"Oh bother" I said. Snapped off keys!

[CamperJack]

A parcel arrived for the van today, so I went to put it in the van. Key snapped. I now had half a key snapped off and stuck in the barrel of the lock.

"Oh bother." I said. Or perhaps something more colourful!

A quick look on YouTube had my attempting to use a small screw to extract the snapped off piece from the lock. Amazingly it worked!

I ran down to the village hardware shop, who said they couldn't cut them - they're the wrong shape apparently. They recommended Timpsons.

I ran down to town and to Timpsons. Once I established that they did indeed do them - albeit after ordering them in and weeks wait - I asked for the price. You could have knocked me down with a feather.

£45 each! There goes the idea of getting a spare I thought. Politely I declined, saying that I might be back.

I had quick look on eBay and found people are cutting them. All you have to do it send the code stamped in the key head and they will make them and post them out to you. This time for just £15 each!

eBay key cutting: https://tinyurl.com/yb2ga3rr

So I've ordered two, for £15 less than Timpsons wanted for one key! I just hope they work when they arrive!

Thankfully I can still use the ignition key to get into the driving cab and then get into the back of the van via the sliding door I built into my new bulkhead wall. I can then open the sliding door and back doors from the inside.

Just putting this here so anyone in a similar situation doesn't waste money with Timpsons. Thankfully I didn't have to use an auto-locksmith. We all know they aren't cheap.

It's an L4V key by the way.

 

[Kirsten]

Hope the new keys fit ok- I had one cut for car and it only opens the door doesnt work to start engine.
I have always found Timpsons excellent and they have a VERY positive buisness euthic- they give employment chances to disadvantaged people and the owner has a series of booklets on how to get help for various social issues . Let us know if the email ones do the job xxx

 

[Liverpoollass]

A parcel arrived for the van today, so I went to put it in the van. Key snapped. I now had half a key snapped off and stuck in the barrel of the lock.

"Oh bother." I said. Or perhaps something more colourful!

A quick look on YouTube had my attempting to use a small screw to extract the snapped off piece from the lock. Amazingly it worked!



View attachment 399665

I ran down to the village hardware shop, who said they couldn't cut them - they're the wrong shape apparently. They recommended Timpsons.

I ran down to town and to Timpsons. Once I established that they did indeed do them - albeit after ordering them in and weeks wait - I asked for the price. You could have knocked me down with a feather.

£45 each! There goes the idea of getting a spare I thought. Politely I declined, saying that I might be back.

I had quick look on eBay and found people are cutting them. All you have to do it send the code stamped in the key head and they will make them and post them out to you. This time for just £15 each!

eBay key cutting: https://tinyurl.com/yb2ga3rr

So I've ordered two, for £15 less than Timpsons wanted for one key! I just hope they work when they arrive!

Thankfully I can still use the ignition key to get into the driving cab and then get into the back of the van via the sliding door I built into my new bulkhead wall. I can then open the sliding door and back doors from the inside.

Just putting this here so anyone in a similar situation doesn't waste money with Timpsons. Thankfully I didn't have to use an auto-locksmith. We all know they aren't cheap.

It's an L4V key by the way.

Useful post...thank you.
Please post if the replacements work..

 

[34127]

I went to Timpsons to see if they cut a couple of spare house keys for me and they said it would take a week to get them and would cost around £50 each.. I then ordered them online, submitting the key code, and they arrived next day and cost less than £5 each including postage.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I went to Timpsons to see if they cut a couple of spare house keys for me and they said it would take a week to get them and would cost around £50 each.. I then ordered them online, submitting the key code, and they arrived next day and cost less than £5 each including postage.

Let's just hope others weren't cut and sold on to "friends" to check when your out.

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[CamperJack]

I'll post if they work on not when they arrive.

 

[CamperJack]

Let's just hope others weren't cut and sold on to "friends" to check when your out.

