Effective use of Rocker Picks

[gknight1982]

Im getting ready to start my own auto lockout business. I have been hitting the junkyards and all and was curious on how reliable or successful Rocker Picks are?

[Solomon]

I hope for your sake you really know your stuff! I mean no offense when I say this, but auto jigglers aren't something you'd be asking unless you only had this idea very recently. How long have you been planning this, and how much do you know about what you're doing? Before you think about anything you need to seriously consider your existing competition and have a workable plan for market penetration aswell.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know more than your post puts across though. I'm abbreviating certain things and putting them in quotes because you should know what they're short for, and any bad people who come across this aren't gonna start a life of crime in auto theft with the information. Considering you know your stuff, that's a fair deal, and it means I'm not breaking the rules by talking about advanced material either.

So... jiggler/tryout keys. They're not the best, but they do work for basic wafer mechanisms. If you insist on getting these instead ofa decent set of auto picks, I'd suggest getting a seperate "T" tool; using them one handed as intended is pretty rubbish and it doesn't look professional either. As you should know, "2-t and 4-t" wafer systems require "I-G" tools whch are a bit expensive and you need different ones for each brand of vehicle.

For that reason, it's my opinion that you'd be better off with standard "BP" tools, but you need to be familiar with the different "L" systems each type of car uses and have a decent amount of practice with them before going out into the business world with them in your van. That's why they do big expensive courses on this stuff. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make a cup of "C".

[CaptHook]

You will find that most openings arent done by turning the lock plug. Do some SERIOUS research on the matter/meaning take a course. If you think that you can buy some tools, and practice on junkyard junkers and thats all there is to it, you are mistaken. On top of the knowledge you need to have of opening the vehicles, you will need to concern yourself with insurance to cover possible damage. You will need to know how to fix linkages etc if you do the wrong thing while you are in the door....... Lots to learn and think about before you can make a legitimate go at it. Its not abracadabra wheres my 50 bucks.
Chuck

[gknight1982]

wow thats geat advice Inver thought of that way. I took a small course with pennfoster. I have to say though first and foremost I have alot to learn but Being in a junk yard taking apart the panels opening locks I have learn more by doing stuff by myself than reading through these courses. I am not a person that can read 200 pages and still show interest in the material I actually have to have a visual on this I have literature in my apartment for reference but in the end I have to be out there and see it. The question was curiousiity I recognized my mistake in asking it expecting someone to tell me thats my bad. but I have been through the coursees I need something hands-on im not a material reader with visual aids and supplies on the side. Penn foster cant send you a beat up car that hasnt been used for awhile to impression a key to the ignition to service the lock and what not. thats why I am at the junkyard everyday...trust me a got material.

[FarmerFreak]

You will find that most openings arent done by turning the lock plug.

This is entirely dependent on the locksmiths skill. Over 90 percent of my auto lockouts are done by turning the plug. Everyone else that I work with,...well, you can reverse that number.

As you should know, "2-t and 4-t" wafer systems require "I-G" tools whch are a bit expensive and you need different ones for each brand of vehicle.

I don't own any "I-G" tools, I know what they are, but they aren't required. Simpler tools will do fine, But not if you don't have a deep understanding of what you are doing and what is going on.

I also don't have any auto-jigglers. I don't think highly of them. That said, there is no substitution for practice and experience. If you haven't had a chance to really practice with a specific lock (that includes taking one apart), don't try to pick it on a customers vehicle. You could easily regret attempting to pick something you don't fully understand.

[Solomon]

I don't own any "I-G" tools, I know what they are, but they aren't required. Simpler tools will do fine, But not if you don't have a deep understanding of what you are doing and what is going on.

That's something I'm lacking, personally. I don't deal with car locks much, but I've seen the decoders and how the makeup keys for certain manufacturers work so I guess I could figure it out if I had a look at that stuff again. You have to admit though, those IG tools are pretty snazzy, fast too!

[FarmerFreak]

You have to admit though, those IG tools are pretty snazzy, fast too!

I'll agree they are cool. I just don't need them, nor do I want to pay for them. And then you may need a new one every time a manufacture makes a relatively small and otherwise meaningless change.

[loki-aka]

Don't enter this area of the business unless you are really commited.

