Smart locks
House lockouts
Re-keying
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Schlage
Kwikset
Car keys & fobsNon-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
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Get your free estimateKwikset Locksmith in Los Angeles, CA | True Blue Locksmith
We provide independent Kwikset locksmith service across Los Angeles, from rekeying a single deadbolt to Koreatown Kwikset service for an entire apartment building. The one thing that makes our Kwikset work here different is that we understand how this city’s mixed housing stock, dry heat, and shifting door jambs actually stress Kwikset hardware. Call (877) 358-5506 for a straight answer and an honest quote before anyone is dispatched. We are an independent locksmith and not authorized by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Kwikset, and we’ll tell you plainly if a repair beats a replacement.
Why Los Angeles Residents Choose Us for Kwikset Service
Kwikset is on more doors in Los Angeles than almost any other lock brand, and we see the full range of it every week: original 1950s builder knob sets in Kwikset repair in Silver Lake bungalows, SmartKey deadbolts on East Hollywood apartment units, and brand-new keypad deadbolts on ADU conversions in the 90038 and 90039 ZIPs. Noel Carrasco, who owns True Blue Locksmith, grew up in Santa Fe Springs and has been working locks in southeast LA County for going on two decades. That long local history means we know what a Kwikset lock does when a Santa Ana wind has dried out the door jamb for three weeks straight. We stock genuine Kwikset cylinders and SmartKey rekey kits so most jobs in Los Angeles can be completed in one visit, not two.
We rekey, repair, and install Kwikset hardware as an independent shop. That independence matters because we aren’t tied to pushing a warranty that protects the manufacturer instead of you. Lean on our licensed and insured techs for honest work on your Kwikset locks, and if a lock is worn past clean rekeying, we’ll tell you that too.
Styles & brands we work with







Common Kwikset Locksmith Problems We Solve in Los Angeles
- SmartKey deadbolts that won’t rekey or turn: The SmartKey slider wafers inside the 660 and 980 series deadbolts dry out and seize after prolonged Santa Ana heat. A key that turned smoothly in spring often won’t budge by August. This is most common on exterior deadbolts across 90004 through 90008, and the fix is usually a cylinder rekey with proper lubrication, not a full hardware replacement.
- Old Tylo and Cove builder knobs with worn cylinders: Homes built in Los Angeles between the 1920s and 1970s frequently still carry their original builder-grade Kwikset knobsets. Decades of use wear the pins and the cylinder bore until keys slip, stick, or spin. Repainting jobs often gum up the latch too, so we clean, rekey, and re-lubricate these old workhorses instead of condemning them.
- Deadbolts that fail to throw cleanly: Dry heat shrinks wood door jambs across the 90001 through 90008 corridor, and when the jamb shifts, the strike plate moves just enough that a single-cylinder 400 or 660 deadbolt won’t fully extend. You’ll feel the turn, but the bolt grinds against the strike. We correct the strike alignment and, when needed, mortise the jamb so the deadbolt seats properly again.
- Corroded exterior cylinders and keyways near the coast: Homes in the 90004 through 90007 corridor get marine air that pits exterior Kwikset cylinders and packs grit into the keyway. Keys get stiff, then stop inserting cleanly. We clean and rebuild these cylinders when they’re salvageable, and replace them when the brass has pitted past reliable operation.
- Mixed-era hardware on apartment doors: Koreatown and Pico-Union apartment buildings often have three or four generations of locks stacked on one door: an original skeleton-key mortise, a later-added Kwikset knob, and a SmartKey deadbolt a previous landlord installed. Master-keying these buildings means decoding mismatched cylinders from different eras; we handle that without whining.
Kwikset Service in Los Angeles: What Local Conditions Mean for Your Equipment
Los Angeles locksmith work is not like work in a neighboring suburb, and here’s the detail that matters most. Because LA technicians routinely work across dozens of separate municipalities and unincorporated pockets inside the 90001 – 90008 corridor, a Kwikset rekey or deadbolt job here can fall under a different permitting and inspection expectation depending on which side of a street the building sits. A landlord rekeying units in a 90006 apartment building may face one set of Los Angeles city requirements, while a nearly identical building a block over in unincorporated county territory quietly expects something else. We know that landscape from hundreds of jobs and we don’t make a customer guess. We’ll tell you what’s needed, what we can handle with the work, and what, if anything, needs a permit. That’s not something a generic locksmith page will tell you.
