Frequently Asked Questions About Locksmith Service in Irvine
Most people only call a locksmith when something has already gone sideways, so the questions below come up constantly on the phone: what will it cost, how fast can you get here, will the price change once you arrive. This FAQ hub answers those questions directly. It covers pricing, emergency response, licensing, the lock brands we handle, and how rekeying, car key replacement, and commercial work actually work at True Blue Locksmith.
If you’d rather just talk it through, call us at (877) 358-5506. A real person picks up, and we’ll give you an honest quote before anyone is dispatched.
Key Takeaways
- Lock rekeying in Irvine typically runs $65 – $125 per lock cylinder, and car key replacement ranges from roughly $95 for a basic transponder key to $350+ for a smart key with programming.
- Emergency locksmith service is available outside normal business hours, including nights and weekends. We quote before we roll.
- We’re a full-spectrum shop: rekeying, car key replacement, and emergency response from one team, across eight major lock brands.
- Every job gets an upfront price before the work starts. No bait-and-switch.
- We service Irvine and the surrounding Orange County area. Call to confirm coverage for your address before you book.
Pricing & Estimates
How much does locksmith service cost in Irvine?
Locksmith service in Irvine typically costs $65 – $125 for a standard rekey, $95 – $350+ for car key replacement depending on the key type and whether programming is required, and $90 – $150 as a starting service call for emergency lockouts during the day. Those are ranges, not quotes. The exact price depends on the lock, the vehicle, the time of day, and whether hardware needs to be replaced versus simply rekeyed.
Here’s a closer look at the line items you’ll actually see on a quote:
| Service | Typical Irvine Price Range | What Affects the Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard lock rekey (per cylinder) | $65 – $125 | Lock brand, cylinder type, number of locks |
| High-security rekey (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy) | $110 – $200+ | Keyway restrictions, dealer-restricted key blanks |
| Lock installation (standard deadbolt) | $95 – $180 | Door prep, existing bore holes, hardware grade |
| Automotive key replacement (basic transponder) | $95 – $175 | Vehicle make, key blank cost |
| Automotive smart key + programming | $180 – $350+ | Vehicle year, fob availability, immobilizer programming |
| Emergency lockout (daytime service call) | $90 – $150 | Lock type, distance, time of day |
| After-hours / weekend lockout | Higher than daytime rates | Hours, urgency; we quote before dispatch |
That table is here so you know what fair looks like. We’ve heard plenty of stories about a number quoted on the phone and a different number charged at the door, which is exactly what the True Blue name is meant to push back against. Ask for a quote up front from any locksmith, including us, and hold them to it. You’ll get ours before anyone is sent. Call (877) 358-5506 for an exact number on your job.
Do you offer free estimates?
Yes. We give free estimates by phone. Describe the lock, the door, or the vehicle and our team responds with a price range and the factors that could adjust it.
Estimates work best when you can tell us the lock brand (look at the face of the lock cylinder, or the key itself), whether it’s a deadbolt, knob, or lever, and whether the door is wood, metal, or glass. On the automotive side, your year, make, model, and whether you still have any working key tells us almost everything. That’s enough for an honest quote that holds.
Can you fix what a bargain locksmith left behind?
Yes, and it’s a bigger share of our residential work than you might expect. We regularly redo work where a low quote turned into stripped cylinder screws, misaligned strike plates, or a “rekey” that was really a cheap replacement lock with a keyway nobody can match later.
If a prior job left your door hardware compromised, we’ll assess what’s salvageable before recommending replacement. Sometimes a rekey and a new set of quality cylinders fixes it. Sometimes the smartest move is new hardware once instead of three repairs. We’ll tell you which, and why.
Service & Scheduling
Do you offer emergency locksmith service?
Yes, emergency locksmith service is available outside standard business hours for urgent, time-sensitive lockouts and key emergencies. That includes late nights, weekends, and the early-morning lockout before a flight. You don’t wait until Monday.
When you call (877) 358-5506, tell us it’s an emergency, the address, and the situation: house locked, car locked with keys inside, or a lock that won’t turn. We’ll confirm availability and the price for that hour before dispatching, so there’s no surprise when the tech arrives. After-hours rates are higher than daytime, and we say so on the phone.
