Vehicle Locksmith

[Guest Phill]

I notice some of you guy's are listed as Cobbler and vehicle Locksmiths. Just interested in why only vehicle? Surely the skills you have for that can be used to offer a full Locksmith service.

[3D Group]

To many business are doing normal locksmithing for properties. The bubbles has burst on that market. Not many companies do cars & it is a specialist job with the tools being very exspensive. I have found that you need to be concentration on one type of job to be the best in your field.

[Guest Phill]

Your right in the fact there's alot of copetition in The general locksmith trade, but you have the advantage over 90% of all competition because, I'm guessing you have a high st shop and customers will pick you, rather than call from yellow pages and such like.

You could have another slice of that big pie which is the Locksmith industry?

Interested if you have the same thoughts as 3D Group, Tel200

[Auto Key Wizard]

Yeah, Dan is right,

To many business are doing normal locksmithing for properties. The bubbles has burst on that market.

Just take a look in Yellow Pages

Not many companies do cars & it is a specialist job with the tools being very expensive. I have found that you need to be concentration on one type of job to be the best in your field.

 

In the late nineties I observed how the auto key market was steering towards higher security by way of Transponder technology

By purchasing an entry level cloning device (TKM) along with the necessary key blanks, I remained in the supply chain

 

Profits were huge, & in time upgraded to the market leading Silca RW2 + TEX Code device, this allowed me to identify & supply almost all transponder keys on the market at that time

 

Tranponder technology moved on to Cryptographic types & it was not possible to copy/clone these keys on the bench, These had to be programmed to the vehicle itself

A large investment was made by purchasing the world leading programmer AD100 by Advanced-Diagnostics

 

This led the way to be able to program these keys & as a bonus a new service in supplying & programming OEM remote control units too

 

In recent months due to many calls for help from people who have locked their keys in their vehicles or lost them altogether, I have progessed to becoming the only Auto locksmith in my area

 

Locksmithing is a group title, a bit like a Builder, the main types being General, Auto & Safe Engineer

As already quoted by Dan, You need to concentrate on one type of job to be the best in your field

[3D Group]

Most people now call anyone in the Yellow Pages & seem to go for maintance companies as they have loads of adverts but the customers don't seem to look at the small print head office.

[3D Group]

Also to add to this. You may need a locksmith approx 2 times in your whole lifetime. (Maybe). but every 3 years at most people change their cars & spare keys are needed onto of losing them. More people have spares to houses than cars.

[Auto Key Wizard]

It's surprising how many vehicles change hands with only one key

[Guest Phill]

Also to add to this. You may need a locksmith approx 2 times in your whole lifetime. (Maybe). but every 3 years at most people change their cars & spare keys are needed onto of losing them. More people have spares to houses than cars.

O.k Dan you say this but in the last 7 years I have owned 3 different cars BMW 3 series,Lexus IS200 and Mercedes C class none of which I have had keys cut for. Yet I have moved 3 times and thus changed my locks every time I have moved.

I am a 'General Locksmith'and do everything from replacing a yale type cylinder to multipal master key systems, door entry systems and safe engineering. My catchment area in sleepy old suffolk is not big enought to rely on just one of these income types. Subsiquently there are 3 full time staff and one dog working from our little shop

 

Many of our customers do only use us once but alot use us regularly Housing associations, property management agencies and schools.

Many years ago I remember some shoe repairers saying they will not do keys because to be good at something you have to specialise in it, and they got left behind

Why only do shoe repares when you can engrave, cut keys, Watch batteries. Same as in my book

 

Just my opinion no offence intended

[petercoulson]

does your dog do on site jobs as well?

 

[Guest Phill]

He runs the place

[3D Group]

The reason you move & change your locks everytime because you are a locksmith. I do but normal customers don't.

 

As with stolen keys or lost keys insurance companies get a locksmith out to change the locks on the house whcih is pushing us out but with cars I am finding it rare that customers go through the insurance for stolen car keys so they get us to do them.

 

I asked a general locksmith today that has been in service 20 years he says he is worked up with 10 jobs a day which should bring him on average £70 a job. This is £700. I can do 10 jobs a day & be on average £100 a job & ill be home earlier than him. More profit less work.

[Guest Phill]

Dan I guess if your doing an average of 10 jobs a day, you live in a large catchment area. 6 grand a week, £312,000 a year on vehicle locksmith work would keep me happy enough too.

 

With your shoe repair, Key cutting and engraving thrown ontop you probably turn over more than our local tesco

 

The guy we use for our auto work gets about 1/3 of that, maybe he doesn't advertise enough?

Or maybe there's just not that amount of work in this area?

I know he has no real competition.

[3D Group]

Its all about word of mouth, price & the quality of the job.