About Gary Walta Expertise Can answer questions regarding what to look for in a locksmith, what to be cautioned about when calling someone to bypass the security of your car, home, or business because of lost keys, etc., the pros and cons of so-called "lockout services", hardware quality, reasonable rates, re-keying vs. replacing, hidden fees and "sticker shock" to ask about in advance, etc. Cannot answer questions regarding trade secrets, how to pick locks, where to get locksmithing tools and similar subject matter that pertains to compromising the security of lock hardware.
Experience Experience: Seven years as a full service locksmith, and four years as the owner of a successful locksmith company in the Houston, TX area.
Organizations: Greater Houston Locksmith`s Association (GHLA) Texas Locksmith`s Association (TLA) Louisiana-Mississippi Locksmith`s Association Associated Locksmith`s of America (ALOA)
Question The key to my '93 Saturn station wagon broke off in the lock on the back door of the wagon. The same key is used for the ignition and the front doors. I don't want to replace the back door lock because then I'd have to use different keys for different locks on the car. Is there any way to remove the broken key from the lock without damaging the lock? And could I possibly do this myself?
Answer Hi Terry:
Extracting broken keys from car door locks is a very common event in my business. We (locksmiths) have special key extraction tools designed to remove the broken key in a matter of seconds in many cases, while in other cases it can take up to an hour.
Fortunately for you, your key is broken off in the back door, which is a simple extraction for me, but may not be for you. The special tools we use as far as I know aren't available to the general public in most places.
If you have another key, you will save money by driving your car to a locksmith shop and having it done there.
Attempting to get the key out yourself can do more harm than good. All I can recommend as far as doing it yourself is not to do something silly like trying to pry the lock open with a screwdriver thinking that you are going to do any good. Especially with the Saturn. Those cars are made of plastic and fiberglass and have to literally be taken apart at the shell in order to replace the locks. I've seen it too many times where people thought they were going to save money by becoming a do-it-yourself locksmith and it ended up costing them hundreds in dollars to repair the damage they did to their cars.
Bottom line recommendation:
Drive your car over to your local locksmith shop and have it done quickly, inexpensively and properly the first time. You have a cool car and you obviously care about it or you wouldnt have stopped to ask questions first. In that back lock, a professional should have the broken key out in seconds. Have some spares made while you're there.
