Car Ignition Repair & Switch Replacement Vancouver

An ignition that will not turn is usually one of three things: a worn key, a worn cylinder, or an electrical switch behind the cylinder that has failed. Telling them apart is the whole job, and it is cheaper to diagnose in your driveway than on a tow truck. We carry cylinders, wafers and switches for the common makes, so most visits end with the car starting.

If the key snapped off in the barrel, do not push the remaining half in further. We extract it whole in most cases, then cut a fresh key from the code. That part of the job is covered on car key replacement.

• The key needs wiggling or jiggling to turn. Worn wafers in the cylinder, or a key that has been copied from a copy.
• The key turns but nothing happens. No dash lights, no crank. That points at the electrical switch behind the cylinder rather than the lock.
• The car cuts out over bumps. A loose switch losing contact while you drive, which is a safety problem, not an inconvenience.
• The key will not come back out or stays stuck in the accessory position.
• The steering lock will not release, so the key will not rotate at all.
• Dash warning lights flicker when the key is turned, or the immobilizer light stays on.

A key that works in the doors but not the ignition is the clearest sign the cylinder, not the key, is worn out.

We start with the cheap possibilities: a fresh key cut to the original code, a cleaned and re-lubricated cylinder, or a reset of the steering lock. If the cylinder itself is worn we rekey or replace it and match it to your existing key, so you do not end up carrying two keys for one car. If the electrical switch has failed we swap the switch. Immobilizer-equipped vehicles are re-paired before we leave, and we test start the engine several times in front of you.

Ignition faults are not evenly spread. Older Honda and Acura cylinders wear at the wafers and seize with the key half turned. Ford and Lincoln column-mounted switches are a common electrical failure. GM, GMC, Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac columns often need the lock housing dismantled to reach the switch. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM ignitions are frequently a worn cylinder rather than a switch. European cars, including BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Volvo and Land Rover, often use an electronic ignition module rather than a mechanical barrel, and those are ordered against the VIN.

Each make has its own page with the key and ignition detail for that brand: Honda, Toyota, Ford, GMC, Chrysler, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volkswagen and Volvo. The full list is on the automotive locksmith hub.

Ignition repair is priced after diagnosis, because the same symptom can be a $180 key or a replaced switch. The $75 service call covers the visit and the diagnosis during standard hours, and the cylinder, switch or new key is quoted before any work starts.

• Service call, standard hours: $75
• After-hours labour, 5-9 pm: $150
• After-hours labour, 9 pm to 8:30 am: $250/hour
• Replacement key cut and programmed, where the repair needs one: $180-$280 for a transponder key, $280-$420 for a smart key

Every figure here matches the prices page. We do not quote an ignition price sight unseen, because a number given over the phone before anyone has looked at the column is a guess.

We work out of one shop at 4105 Macdonald St in Vancouver and dispatch from there, so a Vancouver call is normally a 20-30 minute drive. Cities further out take longer, and the window for each one is listed on the service areas page.