How fast can you respond?
We can’t give a minute-by-minute promise, so we won’t pretend to. Response time depends on current call volume, your location, and the time of day.
What we do commit to: when you call, we’ll tell you honestly whether we can reach you and roughly when. If we can’t serve your situation in time, we’d rather say so than leave you waiting on a tech who isn’t coming. That’s the kind of honesty the True Blue name is supposed to mean.
Do you handle residential lockouts and rekeying?
Yes. Residential locksmith work covers home lockouts, rekeying after a move or a lost key, new lock installation, and upgrades to better hardware. Most of our house calls fall into rekeying, since it’s cheaper than replacing locks and gives you new keys without new hardware.
We rekey Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, and Medeco locks, which covers the majority of residential hardware we see. If you’ve just moved into a place in Irvine, rekeying on day one is a low-cost way to know exactly who has a key. If you’ve had a breakup, a lost set of keys, a contractor working in the home, or a roommate move out, same answer.
Can you handle lock installation and rekey?
Yes, we install and rekey locks. Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing cylinder so your current key stops working and a fresh key set does. It’s fast, usually done per lock, and preserves hardware that still has life in it.
Installation matters when the old hardware is failing or the door needs better security. On that side we work with a wide breadth of brands, from consumer-grade hardware out of the big-box aisle to professional-grade systems like Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, and Sargent. If you’ve been quoted a set of locks that feels like more than you need, we’ll say so before you buy. See our home page for the full picture of what we do.
Licensing & Trust
Are you licensed and insured?
Lock and key work in California is regulated, and we operate as a professional locksmith business with proper credentials for the work we do. We’d rather point you to our current documentation than quote numbers at you that aren’t ours to give over a webpage.
The practical thing to do with any locksmith, us included, is ask. Before the tech starts, ask whether the business holds a current state license and carries insurance. A shop that does this work honestly won’t flinch at the question. Our team will confirm on the phone and can show our credentials on arrival.
Do you guarantee your work?
We stand behind the work we do, and if something we installed or rekeyed isn’t functioning correctly, we want to know and want to make it right. Specific guarantee terms depend on the job and the hardware, so ask when you call and we’ll tell you exactly what’s covered for your service.
What you can count on regardless: the price we quote is the price on the invoice, the hardware we install is hardware we’d put on our own door, and if we recommend replacement over repair, there’s a reason we can explain in plain terms. That’s what keeps customers coming back to the same locksmith.
What lock brands do you work with?
We work across eight recognized lock brands. That spans the consumer-grade locks most homes have, the mid-tier hardware a lot of businesses use, and the professional-grade high-security systems most shops aren’t certified to touch.
- Residential and commercial staples: Schlage, Kwikset, Yale
- Premium residential and design hardware: Baldwin
- High-security systems: Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Sargent
High-security fluency matters when you’re upgrading, because those brands have dealer-restricted keyways and proprietary pin systems that a generalist can’t service. It also matters at 11 p.m. when your Abloy deadbolt won’t open and the first three locksmiths you call say they don’t handle that brand. We do.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept common payment methods, including cash and major credit and debit cards. If you need to arrange a different payment type for a specific job, tell us when you book the call.
For larger jobs, like rekeying a whole building or replacing hardware on multiple doors, ask about payment when you get the quote so there’s nothing to sort out once the tech is finished. Being able to settle up cleanly at the end of the job is part of what honest service means.
Specific Services
Do you handle car key replacement?
Yes, car key replacement is one of our three core services, and it’s the reason a lot of customers call us first. Losing a car key used to mean a trip to the dealership and a long wait; we cut and program replacement keys for most makes and models.
We handle transponder keys, chip keys, and smart key fobs, and we program the immobilizer so the new key actually starts the car. If you have no working key at all, there’s a different process (cutting from the lock and programming from scratch), so tell us that when you call. You can read more about the process on our Car Key Replacement in Irvine page.
Do you handle commercial locksmith work?
Yes, we handle commercial locksmith work alongside residential and automotive. That means rekeying storefronts, offices, and multi-unit buildings, installing and repairing commercial-grade hardware, and responding to lockouts at business locations during and outside normal hours.