Working on cars in a scrap yard is helpfull, but not like working on a customer's car. If something goes wrong on a customer's car, you just can't walk away. Imagine if you snag and break a wire harness while probing with your
U-T-G tool. You are going be be responsible for fixing it. Scratch the customer's paint and he is going to
expect you to pay for repaint/ body work or at least touch- up paint. The liabilities are many.

Best of luck, though.

[gknight1982]

I understanding what you are saying loki-aka but every locksmith that Ive talked to have told me a great way to avoid disasters like the one you have stated is by going to a junkyard ripping everything apart see how the inside looks and operates disconnecting things etc. you cant get that type of hands on training by simply reading a book or taking a course. If you break something in a junkyard there is no liability at all. You can move to the next car. Many junkyards i have seen have new and old car. You cant beat that. In my Pennfoster course the only way to insure liability doesnt happen is practice pratice practice. My question then is are if junkyards are only helpful or not a good idea at all then wjhere do you get the practice nessessary to insure the disasters dont occur. Most locksmith business in my town dont hire people they dont know. Its tight knit You can forget getting help from ALOA or a state or local association. Aloa just pointed me out to several schools. Ive already done pennfoster. I can pick most residential locks and rekey those locks. I got a key cutting m achine etc. commercial locks and installatiion i got down through the course.. I in the past have stayed away from automobiles. The only way for me right now to make a living is to focus on lockouts car and home because the rest of the market where I live is brutal. Going mobile on these smaller things can make me 400$ to 500$ a week. I have done my research on that.

[Eyes_Only]

Something else no one has mentioned yet is the possibility of competing with your local scammers who takes away your business left and right, and by scammer I mean both those who are not licensed or those who are, but quotes low on the phone and raise the price once they arrive. And many of these unsavory "locksmith" or "lockout specialists" are in the business by just offering lockout services. What determines who the customer goes with is often based on which person they call will hardly charge a thing for the service they provide.

In our area we often got calls from customers who asks us to unlock their car cos they left the keys in there but apparently someone has told them during their wasteful existance on this planet that locksmiths will provide these services for free. I say this cos many will be taken aback and straight out offended to learn that you charge something to go and open their vehicle professionally (you gotta learn to deal with these kinds of people too).

This is when they start shopping around and contacts a "scammer" through a number in the phone book (those phone book companies don't care if a business is legit or not) and is offered a very very low and unbelievable price. Guess who they're gonna go with? Someone who has spent years of research and tons of their own money to become proficient or someone who'll do it for next to nothing?

We used to think running a profitable business was a challange in the past, but now it can be a downright painful experience sometimes based on each persons particular area.

Not trying to discourage you or anything and I totally support those who go into this business ethically and professionally but these are some of the things I've experienced during my short time as a locksmith for just lockout calls and I'm just sharing them as they really are. Things are getting tough and it doesn't look like they'll get any easier.

[gknight1982]

Eyes_only that is a great perspective. I acually know a guy that just does lockouts and rekeying he charges 35$ whereas more established ones charge 60$. A good friend of mine told me the reason why businesses in my area charge more is becasue the local business told him when he worked there he could set the price of the service and whatever he made half of that goes back to the business. Its a real balence but if you think about alot of them in my area send people to good schools that teach them everything they need to know about the business. You have to put equipment taxes gas to get there and everything else to keep an honest business alive I dont see really a difference in the end. Charging more money may equal better service than the guy I know who charges 35$ who may not think its worth it driving to the otherside of town to do a job.

[Eyes_Only]

Yeah I'm not trying to recommend low balling your price cos that would probably give you a less of a professional image to your customers and won't win over any other local locksmiths as friends either.

This depends again on the area you service but there is a good chance you'll have to compete with the low ballers and scammers the first few years until you build a name and reputation for your business.

[FarmerFreak]

Eyes-only has a point. Where I work, I am one of ten mobile locksmiths. On a normal day I am the only one that does the auto lockouts. Even with me being the only one doing these lockouts (where I work, not including competitors). There normally isn't enough lockouts to keep me busy. I imagine that if you were to do it as a one man business, you couldn't make a living off of just lock outs. It would still be a good thing to be able to do though, simply to compliment the other work.

Also. It's hard to say for sure, but I think we have gotten a few more lockouts since Dependable got shut down. Though there are other scammers, and this may only be speculation. It could also just be because it's the winter season.