Car lockouts & keys
What to Do When You're Locked Out of Your Car in Columbia, MO
Keys on the seat and every door locked? What to check first, what not to try, what to tell us when you call, and how to keep it from happening again.
Locksmith blog
Locksmith Tips & Guides for Columbia and Mid-Missouri
Step-by-step help for the lock problems that stop your day: lockouts, lost car keys, fobs, sticking locks, smart locks and safes. What to check, what to skip, and when it is time to call.
Latest guides
Help for the moment you need it.
Every guide starts with the short answer, then walks through it step by step.
Lockouts & urgent fixes
Locked Out of Your House in Columbia, MO? What to Do First
The door shut behind you and the keys are inside. What to check, who to call first, what never to try, and what to do once the door is open.
Car lockouts & keys
Lost Your Only Car Key? What to Do Next
No spare and no key? How to search properly, what kind of key your car uses, what we need to know to make a new one, and why you should end up with two.
Car lockouts & keys
Key Fob Not Working? Dead Battery or a Bad Fob
Buttons stopped working, or the car says the key isn't there? How to tell a dead battery from a failed fob, how to swap the battery, and what to do in the meantime.
Lockouts & urgent fixes
Door Won't Lock? What to Check Before You Call
The deadbolt won't turn, or it turns but won't go all the way? How to tell a lock problem from a door problem in a few checks, and what to do next.
Home & business locks
Key Hard to Turn or Sticking in the Lock? What to Do
A key that sticks, drags or only turns with a jiggle is telling you something. What usually causes it, the lubricant to use, the ones to avoid, and when it's time for repair.
Home & business locks
Just Moved In? Rekey or Replace Your Locks
You don't know how many copies of your new keys are out there. Why the locks come first after a move, when to rekey and when to replace, and a checklist for every door.
Smart locks & safes
Smart Lock Battery Died? How to Get In and What to Do Next
Keypad dark and the door locked? The backups built into most smart locks, how to change the batteries without losing your codes, and what a lock that eats batteries is telling you.
Car lockouts & keys
Keys Locked in the Trunk? What to Check Before You Call
The doors may open and the trunk still won't, or the other way around. Why a trunk lockout is its own problem, what to check first, and what to tell us when you call.
Home & business locks
How to Measure Your Door for a New Deadbolt or Door Lock
Backset, bore hole, door thickness and the latch decide whether a new lock fits. How to measure each one with a tape measure, and what changes on older doors.
Smart locks & safes
Where to Put a Home Safe, and Why It Should Be Anchored
A safe that isn't bolted down is a box someone can carry away. Where a home safe works best, why anchoring matters, what the floor decides, and how to get ready for installation.
Home & business locks
7 Signs Your Business Locks Need Attention
Keys nobody can account for, a door that doesn't latch on its own, a cylinder that sticks. Seven signs the locks at your business need attention, and what to do about each.
Topics
Browse by topic
Car lockouts & keys
- What to Do When You're Locked Out of Your Car in Columbia, MO
- Lost Your Only Car Key? What to Do Next
- Key Fob Not Working? Dead Battery or a Bad Fob
- Keys Locked in the Trunk? What to Check Before You Call
Lockouts & urgent fixes
- Locked Out of Your House in Columbia, MO? What to Do First
- Door Won't Lock? What to Check Before You Call
Coverage
Across Mid-Missouri
101towns on our service map
12counties covered
32locksmith services
3kinds of doors: the car, the home, the business