ECU & Immobiliser

Call. A phone call is faster than any form, and the person answering can start arranging someone while you talk. If you would rather not speak to anyone, check a price online and pick the earliest time offered — the booking goes to your locksmith the moment you confirm it.

You are given a time window before you book, not after — and it comes from the real diary, so it accounts for the jobs already on it. Nobody here will tell you "twenty minutes" to get you off the phone. If the window we can offer does not work for you, say so and we will tell you honestly what else is possible.

Yes, and it is the same price whether you book online, over the phone or through the assistant — they all read one price list. If something outside that scope turns up once your locksmith is there, they will explain it and get your agreement before doing it. Work you did not agree to is not work you get charged for.

The figure you are shown before booking is the price for the job, not a starting point with extras added afterwards. If a call-out or after-hours amount applies to your job, it is already inside that number and the conditions that produced it are shown with it.

Enter your suburb when you check a price and the site answers immediately — including telling you plainly if you are outside the area, rather than taking a booking it cannot serve. We cover much of metropolitan Melbourne.

Yes, every time, with photo ID and something connecting you to the address or the vehicle — a licence, a rates notice, a lease, a rego paper. It is not negotiable and there is no version of this job where we skip it. It is the same rule that stops somebody else asking us to open your door.

That is common and it is not a dead end. Tell whoever you speak to before the locksmith is dispatched — there are other ways to establish that you belong there, and it is far better sorted out on the phone than argued about on your doorstep. What we cannot do is open it and work the question out afterwards.

Someone entitled to authorise the work does. That can be you or somebody you have arranged it with, but it cannot be nobody — the person present is who confirms the work and receives the keys.

For a lockout, we can let you back into a property you are renting once you have shown ID and your lease or something equivalent. Changing or rekeying the locks is different: that is the property owner’s decision, and depending on your circumstances there are rules about it in Victoria. Tell us you are renting when you get in touch and we will tell you what applies to your situation rather than guessing.

For your own front door, no. For a common-area door, a mailbox bank or anything on a building master system, the owners corporation usually has to authorise it, and a key on a restricted system can only be cut for a registered signatory. Mention it is strata up front and we will sort out who needs to approve what before anyone is sent.

The intent is always to open it without damage, and that is what happens on most jobs. Some locks — high-security cylinders, ones that have already failed internally, some deadlocks — cannot be opened any other way than destructively. If yours is one of them, your locksmith will tell you before touching it, explain what it will mean and what replacing it costs, and wait for you to agree. You will not find out afterwards.

Rekeying changes the pins inside the lock you already have, so old keys stop working and the hardware stays. Replacing swaps the whole lock for a new one. Rekeying is usually cheaper and is the right answer when the lock is sound and it is the keys you no longer trust — after a break-up, a lost set, or a tenant moving out. Replacing is the answer when the lock is worn, damaged, or not the security level you want.

Usually, yes — matching compatible locks to a single key is routine work. Whether every lock you have can join that set depends on the hardware; a locksmith can tell you on site, or you can send photos of what you have when you book.

A restricted key cannot be copied at a hardware store or a kiosk — copies are only cut for people registered against that system. It is what stops a key quietly multiplying: an ex-tenant, a former employee, a contractor who was given one for a week. It costs more and it means a copy takes a phone call rather than five minutes, which is the entire point. Worth it for a business, a rental, or anywhere you have lost track of who holds a key.

Often — safe opening is a real part of the trade, and it does not always mean destroying the safe. It depends on the make, the lock type and why it will not open. Tell us the brand and model if you can find it, and whether you have the combination or key, because that decides what is possible.

Usually, yes — a replacement can be cut and programmed to the vehicle without a tow to the dealer, including keys with a chip and remotes. We need proof the vehicle is yours and photo ID before any key is cut or coded, which is the same rule that protects your car from somebody else asking for one.

Yes, and it matters for what to expect. A lockout is opening the car. An all-keys-lost job means a new key has to be cut and programmed to the vehicle, which takes longer and depends on the make, the year and the type of key. Say which one it is when you get in touch — they are priced and scheduled differently.

It is much cheaper than an all-keys-lost job, and it is the one piece of advice worth taking early. Cutting a spare from a working key is straightforward. Starting from no key at all is not.

Answer a few short questions online to see the price for your job, then pick a time — as soon as possible, or a slot that suits you. You can do exactly the same thing over the phone, and get the same price either way.

You get a confirmation with the service, address, time, price and a reference, plus a link of your own. That link is where you add the things nobody remembers to say on the phone: which door, the gate code, where to park, the dog. It goes straight onto the job, so your locksmith reads it before arriving.

Yes — get in touch and we will move it or cancel it. As much notice as you can manage is appreciated, because the slot goes back to somebody else who needs it.

Photo ID and your proof of address or ownership, the reference from your confirmation, and a way to get to the door — the gate code, the buzzer, where to park. Putting those in your job link when you book means nobody is standing outside making phone calls.

Three sides of the trade: homes — houses, apartments, units and townhouses; business premises — shops, offices, warehouses, master key and access control systems; and vehicles — car lockouts, replacement and spare keys, remotes and ignitions. Pick the one that matches when you check a price and you will only be asked the questions that apply to it.