We answer at 3am
Open 24 hours, seven days a week, public holidays included
We come to you
The van carries the workshop, so nothing gets towed anywhere
4.9 Star Reviews
Verified Google reviews from around PE
You hear the price first
We quote before we drive out, and that number does not change
Broken Car Key Replacement
Put the pliers down
When half a key is sitting inside the ignition, the natural move is to grab pliers or a bit of wire and start digging. That is what turns a small job into an expensive one. Most of the damaged ignitions we end up replacing were perfectly fine until somebody went fishing with the wrong tool.
We use extraction tools made for this exact job. They grip the broken piece and draw it straight back out along the path it went in, so your lock stays as it was.
Why keys give way
A key wears down slowly and then fails all at once. The blade thins out over years of turning, small cracks form near the shoulder where the metal takes the most strain, and one morning it snaps. A heavy keyring speeds that up, because all that weight hangs off the key while it sits in the ignition and works the metal loose.
The plastic head cracks for a different reason. Cars parked in the Eastern Cape sun cook the plastic until it goes brittle, and then one drop on the paving splits it open.
Your chip is often still fine
People assume a broken key means starting over. Often it does not. The chip sits inside the plastic head, and when that head is still in one piece we lift the chip out and fit it into a fresh key, which skips the programming and keeps the job simple.
When the head has shattered and the chip is damaged, we programme a new one at your car. Either way you drive off with a key that starts the engine.
Flip keys, remotes and buttons that stopped working
Flip keys break at the hinge. Remote fobs crack along the seam and the buttons stop making contact. In a lot of these the electronics inside are untouched and only the housing has failed, so we move everything across into a new shell and your remote works like before. That whole job is covered on our page about key casing replacement.
If the key snapped while the engine was running
Leave the car where it is and leave it running only as long as you need to. Once you switch it off you have no way to start it again. Phone us while you are still standing there and we will come to you.
Keys that turn but feel wrong
A key that has gone soft, bent or worn smooth is telling you something. Once the cuts flatten out, the pins inside the lock stop lining up properly, and you start jiggling the key to get it to turn. Ignore it for long enough and the lock wears to match the bad key. We cut you a fresh key to the original factory pattern rather than copying the worn one, which puts the lock back to turning cleanly.
We come to your car anywhere in Port Elizabeth and Gqeberha
Our vans carry blanks, cutting machines and extraction tools, so the work happens where the car is standing. Summerstrand, Humewood, Walmer, Mount Croix, Mill Park, Newton Park, Lorraine, Fairview, Sunridge Park, Westering, Kabega Park, Bluewater Bay and nearby suburbs. If you have broken down into a parking bay somewhere, tell us where and we will find you.
How broken car key replacement works
You phone and tell us what broke, where the piece is and what car you drive.
We come to your car with the extraction and cutting equipment on board.
We remove the broken piece from the ignition or the lock without forcing it.
We check whether the chip and the electronics in the old key survived.
We cut a new key to your car's original pattern instead of copying the broken one.
We reuse your chip where we can, or programme a fresh one when we need to.
You test the doors, the boot and the ignition before we leave.
We're out this way most weeks — so you'll find us near:
What affects the price of broken car key replacement?
What you pay depends on how much of the key survived and what kind of key it is:
Whether the broken piece needs to be extracted from a lock or the ignition
Whether your chip and remote electronics can be moved into a new key
The make, model and year of the car, which decides the blank and the equipment we use
Whether the lock itself got damaged before we arrived
The time of day and where in Port Elizabeth you are standing
Phone us and describe what happened. We will tell you what the job needs and what it costs before we come out.
GetKeys Auto Locksmith
51 Seaview Rd, Farms Port Elizabeth,
Gqeberha, 6390
084 513 4914
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
FAQS
My key snapped off in the ignition. Can you get it out?
Yes. We use extraction tools made for this, which pull the piece straight back out without damaging the ignition. Trying it yourself with pliers or wire is what usually causes real damage.
Can you reuse the chip from my broken key?
Usually yes, as long as the plastic head is still in one piece. We move the chip into a fresh key, which keeps the job quicker and cheaper than programming a new chip.
Why did my car key break in the first place?
The blade thins out with years of turning and cracks near the shoulder. Heavy keyrings make it worse, because the weight pulls on the key while it sits in the ignition.
Do you copy the broken key or cut a new one?
We cut to your car's original pattern wherever possible. Copying a worn or bent key passes the same fault on to the new one and wears your locks further.
My remote cracked open but the buttons still work. Do I need a whole new key?
Often not. If the electronics inside survived, we move them into a new casing and you keep your programming. That is normally the cheapest route.
Can you fix the lock if the broken key damaged it?
Yes. We repair or replace the barrel and cut keys to match, so you carry one key that opens the doors and starts the car.