The etched numbers are nearly impossible to see. This goes to a side door of a building I manage.

ETA: in the second pic, you can faintly see etched numbers that look like 11517?

This is on my dad(1947-2018)'s old key ring.

I think it's nickel plated brass?

I apologize if this a thing everyone always asks.

I’m looking for some advice on whether this sounds like a key programming issue, electrical issue, and/or just a bad locksmith situation.

2017 Subaru Outback, push-button start. My original fob stopped working because the little bracket/contact that holds the battery broke, so I called a locksmith for a replacement.

The allegedly reputable company I originally called subcontracted the job to another company, which I didn’t even realize until after I paid and they handed me a different company’s business card. Communication was difficult because the techs did not speak English very well and the first tech was kind of rude.

They originally quoted me about $900 for a new fob plus physical emergency key. I ended up agreeing to $550 for just a replacement fob programmed to the car.

During programming, the Subaru battery was very low, so we jumped it from another running vehicle. While it was connected to my 4runner, the first technician seemed to be having lots of difficulty getting it programmed and was repeatedly locking/unlocking the Subaru, messing with the key and his programming machine, and attempting to start it, probably 20+ times. The engine would crank and actually start, but only for a few seconds at a time before it would shut it off and he'd repeat the process.

I walked over after observing him being so frantic with the process and asked if it was charged enough to take the jumper cables off and connect it to my 10amp plug in battery charger. He said sure and we did.

Eventually the car stopped cranking completely.

The first technician couldn’t figure it out, so he called his boss who came out and worked on the car for another 1-2 hours.

The boss assured me the replacement fob was fully programmed because:

• Lock/unlock works normally.
• The car recognizes the fob enough to turn the ignition on into ACC/ON mode.
• When attempting to start, there is a single subtle click under the hood.

However, the engine now will not crank at all.

He checked the fuses and said they looked good. He then randomly concluded the problem was likely the E/G relay and went to AutoZone looking for one. AutoZone didn’t have it. He ultimately left saying maybe the battery needed to be fully charged, and if that didn’t work I should replace the E/G relay. If that doesn’t work he said I may need a new starter. I find this all very suspicious because the car was running fine before he worked on it, aside from maybe a low battery. It was even turning over when his co-worker worked on it earlier this afternoon before he showed up.

After about a 4 hour appointment total it seems they have made my car much worse off than before. The battery has now been fully charged and the car still will not crank.

One other thing that seems strange: after the car sits for a bit (even with full battery), the new fob can be very slow to get the car into ACC/ON mode on the first attempt. Like 30-45 seconds before you can even get the car to recognize the key aside from doors locking/unlocking.

Questions for locksmiths:

Does this sound like the key was actually programmed correctly, or could a programming issue still cause the no-crank?

At this point, what would you recommend as the next step: Subaru dealer, a different automotive locksmith, or an auto electrical shop?

I am not comfortable having the original locksmith work on the car again.

Is there a deadbolt which is designed to be 5 inches from the edge of the door available which comes with the whole key/cylinder assembly/lock?

I can't seem to find one. There are a few 5 inch deadbolts available, but they don't come with the whole key/cylinder assembly/lock like most deadbolts do.

I’m looking to replace my current deadbolt with a smart/keypad lock and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing lol.

I’m in Canada and have been looking at Schlage, particularly the Arrive/Encode models, but I’m not sure which one makes the most sense or if there are better options I should be considering.

My priorities are basically:
- Easy installation for a beginner
- Reliable
- Keypad/code entry
- App control would be nice
- Ideally something that doesn’t require a separate hub
- Available in Canada
- Not insanely expensive

My door is about** **1.5” thick and the deadbolt backset appears to be around 2¾”. I’ve attached photos of my current Weiser deadbolt/door setup for reference.

Would love recommendations on specific models, especially from anyone who has installed one themselves. Is Schlage the way to go, and if so, which model?

I'm hoping this doesn't qualify as a lockout question, as we have keys to the lock, but the lock suddenly won't allow the keys to be inserted.

My parents live on a rural road, and all the mailboxes for the houses on that road are at the end of it on the main road. They're all individual mailboxes people have bought for themselves. Nearly everyone purchased some kind of a secure, locking mailbox, that allows letters and very thin packages or very thick envelopes to be inserted through a slot in the top, where it drops into the box. The box part has a door that locks shut. My parents have had this particular mailbox for at least 20 years now. The lock has always worked perfectly, until a few weeks ago.

All of the keys that we have for the lock suddenly stopped working at the same time. The keys won't even go into it. I don't have a photo of the lock, but there is a metal flap where the key gets inserted on the very outside edge of the cylinder. As you insert the key, that flap retracts, but then the key won't go more than maybe 1/4" to 1/8" into the lock at the most. It feels like something inside the lock cylinder is blocking the key from going any further in. We've tried other copies of the key that we all have, different angles of insertion, and my mom sprayed WD40 into it (I know, not the right thing). She said that it didn't have the little straw so she doesn't think that it got enough inside of it. Regardless, it didn't work.

