The ignition takes a lot of wear: thousands of turns of the key over the years, often with a heavy key ring pulling on it. Eventually the barrel wears out, the key sticks or the car stops responding. This is our speciality, and in most cases we repair it on the spot.
Signs your ignition needs attention
- The key is stiff and only turns after jiggling
- The key won't turn at all, or turns and stops halfway
- The key gets stuck and won't come out
- The key turns, but nothing happens: no dash lights or no crank
- The steering wheel stays locked when you turn the key
Spotting it early matters. A barrel that's only stiff today is cheaper to fix than one that has jammed with a broken key inside.
Barrel or switch: two different faults
The ignition barrel is the metal lock you put the key into. When its small internal parts (wafers) wear, the key stops lining up and won't turn. We can usually rebuild the barrel to match your existing key, so you don't need new keys.
The ignition switch is the electrical part behind the barrel. When it fails, the key turns normally but the car loses power, the dash flickers or the engine won't crank. We test it and replace it if needed.
Not sure which one it is? That's what our diagnostics are for.
Mercedes and push-start cars
Many Mercedes models don't have a traditional barrel. They have an EIS (electronic ignition switch) and often an ESL (electronic steering lock). Both can fail and stop the car starting. See Mercedes EIS repair and ESL repair.
What it costs
Ignition repair starts from the price shown above. The final price depends on the car and on whether the barrel can be rebuilt or needs replacing. You'll know it before we set off.
Where we work
South London and Surrey, 24/7: Croydon, Sutton, Kingston, Wimbledon, Streatham, Lewisham, Epsom, Redhill and Reigate, and the areas around them (SE, SM, CR, SW, KT and RH postcodes).