Emergency locksmith for a broken key

Key snapped in the lock in the district of Ludwigsburg, and half of it is still stuck inside? Stop pulling at it. We get the rest out and open the door if you are locked out. We tell you the price on the phone.

Don’t work in the cylinder with tweezers, wire or glue. That often pushes the broken piece deeper. Keep the piece that broke off. Tell us whether the door has just slammed shut (only the latch holds) or is locked.

Usually the key is old and has worn thin at the edge, or the cylinder is stiff. If you then turn it with force, it snaps. Copied keys made of soft metal also break more easily. If your lock is stiff, take it as a warning sign.

If the broken piece is stuck but you can still get in, it is not an emergency. Give us a call and we tell you the price for removing it first. Afterwards, have a new key made from the original, not from a copy.

Door opening, door slammed shut: Mon–Fri 8 am–6 pm 99 €, Mon–Fri 6 pm–8 am, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 149 €. Locked: 129 € or 179 €. Removing the broken piece of key is included in the opening price. If the cylinder is damaged and you want a new one: Opening plus a new cylinder on the same call-out: slammed shut 148 € / 198 €, locked 178 € / 228 €; cylinder material typically 25–50 € (standard).

We pull the broken piece out of the cylinder with special tools. Then we open the door. If the cylinder is worn, we recommend replacing it and tell you the price first.

With thin hook tools we reach behind the teeth of the key fragment and pull it forward. Before that, the cylinder has to be in its starting position. If the broken piece is stuck at an angle, we turn it back first. Drilling is rarely needed for this.

The key is hard to insert, catches when you turn it or has to be jiggled. Then the cylinder is dirty or worn. Graphite or cylinder spray often makes it run smoothly again. If that does not help, a new cylinder is cheaper than a snapped key.

Even with a broken key, we only open the door if you live there or are authorised. Show your ID card or passport, or post with your address. If the flat is rented and the cylinder belongs to a master key system, tell us on the phone; then we check whether a swap needs to be agreed with the landlord.

In frosty weather, keys break more often because the lock is frozen and people turn the key with force. Better: warm the key carefully, use a lock de-icer and never force it. For outside doors, a little graphite in autumn helps stop water sitting in the cylinder.

Keys copied from a copy are often inaccurate. They turn stiffly and break more easily. Always have new keys cut from the original. With security cylinders, this is only possible with the security card.

If the broken piece is so deep that you cannot see it, tell us on the phone. Then we bring the right tools. If the door is open at the time, it is not an emergency; we will find an appointment.

If the key breaks off in the shared front door of the building, tell the property management first; the door is part of the master key system. If nobody can be reached and nobody can get into the building, we remove the broken piece. We tell you the price beforehand.

If the cylinder is still stiff after the broken piece has been removed, it is often damaged inside. Then the next key is more likely to break. With the door open, a swap costs 89 € during the day Mon–Fri, otherwise 119 €, with a standard cylinder. You decide whether it is needed.

If the broken piece sticks out of the cylinder a little, you can sometimes pull it straight out carefully with pliers. Do not turn it, do not wiggle it. If it does not work on the first try, leave it and call us.

Using glue. Pushing the broken piece deeper with a needle. Carrying on with a bent spare key that will soon break too.

Have a new key cut from the original. Check that the cylinder turns easily. Keep the invoice.