1997 Ford Ranger
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

1997 Ford Ranger Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

A guy came up to me in Del Mar Village on a Saturday morning looking pretty defeated. He had a 1997 Ford Ranger that had been giving him grief every time he tried to start it. The key would go in, but then he had to wiggle and muscle it just to get the cylinder to turn. Some mornings it worked first try. Other mornings he sat there for a few minutes coaxing it.

He had already called the dealer. They told him he was looking at a new ignition cylinder and a new key cut to it. He was ready to just do it and get it over with.

I asked him how long the binding had been getting worse. He said months. That told me enough to want to look at the cylinder before assuming anything.

I pulled the ignition cylinder and inspected the wafers. Sure enough, several of them were worn down and not springing back cleanly. The cylinder itself was still serviceable. I repaired the worn wafers, decoded the lock, and cut a fresh key right there on the street that matched the repaired cylinder. Smooth turn, no wiggling, no drama.

He watched the whole thing. When I showed him the worn wafers he could see exactly why the key had been fighting him. He left with a key that worked clean and did not spend money on parts that had nothing wrong with them.

The dealer quote was still sitting in his phone when he paid me. He appreciated the difference.

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