FAQ

At Pop-A-Lock San Francisco we take every measure, from custom tools specific to your vehicle type to special, specific training given to our techs, to protect your vehicle from damage. Our technicians will always suggest options that will best insure the safety of your vehicle. For example, in certain situations where an “under the window or swan tool” could do damage to aftermarket window tinting the technician may suggest that a duplicate key be made instead as while it may be a little slower and cost a little more, it will not scratch your vehicle. 

Picking the lock to your home or business, if done by a professional will not damage the lock. However, attempts made by inexperienced individuals with incorrect tools could result in damage to the pins and other components of the locks. In some cases where the lock is already damaged or has been tampered with it may be impossible to pick it. In such cases, drilling may be necessary to open the lock, which will result in the lock needing to be replaced,

Re-keying is a highly affordable option for home and business security. Using specific tools a trained locksmith can adjust the locks in your doors to work with new keys. This not only removes the need to buy new hardware for every door but also stops old keys from working in the lock.

While there are many situations where you might consider rekeying your business or home, the most important are those that revolve around security. If you move into a previously owned home or business, it is possible that a previous owner or tenant may still have a key and that would be a prime time to rekey the building. Another golden opportunity is if you buy a new lock and would like the new key to work with all the locks in your home.

Bump-proof locks are locks specially designed to resist certain bypassing tools known as bump keys. 

The question of which is the most or best lock for your home is actually a question of what are the best security options for your home. The answer is, it depends on your house, property, location, and many other variables. We have professional security professionals at Pop-A-Lock who would be happy to discuss the different security options available for your home or business.

The best way to answer this question would be to have an in-person call with one of our experts. Call us at 510-666-6680 and we can get you on the phone with a specialist who can help guide you toward the best security features for your home.

The main reason for the difference in charge and quote are that professional locksmiths will generally give an estimated quote based on their experience but can only give an accurate quote once they see the actual issue in person. 
A secondary reason why differences in charges occur is that there are scammers who are unprofessional and unlicensed who claim a low fee over the phone or web, but then intimidation tactics when they arrive to pressure the client into paying more.

Yes, children do get locked in cars and the reason is usually because someone is distracted, has automatic locking doors, or unused to caring for a child and gets confused in the procedure of trying to keep everything in order. Children and everything that comes with them are a lot to handle at firsst. At Pop-A-Lock we understand the stress that emergency lockout situations can cause. That is why we focus our time on the rescue instead of trying to pinpoint the blame or reason. If you have a child who is locked in your vehicle call 911 to alert the fire department, and then call Pop-A-Lock San Francisco at 510-666-6680.

Call 911 immediately. They will forward you to the Fire Department who will dispatch Pop-A-Lock anywhere in the San Francisco area. Through our Emergency Door Unlock program we will unlock a car or home if a child, senior or any person’s life is in danger for FREE.

If your key is stuck in the lock and won’t turn then the safest thing to do is leave it alone and call Pop-A-Lock San Francisco. Continuing to try and force the key to turn can cause it to break, leaving half of it in the ignition. It is much easier to fix these situations if the key is not broken. We can send someone out to look at it and fix the problem. Chances are good in that situation you will need a new ignition cylinder. Our technicians can install these for you, and we even carry many of the ones that are known to be troublesome on hand.

The short answer is because of vehicle security measures.  Most modern vehicle models are now equipped with a type of anti-theft system called transponders and many vehicles don’t use a conventional key and lock system anymore, but instead use an electronic key fob. To program these types of keys/fobs, locksmiths have to invest in the equipment and training to generate working keys/fobs for these vehicles. The key blanks and fobs themselves alone are a lot more expensive than your standard metal key blank.

A transponder key is a type of anti-theft device for your vehicle that uses an encoded chip embedded in the head of your key that communicates via an electronic signal to your vehicle’s computer.  The signal from the chip and the vehicle computer must match for the key to work. At Pop-A-Lock San Francisco we have access to the majority of the codes used in transponders as well as a large selection of available keys and fobs. If you are looking to get a new key either to replace or your old one or have as a back up, then you should definitely check us out. Our prices are almost always guaranteed to be cheaper than those of a dealership. If you are interested in getting a transponder key made, then it may benefit you to check with your insurance company as some give rate deductions for transponder-equipped vehicles.

Absolutely not.  Technicians at Pop-A-Lock San Francisco are able to generate a key for almost any car since we have the proper equipment, machines, and training. Dealerships want you to go through them because they charge more than we do. Call Pop-A-Lock San Francisco and we’ll come to your location.

An onsite battery installation means that we come to your location to do the battery service. That way you don’t have to go through the hassle of finding another ride to our office or figuring out how to get your car there. By saving you the trip we enable our technicians to be able to do a complete delivery and installation service. No matter where you are in the Alameda, and Contra Costa county areas we can come to you. As an additional service, we can also take your old battery or core with us, since often these batteries leak and can cause damage to your vehicle, driveway, or anything else that the battery acid might touch.

It could be worth your time to call your dealership if your battery is still under warranty. If you do, then we recommend you call them with your VIN # and ask what the price will be. For your information, even under warranty the battery will probably be prorated and could still end up costing you as much as an aftermarket battery. After market batteries are made to the exact specifications of your car and work just as well as stock batteries.
On the other hand, if you decide to use Pop-A-Lock’s on-site battery replacement service, we can come directly to you and save you all the time that you may have had to spend at the dealership. Additionally, we always start off with a free, no-obligation evaluation of your battery and charging system using state-of-the-art testing equipment.