If you are a car owner then you know how important it is to ensure the security of your vehicle. If your car is not secure then you might have to lose your valuable properties. Therefore, you would have to ensure that the locks of your car properly protect your car so that the thieves cannot lay their hands on your vehicle. If you are confident that the locks of your car are alright and do not need to be changed then you should consider rekeying the existing ones. You must know the process of rekeying a car door lock.

If you are considering changing the keys of your car door lock then you must call a professional. It is always a good idea to let a professional deal with the rekeying process instead of trying your hands using Do It Yourself (DIY) techniques. The professional locksmith has the proper tools and has sufficient knowledge and experience which will make the job easier. However, if you want to try your hands at rekeying the lock of the door of your car then continue reading. The following is the process of rekeying a car door lock, thanks to the guys over at East Valley Lock and Key:

Step 1: Remove the door lock and tumbler of the car

You should start by removing the lock of car’s door and then take out the tumbler mechanism present inside. When you take out the tumbler, you would notice that the tumblers are set in a certain pattern that was fit for the previous key. Since you are considering rekeying the lock, you would have to readjust the tumbler so that a new key can be made for it. The old keys will no longer work once you change the pattern of the tumbler.

Step 2: Mark the blank key for cutting

When you have successfully removed the door lock and readjusted the tumbler then you should take a blank key and insert it in the tumbler mechanism for marking purpose. When the blank key has been inserted, you should mark the positions of each tumbler with a pen or marker on the key blade. The portions that you mark would have to be cut to make the new key.

Step 3: Cut the marked blank key

When the blank key has been marked then you should create grooves of the key using a dremel tool with a cut off wheel. You can also use a jeweler’s file if you do not have the dremel tool. While you are cutting the key, or filing it, then you should check a few times whether the key is fitting or not. You must ensure that you do not cut the key below the marked lines. You must note that it is imperative to be patient while cutting the key because impatience might ruin your efforts.

Step 4: Test the new key

When you have completed cutting the new key, it is time to finally test the new key. The tumblers should be in perfectly flushed position with the outside plug of the tumblers. When the work is complete on your part then you should put the lock mechanism back in the door. If you have been successful in rekeying the car door lock then the new key would work perfectly. If you notice that the key is not working due to any reason then you would have to do the hard work again. You would have the repeat the process of rekeying a car door lock – remove the door lock and tumbler of the car, mark the blank key for cutting, cut the marked blank key and test the new key.

Step 5: Complete the job

If the new key is working perfectly without any problems then you have achieved success. However, your job has not been finished yet. You would have to adjust the tumblers of the other door locks also so that the same key works in all the locks of the car. Since you have a single key, you should make duplicates of the key so that you do not land in trouble if the original one is lost. You can effortlessly open the new locks of your car with the new key that you have made with all the hard work.