When the key won't turn, turns but won't start, or grinds against a worn cylinder, we come to you anywhere in Vancouver — Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, the West End, or Point Grey — and repair or rekey the ignition on the spot. No tow, no dealership wait.
A car ignition that sticks, grinds, or won't turn is usually a worn cylinder or a binding steering lock — not a reason to tow the car to a dealer. Our mobile technicians diagnose the fault at your location and repair, rekey, or replace the ignition cylinder in a single visit, matching it to your existing key wherever the vehicle allows.
When you call us for car ignition repair in Vancouver, a licensed locksmith comes to your vehicle with cylinder-servicing tools, replacement lock cylinders, and key-cutting and programming gear in the truck. Most ignition problems fall into one of a few patterns, and we can usually tell within minutes which one you're dealing with — a worn tumbler set, a bent or worn key, debris in the keyway, or a steering column binding against the lock pin. We fix the cause, not just the symptom, so the fault doesn't come straight back the next cold morning.
These two symptoms point to completely different faults, and knowing which you have saves time. If the key won't turn at all, the problem is almost always mechanical — a worn ignition cylinder, a worn-down key, debris in the keyway, or a steering lock jammed under tension. If the key turns freely but the engine won't crank or fire, the cylinder itself is usually fine and the issue is electrical or immobiliser-related: a failed ignition switch behind the cylinder, a transponder the car no longer recognises, or a dead fob battery on a push-to-start vehicle. We diagnose both, and if it turns out to be a chip or programming fault rather than the lock, we handle the transponder side on the same visit.
| Ignition service | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Stuck / jammed ignition — service & free-up | $90–$180 |
| Ignition rekey to your existing key | $120–$240 |
| Worn ignition cylinder replacement (parts + labour) | $180–$380 |
| Cylinder replacement + new key cut & programmed | $240–$480 |
| Ignition switch diagnosis (electrical, behind cylinder) | $110–$260 |
Ranges cover parts, labour, and any programming. Luxury and European vehicles with coded cylinders or proprietary immobilisers sit at the higher end. We confirm your year, make, and model on the phone and give you a firm range before we roll — no surprise fees when we arrive.
Tell us the symptom — won't turn, turns but won't start, or grinding — plus your year, make, and model. We give you a firm price range on the call, not a vague "depends".
A mobile tech heads to wherever the car is parked, from a Yaletown parkade to a Commercial Drive side street. We diagnose the ignition on the spot — no tow needed.
We free, rebuild, rekey, or replace the cylinder, cut and program a key if one is needed, and test every switch position before we hand it back.
Sometimes a cylinder is too worn, seized, or damaged to rebuild reliably, or the ignition switch behind it has failed outright. In those cases we fit a new lock cylinder and cut and program a key to match it. Where the vehicle allows, we can code the new cylinder to your existing key so you're not carrying two different keys — otherwise you get one new key that works both ignition and doors. If the fault turns out to be transponder or immobiliser rather than the lock, we handle transponder key programming on the same visit, and if the key itself is the culprit we cut a fresh car key replacement right then and there.
The most common "my key won't turn" call in Vancouver isn't a broken ignition at all — it's the steering lock binding. When you park on a slope — and plenty of Vancouver streets pitch downhill, from the rise around Queen Elizabeth Park to the grades running toward the water in Kitsilano and Point Grey — the front wheels settle against the curb and put tension on the steering column, which pins the lock against the ignition cylinder. Before you assume the worst: turn the steering wheel firmly left and right while gently trying the key at the same time. If it frees up, the ignition is fine. If it still won't budge, that's when to call us — forcing it risks snapping the key inside the cylinder.
We cover all of Vancouver — the condo towers and parkades in Yaletown, Coal Harbour, and the West End, the single-family streets in Dunbar, Point Grey, and Kerrisdale, and the older side streets around Commercial Drive, Mount Pleasant, and Marpole. Because ignition work often means the car can't be driven, a mobile locksmith who actually covers the city matters: we come to the driveway, the parkade, or the street spot rather than making you arrange a tow to a dealership across town.
Ignition trouble often overlaps with keys and lockouts. Everything below rides on the same truck, same licensed tech.
Pick-, drill- and bump-resistant cylinders with keys that can’t be copied at the hardware store. Cut, pinned and registered in-shop.
Residential Security Container (RSC) burglary classification: a key-locked security container designed to provide entry…
Car keys are priced by vehicle. Pick what you need and we’ll collect your make, model & year to text you an exact quote.