Locksmithing Blog

Keeping your skills up-to-date is vital for a locksmith. The rate of change of a lot of things is far faster now than fifty or even ten years ago, and locksmithing is no different. Electronic and digital locks are now common, and locks are evolving rapidly to defeat threats from things like bumpkeys and slim-jims. The modern car is amazingly high security. Take a mid-range saloon, and you will find that, if made in the last 5 years, it probably has automatic deadlocking from the keyfob.

If you lock your keys inside, you can smash a window (and pay the insurance excess!) to get them back, or you can call a locksmith. If you’ve locked them in the boot, or lost them entirely, smashing a window won’t help. You won’t be able to open the boot from inside, nor even the doors, as the deadlocking means only a key will do.

If your key has been stolen, then you need not just a new key, but you also need to have the old key removed from the system, before the thief comes and takes your car away using it.

Currently we are trying to gauge the returns on investment of getting the latest programmer equipment for car keys. The kit is very, very expensive and we would need significant investment in order to do on-site key programming. However, we have just invested in the latest tooling for non-destructive picking of the latest car locks. If your keys are locked in the boot, then we can attend and pick the lock without damage using the correct tools for the job, and do so at a reasonable price, and get you on the road again. We can also do a “next day” service for additional car keys

Please call and ask for details, should you need a spare key for your car.

I helped in the execution of a warrant yesterday, one where the previous attempt to get in had left the lock butchered and inoperable after about 2 hours without access being gained, and two pretty big holes through it. I spent some time working on this one to open it and sort it out, before replacing the lock and fixing the handle. (Click the images for the larger versions.)

Once inside the alarm tripped. And that brings me to the real subject of this post.

I silenced the alarm within 20 seconds. I used most of the time the trigger gave the normal user to punch in the code to insert my ear plugs, and still had it quiet within 10 seconds of the sounders going off. It wasn’t some amazing magic trick, nor anything destructive. Take a look at the alarm panel, and see if you, too, can work out the code digits. (Again, you can click on the image for a larger version, but you might not need to!)

I figured that 4, 6 and 0 figured in the code, and since most codes are 4 digits, the fourth try turned it off. Not really rocket science on this one!

If you get into the habit of changing your alarm code every time you notice the digits you are using are starting to wear or get dirty, then you will effectively stop this trick cold. And, if you have an alarm or safe that are insurance rated, you should get your codes changed every 6 months regardless, to comply with the insurance requirements.

Discreet Security Solutions offers this service, along with many other locksmithing and security related services. We will probably find security issues you weren’t even aware of, but that could be exploited to leave you and your business or home in a far worse state than when you locked the door and went on your way. And, normally, there are low-tech, low-cost solutions to your security problem. Give us a call on 0845 355 0945 or drop us a line today.