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Ross Dean Locksmiths remain open for emergency work. This includes persons locked in/out, unable to secure a property, or essential maintenance (e.g. difficulty locking/unlocking doors). Routine maintenance (e.g. misty windows or blown glass) should be postponed if possible until restrictions are eased.

In order to protect our customers masks/PPE will be worn where necessary. Surfaces we touch will be disinfected upon completion.

As usual NHS and blue light customers receive 10% discount.

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locksmith Forest of Dean, Ross on Wye | Ross-Dean Locksmiths (ross-deanlocksmiths.co.uk)

This Rhino vehicle bollard was either faulty – or more likely had been maliciously damaged. The key would not turn in the lock, and the lock could not be picked. Vehicles were trapped until our locksmith was able to lower the bollard for the client.

This lock was very incredibly tough and I was very impressed by the resistance it put up. If you’re considering fitting a bollard in your driveway, a Rhino bollard is well worth a look.

Here is an aftermarket car remote that we programmed for a Range Rover Sport. Aftermarket remotes are normally cheaper than genuine, but work just as well. If you want genuine remotes we can probably provide them too.

Often with this type of Range Rover battery the internal battery goes flat. The battery is soldered to the circuit board. This battery can be replaced if you are willing to get the soldering iron out or we can do it for you.

If you car doors don’t work – don’t just rely on your remote. If your remotes stop working, the vehicle battery goes flat, or you lose your car keys / lock them in, then the only way into the vehicle may be by smashing the glass. An auto locksmith may not be able to help you.

If the locks are broken and the vehicle is deadlocked then no amount of bending the door open to poke something in in the gap is going to get you in. You can’t open the door by sliding a tool between the glass and the door. You are left with 2 choices – either go through the skin of the door, or break the window glass.

I’ve been to two Ford Transits and recently with faulty locks and the remotes couldn’t be used. The cheapest option was for the vehicle owner to smash their own glass. If you are going to smash your glass it’s advisable to completely tape the entire window up to prevent a mess like that above.

In one of the Transit examples it was the second time in 6 months the owner had to smash their own glass. If only they’d got their locks fixed the first time around.

An auto locksmith is able to open most vehicles. In this example today in the Forest of Dean the keys were locked in the boot, and the car was deadlocked shut.

A national breakdown service had previously attended and were unable to open the vehicle. (In their defence this car did have a particularly difficult lock to pick). The breakdown service had tried bending the door open and shoving various bits of wire in the gap but that won’t work on a deadlocked vehicle. We opened the lock without damage using the correct tools.

If your keys are locked in a deadlocked vehicle you have 3 main options – 1) your spare key, 2) an auto locksmith, 3) smashing a window.

This week alone we’ve seen 3 vehicles where the locks were damaged/not even connected and the the remote had failed/been lost or the vehicle flat. The only option the customer had was to smash a window.

If you don’t have a spare key it is an idea to keep a good close up photograph of your key on your phone. Most auto locksmiths can cut the metal part of the key from the photograph. If the lock is too stiff to turn with a delicate locksmith tool it may still be possible to turn the lock with a key.

Customer reported an access controlled door that would not lock. The door was remotely released by a button operating an electric strike. Although the door could be unlocked remoted it was necessary to walk to the door lock it closed every time.

If you know what you’re looking at you can tell why the lock shown below would not close without intervention. The lock is not designed for use with an electric strike. It is a Chubb 3R3F, which is a variant of the Chubb 3G110 detainer lock. These locks are unusual that they use a system of linkages between the bolt and the levers. The bolt stump does not directly locate into the levers. They are one of the hardest mortice locks to pick and give very little feedback.