Sawtelle Lock & Key

This place is a little hard to find but if you follow the pictures/​signs that are posted above you’ll have no problem. It’s open 8.00am-5.00pm (M-​F) and 8.00am-1.00p (Sat); they are closed Sunday. I went here to have a do not duplicate apartment key duped (sorry landlord not paying $ 50) and they had me in and out of there in less than five minutes. It cost $ 2.00. I would definitely come back if I needed any other keys duped. They can also do car keys!

This place is a drop hard to find, as it is BEHIND a Wells Fargo in a strip center at Sepulveda and Palms. However, to find it is the treasure. I was referred to them by my local favorite auto repair shop (for my one car that is out of warranty) Baizer and Grimmett on Santa Monica Blvd., who are the greatest around W.L.A. for auto repair. I had an issue on my older Ford wagon with the key ignition tumbler/​cylinder which was starting to have a problem turning to start. I went to Santa Monica Ford (now that Buerge is gone) and they wanted 140 just for the cylinder and 420 (almost 4 hours labor) estimate for the install. I called Sawtelle and asked them if they wanted me to pick up the cylinder while I was there and how much for the install. Wilfred, the owner said, «bring it in first, sometimes we can fix the key». Well, he checked it and it DID, unfortunately, need a new cylinder. However, they got me a new cylinder, installed it in 1.5 hours while I had sushi at a local joint, sat and wrote checks (yeah, some of us still do that) and read a magazine. The charge was, with cylinder, 175 total… and I was on my way. They are also nice people in a very clean shop. If that doesn’t rate a 5 star, I don’t know what does. Great experience.

Came here with a very hard motorcycle key to get a copy made after 3 other shops turned me down and wanted nothing to do with it. These guys would not say no, they were so determined. Spent nearly 30 min finding something that would work and it paid off in the end. Great shop, super motivated and they obviously love what hey do.
If you’re having trouble finding the shop it’s on the back side of Wells Fargo.

This place is super hard to find and charge me of high price! $ 2 for a normal key, and $ 5 for the key coined with «do not duplicable». My friend just got a bunch of key for $ 3 in another place, skip here.

Fast. Inexpensive. Efficient. Way better than dealer. Got a new key. Fixed my remote with battery change at no extra charge as opposed to telling me I needed a new one. Wilfredo. Armani. Renee — good guys!

Look for them behind Ugly Sushi and Wells Fargo building. They were fast, friendly, and they even gave my little dog some water while I waited for my keys to be made! Good place to get your key projects handled!

Had to go here for a house key copy, they charged me $ 5 per key. crazy…

5 stars. Sawtelle Lock and Key get the job done. This time in particular, I needed a replacement key for a car with a passive anti theft system. My options boiled down to going to a dealership service department or finding an automotive locksmith that programmed these «chipped» keys (they also work on transponder/​keyless entry remote key fobs). Until car dealerships change the way they do business, I’m always going to seek out more local and sensible alternatives. However, not every locksmith is an automotive locksmith and has the tools/​equipment to program chipped keys or remote key fobs.
Enter Sawtelle Lock and Key, a bit hidden, at the corner of Sepulveda and Palms. A fellow Unilocaler referred to «behind Burger King», which can get you there. It’s in the separate building that houses Ugly Roll and Danish Cleaners (recently went out of business, boo…), but on the opposite/​back side of said storefronts. Small signs in the parking lot almost «hidden in plain sight» help direct you.
The two older gentlemen who helped me were attentive and got the job done in less than about 15 minutes. They are a full-​service locksmith, including their work with automotive keys and emergency locksmith services. I would definitely recommend Sawtelle Lock and Key to family and friends in the area who may be in need of a general locksmith or more specifically of car keys/​remotes.
Verdict: Conveniently located (just a bit hidden at first), friendly and personable service, reasonable prices. Works for me, especially for automotive key-​related work, so «Woohoo! As good as it gets!»
Note: when I went [second week of November 2011], the credit card machine was broken, so I had to pay cash.

Check my filtered review. It is an honest account of what happened to me. That Unilocal is filtering out negative reviews is a shame, considering how vulnerable people are who visit dishonest shops.

Forget about going to the dealership to get a new car key made — they charge $ 160+ These guys made me a new key in 5 minutes and it only cost $ 85. And he even threw in a free keychain for me!

Well I needed my new lock cylinder changed to fit my existing key. Bundy Lock and Key recommended these guys as the only locksmith around who work on cars.
I showed up around 11am was told that it would be ready in about an hour. I came back and it was ready as promised. $ 35 bucks which isn’t that bad for someone to work on something for probably 20 – 30 minutes but still more than the new lock cylinder had been. Too bad Honda doesn’t let you order replacement lock cylinder’s already matched to your existing keys:(
Its kinda a dump, stuff and keys everywhere, tiny little place but they seem to do good work! At least they take credit cards. They are kind of hard to find but as the employee on the phone said «behind the Burger King» is exactly right. But a pleasant experience.