Josh-the-Locksmith
25 Years Experience
Austin, TX
Male, 46
I've been a locksmith since 1998. I did automotive residential & commercial work from 1998 to 2008. From 2008 to 2018, I did some residential, but mostly commercial work. I have been project managing & estimating since 2018. I used to locksmith in the Chicago area, now the Austin area.
I haven't opened 1 in quite a while, & you also didn't say which year the car was, but I know there's a few cars that automatically relock after you unlock it if you're not using a key or remote. In those cases, I use an under-the-window tool & flip the manual unlock button, & in a split second pull the outside handle before it relocks. It takes practice to get the speed, but I got to wear I could do it the first try.
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It's difficult to give you any advice the way you're describing it. It's illegal for a locksmith to cut a high security key for someone who isn't listed as an authorized person, so unless it's a very shady locksmith, that's probably not a possibility. Most likely they got in another way. If you don't see some serious pry marks on your door or deadbolt, then they probably didn't get in that way. Your deadbolt may just need to be tightened. It sounds like you need to have a locksmith come out & give you some options. It's awfully difficult for me to give you advice without seeing what you're talking about in this case.
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Hard to say without seeing the door. If he didn't tell you while he was there that it would be difficult to operate for whatever reason, then yes he should fix it. Generally, a deadbolt should never be that hard to operate. It sounds to me like the bolt isn't lined up with the strike hole.
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It all depends what you are locking up, who you are locking out, & where this cabinet is. If you want it to look nice & you're keeping out non-aggressive people, definitely a cam lock. If it's in your garage and you want it to be harder to open requiring obvious damage, go with a padlock & hasp.
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Yes very possible. Could be 1 of 2 problems. 1- the lock needs repairing or replacing. The latch (springy part that pops out of the edge of the door) maybe sometimes not pop out all the way. 2- the latch may not line up properly with the strike on the jamb. It may not be falling into the hole every time. Weather, building shift, poor installation, & stretched out hinges can all effect that.
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If you had the plug in your hand, you'll see 6 brass wafers. 5 are matched to the cuts of your key, & the one all the way at the end by the tip of your key is called a "retainer". That is what holds the plug inside its housing. The spring or wafer may be wore out. You probably need to replace the whole plug. A locksmith can order those, or you may be able to buy it online. To reinstall it correctly, you'll need to put your key into the plug, & on the back of the plug you'll see it has a rectangular drive. If you look into the housing you'll see a female rectangular shape. The plug seems like it could go in 2 ways, but it actually will only go in 1 way. If after you've pushed the plug in, if it's sticking out an 1/8" or more, you have it in wrong. Flip it 180 degrees & try again. If you have it in correctly, it should only be sticking out about 1/16" of an inch. Hold the plug & pull your key out. You'll need a stiff paper clip or something similar to reach into the far back of the plug & pull that retainer back as you push on the plug. It should fall in once you've pulled that retainer back. Once seated correctly, it will be flush.
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You're welcome! Glad I could help.
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