Ignition Rebuild That Saved a $700 Replacement
The customer's ignition had been sticking for months and finally seized in the accessory position with the steering locked. Two repair shops quoted a complete ignition and switch replacement plus a tow, and one warned he would end up carrying a second key.
Vehicle
2012 Chevrolet Silverado
Location
Round Rock
Response
Same day
On site
80 minutes on-site
What we did
- 01
On-site diagnosis isolated the fault to a worn cylinder rather than the electrical switch behind it — confirmed by testing accessory and crank circuits directly.
- 02
Cylinder removed and disassembled on the van bench; four brass wafers were badly eroded and two springs had lost tension.
- 03
New wafers and springs fitted, housing deburred and cleaned, keyway lubricated with dry PTFE rather than an oil that would attract Texas dust.
- 04
Rebuilt cylinder re-keyed to the customer's existing key so his doors, tailgate and ignition still share one key.
- 05
Reinstalled and cycled through twelve consecutive start, accessory and lock sequences before sign-off.
The result
Total cost was under half the lowest replacement quote, with no tow bill and no second key to carry. The truck has operated without a single sticking incident in the months since.
“Everyone else wanted to replace the whole thing. He opened it up, showed me the worn wafers, and rebuilt it right there in my driveway. Still perfect.”
Same problem?
We run jobs like this every day across Austin, TX, day and night.
Ignition Repair in Round Rock — how this type of job usually runs
This 2012 Chevrolet Silverado job in Round Rock is typical of the ignition repair calls Austin Car Key Experts handles across Austin, TX. From the first phone call we confirm the year, make and model, whether any working key still exists and the exact location, which is enough to quote a firm price and dispatch the nearest van. On this call the technician was on-site in Same day and completed the work in 80 minutes on-site.
Everything was done at the vehicle. Our vans carry key blanks, a code-cutting machine and manufacturer-level programming equipment, so there was no tow, no dealership appointment and no waiting for parts to be ordered. Before any work started, ownership was verified against registration and photo identification — a step we never skip, whatever the hour.
If you are facing the same problem in Round Rock or anywhere else in Austin, TX, call (212) 918-5429. A live dispatcher answers 24 hours a day, including nights, weekends and public holidays, and the price quoted on that call is the price you pay when the job is finished.
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Austin Car Key Experts is a licensed, bonded and insured mobile auto locksmith based at 1200 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701. Our vans cover Austin, TX and the surrounding Travis, Williamson and Hays county communities with car key replacement, key fob programming, car lockouts and ignition repair — on-site, 24/7 emergency service, with an average 15–30 minutes response.
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