We are a bonded professional automotive locksmith. Call us for all your car lock and key needs in MA.

The Massachusetts Locksmith Association (MLA) was founded in 1957 and is a community of many legitimate locksmith professionals throughout the Commonwealth of Mass. The MLA has goals of furthering its' members skills and knowledge through education, maintaining high ethical and moral standards for locksmiths, and cooperation of members to work towards mutual goals. Cityside Locksmith is proud to be a member of this association.

For information on locksmith scams and how to identify and avoid them, visit the MLA Consumer Alert Page.

To locate a member of the MLA near you, visit their Member List Page.

Decoding the metal key portion of a Honda transponder key- in order to make a replacement for this key (the plastic head with the chip broke off and was lost). This machine decodes back to Honda factory specs, eliminating any wear when we make cut the new key. Following the decoding, we cut the new key and programmed the vehicle- a 2003 Honda Civic.

We have specialized key cutting equipment to originate and copy keys to your vehicle. This clip is in Burlington and is of a Honda remote head key being cut for a client who wanted a copy of their key (they only had one key for the vehicle). Once the key was cut, we programmed the vehicle (2009 Honda Fit) to pair the key to be able to start the car and for the remote to operate. Call for a quote today!

A transponder key is a key with an encrypted chip embedded in its' plastic head, which communicates to the vehicle that it is an authentic key, allowing the car to be started. Most cars and trucks built 1998 and newer are equipped with an immobilizer and transponder keys. When you turn the key in the ignition, the key is checked by the receiver unit- if the receiver verifies that the key sends the correct information, then the car will start. If the receiver doesn't recognize the code sent by the key, then the car will be unable to start.

This technology was developed as a response to the vulnerabilities of old style car security, which consisted solely of an ignition lock. Criminals were able to hotwire cars, break the ignition lock, or even use shaved keys to bypass the lock cylinder- and steal the car. The use of immobilizer technology has greatly improved a cars' security level, making it exponentially more difficult to steal a car. According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2013, car thefts in the US were at their lowest levels since 1967. This major decrease in thefts can be attributed mainly to transponder technology in cars and trucks. It is said that transponder technology was a joint effort of car manufacturers and insurance companies.

A transponder key uses two types of security features. One is the physical key that needs to be cut correctly to operate the cars' mechanical locks. The second is the chip inside, which the car must read and authenticate in order for the vehicle to start. For example, if the car's ignition is broken by a thief in an attempt to steal the car- then they will fail to steal it due to the secondary security provided by the chip in the key. Replacement keys are possible through an equipped locksmith- which is usually the cheapest option when getting a new or additional key for your car or truck.

Call Cityside Locksmith for a quote @ (617) 863-0609.

Often times in the field, I see a common issue over and over again. This issue is the misalignment of door locks and strike plates, usually on homes. It is important that your locks and strike plates be properly aligned, which results in the hardware operating to its' full potential and lasting a long time. Having a misalignment can lead to degradation in the locks, difficulty in operating, or even a breach in security. I am writing this entry after visiting today a home in Winchester, MA that had lock alignment issues that were beginning to manifest as broken parts and security issues. One door had a broken latch due to an improperly installed lock, while the other door was barely even latching and could be easily pushed open without turning the door knob.

When you close your door, your keyed door knob should latch with the door snug to ensure a good weather seal. In addition, the small deadlatch pin should rest against the strike plate and not fall into the pocket. The purpose of the deadlatch feature is to lock the latch in place, which will prevent a credit card or other similar tool from being able to walk (or jimmy) the latch back. This feature only works when the small pin is depressed.
Second, if your door is equipped with a deadbolt, throwing the bolt into the locked position should be easy- there should be no friction and the pressure of the door should rest against the door knob latch. The bolt should throw completely (1"), and if not, then it is not locking into position. A deadbolt only fully locks when the bolt is allowed to fully extend. An improperly aligned deadbolt lock will lead to excessive wear, maybe a broken key, or broken internal parts.
If you believe that your door locks have poor alignment, then it is important that you call a professional locksmith to remedy the situation. Your home will be better secured and you will be helping to prevent costly lock replacements in the future.

Lock quality is important, but not necessarily the most important. A poor quality lock that is installed very well may last a long time and potentially offer better security vs. a high quality lock that is not properly installed. To fix alignment, we will start by aligning the door knob strike plate, often by moving the plate or hand filing to better fit. Only after the latch plate is aligned do we consider the deadbolt plate. For the deadbolt plate, it is recommended that a reinforcement plate be installed with long anchor screws for better security. A security plate is made of stronger material and anchors in more places. Door strike plate is an important consideration in your home's security and should not be ignored. Call Cityside Locksmith for a consultation.

 The Boston Area has a lot of old houses with old original hardware. With many of these old residential locks beginning to show their age and have problems and failures- home owners are finding they need to be replaced. Locating parts for these mortise locks can be difficult to near impossible. Buying a new mortise lock of the same quality is usually very expensive, as the hardware alone can cost $600 and often times more. The most cost effective and durable replacement is usually to modernize the door by installing a door reinforcement plate along with a commercial rated lockset. The attached pictures are of work completed in Somerville, MA. The work involved the replacement of a mortise lock that had completely failed, including installation of reinforcement plate and commercial entry lock. If you are experiencing problems with your locks, give Cityside Locksmith a call today- we can offer multiple fixes, advise and guide to the most appropriate solution.

Have you lost the keys to your Ford vehicle and tried calling the dealer only to discover that they will only make keys to cars that are less than 10 years old? Frustrating and unreal. But at Cityside Automotive Locksmith, we make keys to all Ford vehicles- whether 1 year old or 50 years old.  The procedure is fast, and we come to you. It entails decoding your car's lock cylinder, and cutting a new key. We will program the vehicle as well if the key has a chip. We stock Ford remotes on our vans as well.

Ford ignition lock cylinders are generally well built and long lasting. The exception to this rule would be the ignition lock used on the Focus for the models years 2000-2006. The ignitions during these years can frequently experience issues that manifest after years of inserting and removing the key on a regular basis. These issues include difficulty in getting lock to turn, inability to get the lock to turn, or even a key getting stuck with the lock unable to be turned all the way to the off position.
These problems are due to a combination of low quality wafers (tumblers) and heavy use of the lock, such as frequent on and off of the lock, or heavy key rings hanging. If we are able to turn the lock, it can be repaired good as new. If we are unable to turn the lock cylinder, then it needs to be drilled for removal; and a new ignition lock cylinder would be coded to the existing key and installed. If the key also appears to be excessively worn, we will sometimes recommend that a new key be issued, cut onsite and by Ford specifications- to prevent premature wear of the new internal parts or the replacement lock cylinder. Cityside Automotive Locksmith serving Greater Boston is very familiar with this issue and competent in properly resolving the issue. Our prices will be much cheaper than what the dealership charges, and we come to you!

At Cityside Locksmith, we believe in being honest and fair. We will suggest alternatives that will be more practical and save you money. Many people may be unaware that locks can be rekeyed, saving on new hardware purchases and unnecessary expenditures, Rekeying a lock entails taking apart a lock and changing the internal pins, resulting in a new key being used to operate the lock. Its is a way to change your locks without changing the physical hardware, and is an option that is recommended in many different scenarios to solve security concerns or even add convenience to your life. You'll usually want to rekey the locks to your house or car because of a break-in, theft or act of vandalism. You may also wish to rekey your locks if you lose your keys, if you feel that too many others have copies of your keys or if you want the convenience of having one key operate all your properties' locks. We hope to assist you with your security concerns, and aim to impress. Call Cityside Locksmith today!