You'd think if they were doing that the feedback on their 2,000 plus transactions would have a lower approval rating than 99.8%.

I hope so anyway!

 

[CamperJack]

They have a VERY positive buisness euthic- they give employment chances to disadvantaged people and the owner has a series of booklets on how to get help for various social issues.

I didn't know that!

 

[CamperJack]

I went to Timpsons to see if they cut a couple of spare house keys for me and they said it would take a week to get them and would cost around £50 each.. I then ordered them online, submitting the key code, and they arrived next day and cost less than £5 each including postage.

My local hardware shop cuts normal normal keys. Like house yale keys and others. But I get the impression these are a bit specialist. The guy in Timpsons said they used to pay for a licence to cut them that covered every branch. Now every single shop has to pay for its own licence.

 

[CamperJack]

The keys arrive a couple I days ago but I missed the post man. The keys fit!

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[Wellington]

I had mine cut by timpsons, as I was in a rush. They were brilliant and did me cab key as the jiggers pokery with putting in the ignition so it works. Meant I have three sets of keys, so I can keep one on my person, one hidden in the van and one back at home (for the insurance company if the van gets stollen with spare key inside, or to be couriered out to me in an emergency).

Didn‘t stop my locking myself out in nothing but a towel, though.

 

[movan]

A parcel arrived for the van today, so I went to put it in the van. Key snapped. I now had half a key snapped off and stuck in the barrel of the lock.

"Oh bother." I said. Or perhaps something more colourful!

A quick look on YouTube had my attempting to use a small screw to extract the snapped off piece from the lock. Amazingly it worked!



View attachment 399665

I ran down to the village hardware shop, who said they couldn't cut them - they're the wrong shape apparently. They recommended Timpsons.

I ran down to town and to Timpsons. Once I established that they did indeed do them - albeit after ordering them in and weeks wait - I asked for the price. You could have knocked me down with a feather.

£45 each! There goes the idea of getting a spare I thought. Politely I declined, saying that I might be back.

I had quick look on eBay and found people are cutting them. All you have to do it send the code stamped in the key head and they will make them and post them out to you. This time for just £15 each!

eBay key cutting: https://tinyurl.com/yb2ga3rr

So I've ordered two, for £15 less than Timpsons wanted for one key! I just hope they work when they arrive!

Thankfully I can still use the ignition key to get into the driving cab and then get into the back of the van via the sliding door I built into my new bulkhead wall. I can then open the sliding door and back doors from the inside.

Just putting this here so anyone in a similar situation doesn't waste money with Timpsons. Thankfully I didn't have to use an auto-locksmith. We all know they aren't cheap.

It's an L4V key by the way.

Re vixeo. I HATE it when you men make diy look so easy. Betcha bottom dollar 24hrs later I'd be nursing a bloodied hand and still have have a key stuck in the lock.

 

[joe and sue]

I went to Timpsons to see if they cut a couple of spare house keys for me and they said it would take a week to get them and would cost around £50 each.. I then ordered them online, submitting the key code, and they arrived next day and cost less than £5 each including postage.

So someone you don't know and have never met, has the code for your house keys, and your full address, hmm. wonder what your insurance company would make of that.

 

[34127]

So someone you don't know and have never met, has the code for your house keys, and your full address, hmm. wonder what your insurance company would make of that.

Delivered to different address so can't see any problem.

 

[joe and sue]

Delivered to different address so can't see any problem.

THat's OK then, but I am sure you can see my point,
Joe

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[34127]

THat's OK then, but I am sure you can see my point,
Joe

Yes I can see your point. On the same theme, how many change their locks when buying a property (new or old), how many order new locks and keys online, how many pay for someone to change locks to new ones. A while back I bought a new build flat in a block of 6 and found out that the developer, who was still on site, had a master key giving access to all the properties.

I was very surprised to find out that a company other than the manufacturer of my type of lock had access to all the key codes and profiles, there were quite a few offering this service, hence the reason for delivery to different address.