Ignition system repair and full ignition replacement, performed at your location

About ignition replacement in Austin, TX

We supply OEM or OEM-equivalent ignition assemblies and fit them in your driveway or parking space. Steering column trim comes off, the old assembly is released, the new cylinder is installed and, critically, keyed to your existing key so your doors, trunk and ignition all still share one key.

On transponder-equipped vehicles we also re-marry the immobiliser to the new assembly and verify that the transponder ring is reading cleanly, because a new cylinder with an unprogrammed ring will crank and stall.

This job is common on high-mileage trucks and older Hondas, Fords and GM vehicles across Central Texas. We carry the assemblies for the most common local models and can source anything else within a day.

Ignition system repair covers more than the lock you put the key into. A no-crank vehicle can fail at the mechanical cylinder, at the electrical switch bolted behind it, at the steering column lock, or at the immobiliser antenna ring that reads your key. We test each in sequence at the vehicle — voltage at the switch terminals in Run and Start, continuity through the starter circuit, and a transponder read at the ring — so the part we replace is the part that failed.

Two components, two different jobs. The lock cylinder is the mechanical half: wafers, cam and keyway. The ignition switch is the electrical half: a block of contacts that feeds accessory, run and start circuits. A key that will not turn is almost always the cylinder. A key that turns freely with no dash lights, or dash lights but no crank, is almost always the switch. On most columns the switch can be replaced on its own for less than a full assembly, which is why we test before quoting.

What replacement day looks like: shrouds and lower dash panel removed, battery disconnected with the airbag system given its stand-down time, the old assembly released (retaining pin on most GM and Ford columns, shear bolts on many Japanese platforms), the new unit fitted and keyed to your existing cut, the immobiliser re-married, and then the column reassembled to factory torque. We finish with ten or more start cycles plus accessory, run and lock positions before we hand the key back.

Push-button vehicles are not exempt. On keyless platforms an ignition system repair usually means the start button module, the electronic steering column lock, or the antenna coil that reads a dead fob — all of which we diagnose on-site rather than sending you to a dealer for a parts-cannon repair.

One more thing — ignition repair: not every cylinder needs replacing; ask us about an ignition rebuild first, which is usually the cheaper route.