Kwikset Models & Products We Service in Los Angeles
We service Kwikset’s full residential range, including SmartKey deadbolts in the 660 and 980 series, the Tylo and Cove builder knob sets still on thousands of mid-century Los Angeles doors, the 400 Series and 780 Series single-cylinder deadbolts, and the 900-series electronic and keypad deadbolts. We use genuine Kwikset cylinders and SmartKey rekey kits for warranty-grade fit and finish, and quality aftermarket strikes and backplates where the original door prep is non-standard. Because we stock those parts locally, a rekey or cylinder replacement for a Kwikset deadbolt in the 90036 or 90037 ZIPs usually happens same-visit. If a cylinder is worn past clean rekeying, we replace the cylinder rather than repeatedly re-pinning a tired lock. For broader Kwikset sales & service, that’s our specialty page.
Kwikset Service Pricing in Los Angeles
Kwikset rekey and repair work in Los Angeles typically falls between $29 and $250 depending on the number of cylinders, the hardware condition, and whether we’re also restoring strike plates or repairing jambs. New SmartKey deadbolt installation runs from $85 to $300, and keypad deadbolt installs range from $120 to $350. The phone estimate we give you includes labor for standard hardware. Before we dispatch anyone, we quote the full price on the phone and that’s the price on the invoice, no call-out surcharge added on arrival. For a free estimate, call (877) 358-5506.
Serving Los Angeles, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Angeles area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Kwikset Locksmith in Los Angeles
Yes, we rekey Kwikset SmartKey deadbolts and knobsets using the standard SmartKey rekey process or genuine SmartKey rekey kits, and most of the time a jammed or stiff SmartKey cylinder can be rebuilt with lubrication rather than replaced. The exception is when Santa Ana heat has baked the internal wafers to the point where the cylinder is scored inside; then a cylinder swap is the honest call. Call (877) 358-5506 and we’ll walk you through what your specific lock likely needs.
Probably not, and this is a pattern we see all over Los Angeles. Dry heat dries out the door jamb and the strike plate shifts, so the deadbolt no longer lines up with the strike. We realign the strike or mortise the jamb and the deadbolt throws clean again. If the cylinder is also stiff, we clean and lubricate it at the same visit. Call (877) 358-5506 for an exact quote, and we’ll tell you over the phone whether this sounds like a jamb issue or a cylinder issue.
Yes, and this is one of our bread-and-butter jobs in central Los Angeles. We decode each cylinder, map the existing key system, and build a master-key schedule that works across mixed-era hardware: original mortise locks, old Kwikset knobs, and newer SmartKey deadbolts. We’ve done this in 1920s courtyard buildings off Western where one unit had three generations of hardware on a single door. Call (877) 358-5506 for a walkthrough of what master-keying your building would take.
Yes, and we do this a lot for ADU conversions and older apartment units across Los Angeles where original doors were built thin and never bored for a true deadbolt. We check the door thickness, the jamb depth, and the existing knob prep, then we install the keypad or SmartKey deadbolt to sit flush and throw cleanly. Some doors need a reinforcing strike plate or a jamb repair first, and we’ll tell you that before we quote the work. Call (877) 358-5506 for a free estimate on your specific door.
Yes, we keep Tylo and Cove latch assemblies, cylinders, and tailpiece hardware in stock, along with the standard Kwikset rekey pins. Many of those 1950s Los Angeles doors only need a fresh cylinder and a latch that isn’t fouled with sixty years of paint. We’d rather repair a solid old knob than sell you a cheap replacement. Call (877) 358-5506 and describe what your lock is doing; we’ll tell you straight whether it’s repairable.
Service Areas Near Los Angeles
We run Kwikset service calls throughout the 90036, 90037, 90038, and 90039 ZIPs and the surrounding region. For Los Angeles service area details, that page covers our full reach. We also handle Kwikset work in Kwikset service in Murrieta and Kwikset service in Sun City for customers further out.
Book Your Kwikset Service in Los Angeles Today
If you need a Kwikset lock rekeyed, repaired, or replaced in Los Angeles, call (877) 358-5506. We quote the full price on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and we carry the Kwikset parts to finish most jobs same-day. Honest work, solid locks – that’s the whole job.
Written by Noel Carrasco, Owner at True Blue Locksmith, serving Los Angeles since the early 2000s.