Things to Do When You Experience Ignition Problems

Driving is a joy because it gets us to where we want to be in a hurry. However, it doesn’t come without its fair share of problems. You have to keep up the maintenance of your car, make sure your insurance is renewed and make car payments. When you have to have repairs, they can be rather costly. One of the problems that we often receive service requests for at Cary Locksmith in Cary, NC is problems with keys getting stuck in the ignition. This is a common occurance of motorists but it isn’t anything that can’t be resolved. You would be surprised as to why your key is stuck in the ignition.

If you have a key that is slightly damaged, it can get stuck in the ignition. If your ignition is damaged due to your use of a bad key, you are sure to begin to have trouble getting the key out until you are no longer able to pull it out at all. The absolute worst thing you can do to get your key out of the ignition is to jerk it out. This will further damage the ignition and make the problem worse than it already is. Not only that but it is highly possible for you to completely break the key off in the ignition. Now the problem has gone from bad to worse because in addition to determining why your key was stuck in the first place, you’ll have to have the key extracted.

You might think that it is something you’ve done to cause the problem from the start. The reality is that you can’t really blame yourself because your key might look perfectly fine to you but it may be slightly bent or the key could have been cut incorrectly, without your knowing it. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We have your back at Cary Locksmith. This is why we are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to assist you with these unexpected situations. We have gone a step further to help you try to resolve the problem on your own, if possible.

Below you will find some information that may be of use to you when you have trouble with your ignition

Here is what you can do if your car is still turned on:

1. Make sure the gear is in the proper position. If it is still in the drive position and not the park position, you will not be able to remove your key.
2. Make sure the dashboard indicator shows the gear lever to be in the right position. You can slightly turn the lever back and forth to see if the key will loosen up and come out.
3. If this works, you should be able to put your car back into the parked position.
4. Even if this resolves the problem, you should still allow a trained professional to have a look at your ignition to make sure the problem doesn’t occur again.

Here is what you can do if your car is turned off:

1. Make sure your key is in the right position. If the cylinder is old it may cause the key to go in incorrectly.
2. Gently move your key in and out and back and forth to see if it will come out of the ignition
3. If your battery is dead, this will prevent you from being able to remove the key. If your dashboard will not light up, this is an indication of a dead battery. This features serves to protect your car from being stolen. When the dashboard is not working, it is unable to recognize your keys chip and therefore, your car will become immobile.

The above is an easy fix, if it works. If it doesn’t, go ahead and give us a call. We’ll dispatch the help you need immediately.

Things to Do While Waiting for Assistance

Depending on how far away you are from our locksmith, you may need to do a few things while you are waiting.

1. Keep your key in the locked position so that you do not drain the battery.
2. If you have to leave the car, don’t do so without having a spare key to lock the door behind you.
3. Don’t seek the help of someone who says they can help you get your key out. You can trust that they know what they are doing, especially if they are not a licensed locksmith with proven experience.

 

What a Locksmith Will Do

Our locksmith will do a total inspection and complete all of the troubleshooting that is customary for this type of problem. They will pay particular attention to your dashboard, battery and the cylinder to see if it is damaged. When they inspect the cylinder, they may have to completely take it out in order to do so. They may realize that the problem isn’t the ignition, rather, it is the key that is at fault. At the end of it all, you’ll receive a complete diagnosis of what the problem is. In some cases, all that they will have to do is get the key out of the ignition.

However, they need to determine why the key became stuck in the first place. In some cases, it may require them to completely replace a damaged or worn ignition cylinder or a bad component. The expenses of this type of job can vary depending on the amount of damage. Regardless of the job that needs to be done, you can rely on our highly-skilled and qualified locksmiths to be able to effectively handle the job. Our service professionals always show up with the needed tools to handle the job. Again, don’t act hastily by pulling the key out of the ignition if it is stuck, you will undoubtedly make the problem worse than it already is. We’re only a phone call away and can get you the help you need in a hurry.

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