Ignition Repair in Gilroy
A cylinder that will not turn, or turns and leaves the dash dead, rebuilt or swapped where the vehicle is parked. $169 to $395.
$169–$395
Typical price
11 min
Avg. arrival
24/7
Availability
An ignition fails in a way people put up with for months. First it needs the key jiggled. Then it needs the wheel rocked. Then one cold morning it does not turn at all, generally when somebody is due somewhere. The cause is usually a worn cylinder, a worn key that has been reshaping the cylinder for years, or dust and damp in a vehicle that lives outdoors.
The distinction that matters is between the lock and the electrics. A cylinder that will not turn is ours. A cylinder that turns while the dash stays dead is often the ignition switch behind it, which is auto electrics. Both get diagnosed at the vehicle and you are told which one you have before any work is agreed, because the second is a garage job and paying us to discover that helps nobody.
Where the cylinder is the fault it is rebuilt or replaced where the vehicle is parked. If a new cylinder goes in, it can usually be keyed to your existing key so you are not left carrying one key for the doors and another for the ignition — worth asking for, and most people do not know it is possible.
Work runs $169 to $395 with the $89 service call inside it. A rebuild on a common model sits at the low end; a replacement cylinder keyed to match, on a vehicle that needs the column opened up, sits at the top. A worn key gets replaced at the same time where the key is the real culprit, because a new cylinder turned by an old key wears out early.
“Key had been needing a wiggle for months and then would not turn at all on a cold morning, and I was due in San Jose. $289 where it stood on the street. He keyed the new cylinder to my existing key so I am not carrying two, which I did not know was possible until he offered it.”
All sixteen jobs and their ranges are on this page, and so is the hour. Say what time it is and what happened, and the range closes to one figure on the call with the hour already counted in.
- Early (4am–7am)+$40
- Daytime (7am–8pm)standard rates
- Evening (8pm–12am)+$40
- Overnight (12am–4am)+$70
FAQ
Ignition Repair: quick answers
It turns fine and the dash stays dead. Whose job is that?+
Probably a garage. A cylinder that turns while the dash stays dead points at the ignition switch behind it, which is auto electrics. It gets checked at the vehicle and you are told plainly, and you are not charged for a lock repair that would not have fixed it.
Will I end up carrying two keys?+
Usually. A replacement cylinder can generally be keyed to your current key so you are not carrying two. Ask for it, because the alternative is a second key on the ring for the rest of the vehicle's life.
Related
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Open 24 hours, 7 days
Say the hour and what stopped you, hear the figure, get to work on time
Gilroy plus San Martin, Hollister, Aromas, San Juan Bautista and Watsonville, around the clock, every day. Four to seven in the morning costs what an evening costs and less than a night, and whatever hour it is, the number comes back on the call with the $89 visit already inside it — and it is the number on the receipt.