San Francisco neighborhood
Salt air is hard on a lock
Out past Park Presidio the fog comes in wet and the air carries salt. Door locks, garage locks and gate locks out here corrode years before the same hardware would in the Mission. That, and the beach, shape most of what we do in the Outer Richmond.
Locks that rust from the inside
A lock near the ocean looks fine on the outside long after the springs and pins inside have started to corrode. The key gets stiff, then sticky, then one day it won't turn at all. We replace a lot of front door, side gate and garage locks out here, and we recommend hardware that holds up: solid brass or stainless cylinders, and a little maintenance each year.
Garages are a Richmond specialty. The house sits over the garage, the side door is the one everyone uses, and when its lock fails the family is on the sidewalk. We open those without damage and replace the lock on the spot.
Keys lost at Ocean Beach
Surfers, dog walkers, and anyone who sat on the sand for an hour: car keys end up in the water or under the sand at Ocean Beach more often than anywhere else in the city. We drive to the lot at the Great Highway and build the key beside the car, including for cars with no key left.
For regulars we make a plain metal key, no chip, that opens the door only. It lives in a wetsuit or a pocket while the real key stays locked inside the car. Ask us about it; it costs little and saves a long afternoon.
What people in 94121 call us for
House and apartment lockout
Front door and garage side door lockouts, opened without damage.
Lock change and rekey
Corroded locks replaced with hardware that survives the fog.
Car keys and fobs
Keys made at Ocean Beach when the original went into the water; door-only metal keys for surfers.
Car lockout
Cars opened at the beach lots and along Clement with the keys inside.
How the price works
Replacing a salt-damaged lock is priced by the hardware, and we will tell you which models last out here. A beach key job is priced like any car key: by make, model and key type.
Free on-site estimate on most jobs, and the final price is said before any work starts. You can still say no.
Questions from the Richmond
Why do my locks keep sticking out here?
My car key went into the ocean. Can you make one at the beach?
What is a surf key?
Can you open my garage side door without breaking it?
Locked out in the Richmond, or lost a key at the beach?
Call. The van comes to the house or the parking lot.