle imposes a security wait during programming. We come to you, so it can be done while the car sits in your driveway or your workplace lot.

A specialist can, and we do. It takes a machine capable of cutting internal-track keyways, which many motorcycle manufacturers use and which most locksmiths do not carry, plus programming equipment for immobiliser-equipped bikes. That combination is why riders are so often sent to the dealer by default.

We originate one, either from code through the VIN or by decoding the ignition lock directly, then program to the immobiliser if the bike has one. The dealer alternative is usually replacing the complete lock set as a matched unit, which is considerably more expensive and generally unnecessary.

Increasingly, yes. Immobilisers are common on modern motorcycles and work exactly as they do in cars — the chip must authenticate before the engine will run. Some makes also key the fuel cap and seat lock to the same key, so a proper replacement operates all three.

On many makes, yes, and for trades and delivery operations it removes real daily friction. The consideration is that any driver can then open any vehicle, which suits some operations and is unacceptable to others. We will talk it through against how you actually run before doing it.

Yes. Servicing several vehicles in one visit is substantially more efficient than separate callouts, and the pricing reflects that. Fleet spare-key runs in particular are far cheaper done in bulk than reactively one vehicle at a time.

We prioritise commercial calls because the cost of a standing vehicle is ongoing. Actual timing depends on location and current workload, and we will give you a realistic figure when you call. For fleets we hold data on file so we arrive with the correct blank rather than having to confirm the vehicle first.

It is one of our least expensive calls. The variables are the time of day, where you are, and whether the lock can be opened non-destructively — which it usually can. We quote on the phone before dispatching, and we are wary of the practice some operators have of advertising a very low figure and quoting properly only on arrival.

Usually not. Most residential locks open by picking or bypass with the lock left fully working. Drilling is a last resort for locks that genuinely resist it or have seized, and it means the cylinder needs replacing. We tell you before we drill, never after.

Photo identification showing the address is simplest. A lease, a utility bill or addressed mail at the property also works. If everything is inside, we can usually work with something else — a neighbour vouching for you, or a document you can pull up on your phone. We do check, because a locksmith who does not is a problem for you as much as anyone.

Rekey, unless the hardware itself is worn out or inadequate. Rekeying gives you exactly the same security outcome — every old key stops working — at a fraction of the cost of new locksets. Put the savings into a reinforced strike plate on the doors that matter, which does more for your actual security than a new lock body would.

It is charged per cylinder plus the service call, so a typical home with three to five exterior locks is modest. Keying them all alike so you carry one key is normally included rather than extra. We quote the total on the phone once you tell us how many doors.

Roughly ten to fifteen minutes per cylinder, so a typical house is done well within an hour including testing every door with the new key.

Reputable ones are mechanically as strong as conventional deadbolts, and the electronics on established brands are reasonably well hardened. The realistic weak point is not the lock at all — it is the door and frame. A smart lock on a door with an unreinforced strike is defeated by one kick exactly as a conventional lock would be. Fix the strike; then the lock choice is about convenience.

Smart locks run on batteries, so a household power cut does not affect them. If the batteries themselves die, nearly all have a physical key override and many have external contacts where a 9V battery jump-starts the lock. Keep the override key somewhere you can actually get to, and expect faster battery drain in winter than the specification suggests.

Almost always, though the door needs checking first. Standard deadbolt preps fit most smart locks, but backset matters — many builder doors use 2-3/8 inch where aftermarket locks assume 2-3/4. More importantly, the door has to close and the bolt has to throw freely, because a motorised bolt has limited torque and a binding door will jam it and drain batteries. We correct alignment as part of the fit.

A Grade 2 or Grade 1 deadbolt with a full one-inch throw, fitted with a reinforced strike anchored into the framing stud. The strike matters more than the lock brand. A moderately priced deadbolt with a proper strike outperforms an expensive one screwed into a softwood jamb, every time.

Consider it carefully. It prevents someone reaching through broken glass to turn a thumb-turn, but it also means nobody inside can get out without a key — a real hazard in a fire, and restricted on required exits in many contexts. Where there is glass beside the door, laminated security film plus a single cylinder usually gives you the protection without the risk. We will fit either, but we will raise this first.

Fitting a deadbolt to an existing prepared hole is the low end. Installing where no deadbolt exists requires boring the door and mortising the frame, which takes longer. Reinforced strike plates add very little and we include them as standard rather than as an upsell, because a deadbolt without one is not doing the job.

Fit an anti-lift block or drive screws into the upper track so the clearance above the panel is less than the height of the bottom rail. The panel then cannot be raised far enough to clear the track. It costs very little and it closes off what is, on a lot of older doors, the easiest way in. Test yours by lifting firmly — if it moves noticeably, you need this.

On older housing, frequently the weakest opening in the building. The standard latch is light, the frame is soft aluminium, and many panels can be lifted out of the track with the latch still locked. The fixes are inexpensive — an anti-lift measure plus a secondary lock — and they change the picture substantially.

Not one lock, but two points of security: something that prevents lifting, plus an auxiliary lock in addition to the factory latch. A foot bolt or a pin lock through both frames is effective and unobtrusive. Track bars work but are awkward enough that people stop using them, which makes them worse in practice than a fitted secondary lock.

On a privately owned mailbox, yes — house mailboxes, building mailbox banks owned by the property, and commercial lobby boxes. Community mailboxes operated by Canada Post are their responsibility and we cannot legally work on those; contact Canada Post directly. If you are not sure which yours is, tell us where it is and we will tell you.

Yes, and usually without damage. Most cabinet locks are low-security wafer mechanisms that open by picking or bypass in minutes, leaving the lock working. We can then supply new keys or replace the lock, keyed to match your other cabinets if you want one key for the room.

Yes, and it is a common office request. Cam locks and cabinet locks can be supplied keyed alike so one key covers every cabinet in a room or a floor. Existing locks can often be rekeyed to match rather than replaced.

No. We are open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 11 PM. Outside those hours, leave your number and we call you at 8 AM — first thing, before the day’s bookings. If you are unsafe, or a child or an animal is locked in a vehicle, call 911.

If you are unsafe or someone is locked in a car, call 911. Otherwise, try a neighbour or family member with a key, or your building superintendent. Leave your number on this page and we will call you at 8 AM, first in the queue.

It depends on the job, the door or vehicle, and where you are in the GTA. We give you the figure on the phone before anyone is dispatched. Be wary of any operator who will not — the well-known pattern in this trade is a low advertised price followed by a much higher one quoted on your doorstep after you have already waited.

Often, yes. Mechanical dial safes can frequently be manipulated open, and electronic lock failures are often in the keypad or wiring rather than the bolt work, which allows a bypass. Where the lock has genuinely failed, opening requires drilling in a precise location for that make and model, followed by repair and a new lock — the safe remains fully serviceable afterwards when it is done by someone who knows the unit.

Check first whether the manufacturer holds the original combination against the serial number — for many safes they do, and it is the cheapest route. If not, we can open it, and then set a new combination you choose. We will need proof of ownership before doing either.

Check the batteries first, before anything else. Dead batteries are much the most common cause and many safes give little warning. If fresh batteries do not help, the keypad or the wiring may have failed, which is usually repairable without drilling.