A 24/7 Car Locksmith for Kennesaw, GA

Car keys come in two blade styles. An edge-cut key carries its cuts as notches along one or both edges: Toyota's TOY43 profile, the 10-cut key found on Camry and Corolla models from 2002 to 2017, is one, and GM's B111 "Z-keyway", a double-sided 10-cut key on the 2007 to 2013 Silverado, is another. A high-security key, which the trade also calls laser-cut, sidewinder or side-milled, has smooth edges instead. Its code is a track milled into the flat face of the blade, and the depth of that wavy groove at each position is what the lock reads. Honda's HON66 internal-track key, GM's HU100 side-mill key, Ford's HU101 two-track key and the Toyota and Lexus TOY48 four-track key all work that way.

Whatever the style, the pattern of cuts is called the bitting: a row of depths at fixed spaces, all measured from the shoulder where the blade meets the head. The key code is the short number that stands for that bitting. Each key blank runs on its own code series in the parts catalogs: STRATTEC lists the Nissan NI04T transponder blank on series 1 to 22185, and the molded key for the 2014-and-later Chevrolet trucks on V0001 to V6000. A code book translates the number into depths, and a code machine cuts those depths into a fresh blank.

Cutting by code beats copying in one plain case: a worn key. A copy traced from a key that has been in your pocket for years reproduces the wear cut by cut, so the new key sticks where the old one sticks. A blade cut by code goes back to factory depths. When no key is left at all, the code comes from the VIN through the manufacturer's channel, which is open to locksmiths registered under NASTF VSP, or the bitting is decoded from a lock on the car; the all-keys-lost guide walks through that case.

A key counter copy stops short for three reasons. It is a tracing, so it needs the original in hand. It needs a machine built for that blade, and edge-cut and side-mill blades are cut on different machines. And it ends at the metal: on any car with an immobilizer, the transponder chip in the head still has to be cloned or programmed before the engine will run. STRATTEC's note on the NI04T key reads that on-board programming is not available and programming equipment is required, and Honda offers owners no on-board immobilizer routine at all. The 4Keys van carries laser and sidewinder cutting alongside the programming equipment, so the blade and the chip are finished at the car. For the service itself, see spare car keys and car key programming.

A house lockout begins with the lock itself: a knob lock, a lever set and a deadbolt each take a different non-destructive approach. If the key was lost rather than locked inside, rekeying the cylinder in the same visit stops the lost key from working. Night lockouts go through the 24/7 emergency line.

Rekeying changes the pins inside a cylinder so the lock takes a new key and every old copy stops working, with the hardware left on the door. It is the quick answer when a roommate moves out or a key goes missing. If you want the front, back and garage entry doors to share a single key, that is arranged in the same visit. Details on residential locksmith service.

A lock change replaces worn or broken hardware; adding a deadbolt to a door that has only a knob means boring the door and fitting a strike plate, so tell the dispatcher whether a hole already exists. Keypad and app-controlled smart locks are fitted to your existing bore where the model allows, with a lock you already own or one the technician brings. For doors where copies must be controlled, high-security cylinders on restricted keyways take keys that are issued only through an authorized channel, which is the house-door version of the blade problem explained above.

The van goes to any street address carrying one of the two Kennesaw delivery ZIP codes, 30144 and 30152, whether the house or business falls within Kennesaw proper or on unincorporated Cobb land. The Kennesaw ZIPs 30156 and 30160 are P.O. Box codes with no street to drive to, so give the physical address or the name of the business.

From I-75, exit 273 (Wade Green Road) is the one inside the city; exit 269 (Barrett Parkway) and exit 271 (Chastain Road) serve Kennesaw addresses from unincorporated Cobb, and I-575 meets the same two roads at its exits 1 and 3. Inside town, Cobb Parkway carries US-41, and Main Street downtown follows the old US-41 line. Naming the road and the nearest cross street is enough to route the van.

Where you are changes what to say. On the Kennesaw State campus at 1000 Chastain Road, give the lot or deck and the level. At Town Center at Cobb on Barrett Parkway, name the store entrance and the row. At a gated apartment or townhome community, share the gate code on the call or send someone down to let the van in. At a warehouse or an office with card readers, say which door and whether an alarm company needs a call. The same dispatch runs to Acworth to the northwest and Marietta to the southeast.