jhawkcole

This topic has been discussed a few times on the board her,e but my problem was a bit different than anything I could find anywhere online.

This was the page that helped me figure out what my problem was.

But most of the problems that people were having was that they got their key to go in the lock, but they couldn't get their key to turn the lock. My problem was a bit different, where I couldn't get my key to even go into the lock (most of the time) past about a half of an inch, but once it was in, there were no problems turning the car on normally.

I went to the local Lexus dealership (Hendrick Lexus here in Kansas City), and they were no help. The car is old enough that the parts guy was utterly clueless about anything having to do with this car. He looked through the system for the ignition lock cylinder, of which there are only 14 left in the country as of this writing, with the closest being in Dallas. This wouldn't really work for me, because I had gone from no problems at all, to an almost unusable lock in about 2 (maybe 3) weeks, it would have been another 3 to 4 days before they even got the part in and I was afraid that by that time I wouldn't be able to get my key to work at all given the rate of progression thus far. Not to mention the price they wanted for it. I know dealerships are always expensive, but good lord, they wanted $230 (or so) for this little lock! Online I found it anywhere from $96 up to $110 depending on where you got it from.

Anyway, I decided to go a different route, and rather than having it replaced, I went with what was suggested in that link up above, and I went to a local locksmith that specialized in car keys and he rebuilt the lock and cut me a fresh key from the VIN for $55. I also opted to get another key cut for $13 so that i have a spare.

Hope this helps someone!

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

That's a serious bargain. The locksmiths here charge $45 per blank to cut.