Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across San Gabriel
Rekeying a lock in San Gabriel means swapping the internal pins inside your existing cylinder so old keys stop working, no new hardware required. Most rekey jobs on San Gabriel homes run $25 to $45 per cylinder, with a trip charge of $49 to $89 depending on which part of the city you’re in. That price is confirmed in writing before a tech ever leaves the shop. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll walk you through exactly what your rekey will cost on the phone.
We know San Gabriel’s streets, from the ranch homes off Del Mar Avenue to the post-war tracts north of Las Tunas Drive. When a homeowner near the San Gabriel Mission calls about handing over keys after a sale or a tenant move-out, we already know what hardware they’re likely dealing with before we arrive. That local familiarity means a faster job and a price that holds up once we’re standing at your door.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is San Gabriel’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Kevin Yoon runs our operation with a simple rule: the price you agree to on the phone is the price on your invoice. No driveway renegotiation. San Gabriel customers tell us that’s the reason they recommend us to neighbors on Adelyn Drive and friends off South Mission Drive. We don’t tease a low number and then invent pad charges once the van is parked.
Every tech who arrives in San Gabriel is background-checked, uniformed, and carrying a written work order with the exact price you approved. Before we knock, you get a live arrival time you can track, and after the job we send before-and-after photos along with your digital invoice. That’s the Relay Visibility Guarantee, and it’s stamped on every job we do in San Gabriel.
Our call line is answered by a live person 24/7. When you call (409) 405-4485 at 9 a.m. or 9 p.m., you’re talking to someone who can quote your rekey and book the dispatch right then. No voicemail trees, no waiting for a callback while you stand outside your own house.
We’re trained and equipped to service the hardware already installed across San Gabriel, from original Kwikset KW1 cylinders to Schlage deadbolts and Medeco high-security locks on commercial doors. If your lock is worth rekeying, our tech has the pins, tools, and know-how to do it correctly on the first trip.
Keyed Alike in San Gabriel
Keyed Alike is the rekey service most San Gabriel homeowners on streets like Holly Avenue actually need when they say “rekey my locks.” It means repinning every lock on the property so one key turns them all. In a 1950s ranch near San Gabriel High School, that usually includes the front Schlage deadbolt, a Kwikset knob on the side door, and maybe a back patio lock, all currently on three different keys.
Rekey Locks is our core trade, and keyed alike is the job we do most in San Gabriel. The standard setup is two to four cylinders, quoted at $25 to $45 per cylinder plus the trip charge. Before a tech leaves, you’ll have a written price covering every lock on the list and the full trip. Nothing else gets added after we arrive.
When Buying or Renting a Home
New homeowners closing on a place off Los Robles Avenue or Del Mar Avenue don’t know how many copies of the previous key are floating around. Contractors, cleaners, pet sitters, the seller’s cousin who “just needed to grab something.” Keyed alike on move-in day resets control. The old keys stop working at every door at the same moment we finish pinning the last cylinder.
One Key for Every Door
Landlords in San Gabriel’s older rental stock bring us Kwikset knobs and Schlage deadbolts mixed on the same house. We can key those alike regardless of brand, as long as each cylinder has the same keyway. That’s the honest limit. If one lock is a KW1 keyway and another is a Schlage C keyway, we’ll tell you before we quote, not after we’ve taken the lock apart.
Rekey Deadbolt in San Gabriel
Rekey Deadbolt work in San Gabriel focuses on the main security point of the front door, and on most homes here that’s a Schlage or Kwikset deadbolt installed decades ago. The job means removing the cylinder from the deadbolt housing, swapping the pin stack inside, and reinstalling it so the old key no longer turns. A single deadbolt rekey in San Gabriel runs $25 to $45 for the cylinder, before the trip charge.
A deadbolt that binds or needs jiggling might not be cured by rekeying alone. In some San Gabriel homes, the cylinder itself is worn to the point where fresh pins still leave the key stiff or sticky. Our tech will inspect the cylinder before pinning it, and if replacement is the honest fix, we’ll show you the worn part and quote the replacement in writing before any extra work begins.
After a Break-In or Attempt
If a deadbolt was forced or drilled, rekeying only fixes the key-control problem. The bolt, strike plate, or cylinder housing may also have damage. Our tech checks the full throw of the deadbolt after repinning and tests it under pressure. What we don’t do is rekey a deadbolt that’s structurally failing and call it fixed.
