Got a Honda? Common key and lock issues

Good key vs. Bad key

If you, your friend or family owns a High security Honda vehicle you should be aware of some common key and lock issues that will eventually happen or already has. The picture shows side by side a freshly cut, new Honda key vs. a worn Honda key. These are high security Honda keys that are both cut to this particular Honda Civic I recently repaired.

As you can see, the key on the right side is 10+ years old key and the tip has rounded. This is caused by excessive usage of the key. The key will end up like this sooner than later if the locks are not properly lubricated to prevent metal friction, which will cause wear and tear on the key. The key on the left as you can see has a much sharper edge to it. The four ramps are what the wafers inside the lock need to ride on the key, to naturally fit on the correct depths in their positions on the key. When the wafers try to ride on the worn key, they tend to get stuck, which will cause bending as you insert the key with more force. The bending will cause the wafers to jam up in their chambers. This will cause your lock to stop working completely.

How do you fix the lock?

The first step into repairing your ignition lock is to remove the lock assembly from the column. We then remove the key cylinder from the housing of the lock and rebuild the wafers. The wafers are the flat pieces that align when the key is inserted. Once we install new wafers we clean the housing to reassemble back into the vehicle. This is a very common problem affecting all Honda's that use this high security key and locks. We highly recommend having us cut you a brand new key so this won't happen again.

Here you can see a bad wafer blocking the lock from turning.

This cylinder has been re-pinned with new wafer parts just like new.

What are my other options?

You're only other option is to tow your vehicle to the dealership. Keep in mind that they will not rebuild any lock. The dealer will replace the entire lock, plus labor. This is a lengthy time process and costs about 3x more.

How much do you charge?

Give us a call with the year, make and model of your vehicle and we can find a price for you. Our prices are very fair and competitive. I have 16+ years of locksmith experience and vehicles are my specialty. I can have your locks fixed and ready within an hour in most cases. We are proud of our 5 STAR rating on Yelp.

This article is written with our customers in mind. I hope we have shed some light on your lock situation with this particular brand of vehicle.

From your door locks to ignitions, don't let this happen to your car. We at Lock Stop and Key are experts in repairing these faulty designs. We are ready to help 24 hours, 7 days a week. Call us and we can fix your locks, same day.

Ask for Joshua, 707-621-5397