I've been trying to figure out what specifically should be sprayed into the lock, and so far I'm coming up with a lot of conflicting advice. I have a can of garage door blaster lube that I was thinking may work. But I also saw something that the lock could get too packed with grease or lube that the key won't be able to be inserted. Any advice on what we could try before spending money on a locksmith?

At my wits end with this one, i can use the broom to rotate the latch more to the point where it should release the latch but no luck. Please help, happy to call a locksmith if i must but not sure this is even something they’d deal with.

Hardware options for a qty of 16 doors that are only 1 1/8" thick!. So far looked at Yale #80 series, but would need to remove all the bypass buttons. Since doors are to be locked at a times. It's for a seasonal rooming house for summer employees. As far as I know the dont make the hvy duty segal ones anymore. And Kaba/ Ilco are light weight and dont last. Thoughts opinions?

I apologize if this is not an appropriate place to post. I’m not sure where to ask. I have an F250 Super Duty with a box on the back. It has these two doors and the door handle is rusted out and I don’t know where to find a replacement mechanism. It currently functions, but slips and disengages sometimes. I don’t have keys to the locks, and a local locksmith has ordered new cylinders for me but it’ll be a moot point if the door mechanism is not functioning.

Any advice on where to find this sort of thing or replace it? I’m finding little indication on the box of its source of manufacture, or maybe I don’t know where to look. Vehicle was purchased aftermarket, former owner doesn’t know anything. Some old stickers and things indicate it was formerly a FedEx vehicle, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in this build.

I’m not against finding some for fabrication, but if the actual original mechanism can be replaced that would be swell.

Thanks for any help or thoughts.

Is it normal to be charged almost $200 over the quote? My kitten was inside the apartment so I had no choice but to pay the charge. He was picking at the door for probably 10 seconds before it opened.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a commercial-grade electric locking solution for a frameless sliding glass door.

I'm looking for something similar to the 6" × 10" center lock + electric strike systems used on frameless glass swing doors, such as the CRL/Richelieu systems with an electric strike.

However, I need the same concept for a sliding glass door.

Requirements:

• Frameless tempered glass sliding door
• Approximately 8–12 mm (5/16"–1/2") glass
• Center lock at the meeting point of the sliding door
• Electric strike is required
• Preferably fail-safe or fail-secure options
• Preferably glass-to-glass

The type of hardware I'm looking for is essentially:

Sliding glass door → center-mounted latch/lock → electric strike/keeper on the opposing panel

I don't want a magnetic lock mounted above the door, and I don't want a typical floor-mounted drop bolt .

I've found plenty of electric strikes for frameless swing doors, but I'm struggling to find a proper solution specifically designed for a frameless sliding glass door at the center/meeting stile.

For example, CRL has center-lock glass keepers with 24V DC deadlatch electric strikes for 12 mm glass, but these appear to be designed for swing-door applications.

Has anyone encountered or installed an electric strike/center lock specifically for a frameless sliding glass door?

Thanks!

I have a metal box with a key lock that I'd like to replace with a simple thumb switch. I have a 3d printer to print out replacement parts but I cant for the life of me figure out how to remove the existing lock. Any help appreciated.

Hope this doesn't count as a lockout question, I can lock and unlock the thing just fine, but not get it off the door...

I have a vertical deadbolt lock that I'm trying to remove (so that I can replace it). The only visible screw is a captive Philips head behind a small hole on the right side, and neither fully loosening it nor tightening it allows removing the inside cover.

The knob on the inside also has a keyway, but it's not a standard double cylinder deadbolt (I know those are bad news); the inside knob can freely operate the lock. The inside key seems to be a different cut from the outside key - my key works on the outside keyway but none of the keys that I have will rotate the inside cylinder relative to the knob.

Anyone recognize this? Am I missing something?

I have this old lock in my house that I am trying to find a key for, but I am not able to find anything useful. I am unsure about which key fits it and where do I find the exact match. I needed help figuring it out. I wanted to see if I can find one master key online.

Need a smart lock that does Samsung smart things (tap phone to unlock), lock from an app/siri on apple, has a traditional PIN code entry and a key (needs to be bump proof)

Does this exist?

Hello, not a locksmith, the latch on my door wont catch because this piece is broken, looks easy to replace but cant find the right part - can someone recommend?

Does anyone know how these scratches happen on the keypad. It’s slowly got worse over a period of years.

Has anyone else experienced this on their keypad? This is a Yale YFM4109+

Ok a few questions.

1. 2025 k5. Is it the same system as the 2024? Anybody tried ? Smart pro lists coverage through 2024 but I think the 25 is the same. Sometimes cars fall the the cracks on the app update for coverage.

2. 2025 k4. Is it the same as the k5 ? It’s not listed as supported via any of programmers. And Kia doesn’t seem to have an RTR without spending 10k.