What to Expect When You Get a Car Lockout Service in Sacramento
If you’ve never needed a car lockout service before, then you’re in luck. But there’s no guaranteeing you won’t be needing one in the future. So read on to find out what you should look out for, especially in terms of pricing and costs, if ever you find yourself having to call a car locksmith in the future. The different types of services that a locksmith offers and the inclusions in each service will help you determine whether you’re getting enough out of what you’re actually paying for.
Service Call
The first thing you have to factor in is calling a locksmith to get to your location will already cost you. You get charged the moment you call a hotline and a customer service rep picks your call and connects you to a locksmith that will be able to get to your location in time. This will depend on the distance of the locksmith’s office or actual location from your location, and the time (and gas) it will take to reach you. If you’re down on your luck and happen to be stranded in a more remote area, the charge will definitely be higher.
Type of locksmith service you need
Now, we’ll get into the specifics. Just because you need a car lockout service doesn’t mean the locksmith will have a flat rate or estimate ready for you once you ask for it. It will depend of course on the type of lockout situation you’re in—the more complicated it is to solve the problem, the higher the charge will be. The following are some situations you should consider:
Getting locked out of your car for leaving the key in the car, or the trunk
This is on the cheaper side of things as it will only require the locksmith to pick your car’s lock. He’ll probably only need to override the automatic lock system if your car is more modern and that’s it.
Getting a broken key, or a key stuck in the ignition that will require getting a duplicate
If you have a broken key that either has its remaining parts stuck in the ignition or if it’s completely stuck in the ignition altogether, then the price will go higher. First, the locksmith will have to extract the key from the ignition which could mean having to cut it. You’ll probably need an on-the-spot key duplication too if you don’t have a spare or you left it at home.
The problem lies with your non-responsive transponder key
If the problem is your transponder key that doesn’t seem to respond no matter how many times you have to click it, the locksmith will probably have to do a more sophisticated repair or be equipped with an actual replacement. The price will go up or down depending on your car model and the type of transponder key you have.
If you have a luxury or sports car, expect the price to be steep
If you don’t actually require a towing service for your luxury car but need some form of locksmith service, expect it to be really expensive. Only a few locksmiths have expertise in dealing with luxury cars and their technology and will definitely charge higher than your usual locksmith.