Commercial hardware is where brand fluency earns its keep. A Sargent panic bar or an Abloy high-security cylinder isn’t something to hand off to a general handyman. When a business in Irvine needs a rekey across a dozen doors or an office suite ready for a new tenant, we can do the job without a second crew.
What’s the difference between rekeying and replacing a lock?
Rekeying keeps your existing hardware and changes the key that works it. Replacing a lock means removing the hardware and installing new.
Rekeying is usually the right call when the hardware is solid but the keys are compromised. Replacing is the right call when the hardware is failing, cheap, or the wrong grade for the job. We’ll tell you which applies to your door before you commit. Here’s a quick rundown of how a typical rekey visit goes:
- Look at the lock cylinders on your doors and confirm the brand (we handle Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, and Sargent).
- Give us a call with the count, brand, and location. We’ll confirm the price range for a rekey in Irvine before booking.
- The tech arrives, removes the cylinder, and resets the pins to your new key.
- You get a set of fresh keys and confirm each lock works before we leave.
- We test every door on the same key set and hand you the new keys.
For a homeowner doing a full-home rekey, the process usually takes under an hour for a standard set of doors. For a commercial job, we’ll schedule around open hours so your business doesn’t lose a day.
What areas do you serve?
We serve Irvine and the surrounding Orange County area. Exact radius depends on our scheduling at the moment you call, so confirm your address with us before booking.
If you’re in Irvine or close enough that we can reach you in a reasonable time, we can help. If you’re further out, call anyway. Sometimes the right answer is to send you to someone closer, and we’ll say so.
Lock, Key, and Emergency Situations
What do I do if I’m locked out right now?
Call us at (877) 358-5506 and tell us you’re locked out. Have the address, the type of door or vehicle, and whether the lock is deadbolt, knob, or electronic ready before you dial, and we’ll get you a quote and set expectations on arrival time.
If you’re locked out of a car, don’t try to force the door or call a tow to break a window. If you’re locked out of your house, don’t try to remove the lock cylinder yourself. It’s a thirty-second job for a locksmith and a five-hundred-dollar repair if it’s done with a drill. We’d rather get there and do it right.
Can you rekey on the same day you’re called?
Same-day rekeying is often possible if you call earlier in the day, though we can’t promise it until we know our schedule. When you call, we’ll tell you the next available window and book you in.
If you’re in a hurry, mention it. Emergency and urgent calls get priority, and sometimes we can slot a rekey in between other jobs. The honest answer is on the phone. Reach us at (877) 358-5506 and we’ll give you a real window instead of a made-up one.
Do you service electronic and smart locks?
We can help with many electronic locks and keyless entry systems, but coverage varies by brand and model. Some smart locks are straightforward to rekey or program; others are tied to a manufacturer app and need the original setup. Tell us the brand and model when you call and we’ll confirm before scheduling.
If you’re considering a smart lock upgrade, it’s worth talking it through before buying one. A $200 smart lock with a bad deadbolt behind it is still a bad lock. We’d rather help you choose the right hardware than spend your money on the wrong app.
Can I get a key made for a lock nobody else will touch?
Often, yes. High-security systems like Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy use restricted keyways and dealer-only key blanks, which is why most hardware stores can’t copy those keys. If your key says “do not duplicate” on it, that’s a signal the system is dealer-restricted and needs an authorized shop.
Bring the key and the lock. In many cases we can cut a new key and match the pin system, but the exact answer depends on whether the system is registered to you. Give us a call and we’ll walk through it.
What to Expect When You Call
When you call True Blue Locksmith, you should get a price, an honest answer about whether we can get to you and when, and a tech who knows your hardware. That’s the whole promise. We’re a full-spectrum locksmith working across car key replacement, emergency response, and lock rekeying in Irvine across eight major lock brands. Our customers are homeowners, renters, and drivers who want a fair quote and a locksmith who shows up when they said they would.
Call (877) 358-5506 for a free estimate. Tell us what’s going on with your lock, your key, or your car, and we’ll tell you exactly what it takes to fix it.
Have a question we didn’t cover? Call True Blue Locksmith at (877) 358-5506.