Move-Out and Tenant Turnover
Landlords in San Gabriel who rekey deadbolts between every tenant avoid the awkward discovery that a former renter still has a working key. We pin a fresh key set into the existing deadbolt in under an hour and hand you the new keys, while the old keys become scrap metal. Write-up includes the key code so you can order copies later without rekeying again.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Gabriel
We service the brands already on San Gabriel doors: Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale are the ones we see most often on homes and small businesses here. Our vans carry pin kits and common replacement cylinders for these keyways, which helps avoid a second trip when a cylinder turns out to be worn. If you’re upgrading to a Medeco or Mul-T-Lock high-security cylinder, Kevin Yoon can walk you through what that costs and whether it’s worth it for your setup. For most San Gabriel homes, we recommend rekeying the quality hardware you already have rather than swapping in cheap new locks.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in San Gabriel Homes
- Worn original cylinders on post-war hardware. Homes built in the 1950s and 1960s north of Las Tunas often still have their first Kwikset or Schlage cylinders. Years of use wear down internal pins, so a straight repin leaves the key turning rough. We inspect the cylinder and tell you straight if replacement makes more sense.
- Phone quotes that change in the driveway. San Gabriel homeowners repeatedly tell us someone quoted a low rekey price over the phone, then found “unexpected problems” once on site. Our price includes the trip and every cylinder on the list, in writing, before a van leaves the shop.
- Scope mismatch on side gates and keypads. Renters and buy-ers often ask for a “rekey” but actually need keyed alike on three entry doors plus a keypad handle on the side gate. We itemize all of it before you approve anything, so the invoice doesn’t surprise you.
- Mixed brands with different keyways. A front door Schlage and a side door Kwikset can’t always be keyed alike if the keyways don’t match. We’ll tell you during the quote, not after the locks are apart on the ground.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in San Gabriel, CA
A standard rekey in San Gabriel runs $25 to $45 per cylinder, and the trip charge to San Gabriel is $49 to $89 depending on your neighborhood and time of day. Keyed alike on three doors normally lands between $124 and $224 all in, trip included. A single deadbolt rekey on a home near the Mission District is usually $74 to $134 total.
What moves the price: how many cylinders you need pinned, whether you want them keyed alike, and whether any cylinder needs replacement because it’s too worn to repin cleanly. You’ll know every number before we dispatch. The quote includes the trip, the labor, and any new keys cut for the fresh pinning. Call (409) 405-4485 and get your written estimate while you’re on the line.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Gabriel
Beyond San Gabriel, our techs run rekey jobs in San Marino, Temple City, Alhambra, and Rosemead on the same dispatch system and with the same written-price rule. If you own a rental in San Gabriel and a second one in Alhambra, we can key them both to your master key system in a single visit. Call (409) 405-4485 to book across city lines.
Serving San Gabriel, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Gabriel area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Rekey Locks in San Gabriel
Yes. Rekeying means we repin the cylinder already inside your Kwikset or Schlage lock, so the old key stops working and a new key operates the same hardware. Most San Gabriel homes we visit never need a new lock, just fresh pins inside the cylinder. We’ll tell you if your cylinder is too worn to rekey cleanly, and only then quote a replacement. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate.
Yes. The price covers the trip to your San Gabriel home plus every cylinder you want rekeyed, keyed alike or individually. Nothing is added when the tech arrives. The written quote is the price on the invoice. We know the driveway upsell is common in this trade, and we built our entire booking process around killing it. Call (409) 405-4485 to get your all-in number now.
Before the tech arrives in San Gabriel, you get a live tracking link with their name, photo, and ETA. They show up in a Preston uniform with a marked van and a written work order showing the price you approved. Every tech is background-checked, and Kevin Yoon runs the dispatch list personally. If anything doesn’t match, don’t open the door, call us back at (409) 405-4485 and we’ll confirm instantly.
Most single-family homes in San Gabriel take 45 to 75 minutes for a full keyed alike across three doors. A single deadbolt rekey takes about 20 minutes once the tech is at your door. Total time on site moves with cylinder wear: original Kwikset cylinders on 1950s hardware sometimes need extra attention if the pins are gummed or corroded. We’ll give you a realistic window on the phone.
If the deadbolt throws smoothly and the cylinder isn’t worn, rekeying is the better deal. You keep the hardware, change the key, and save the cost of a new deadbolt plus installation. If the bolt binds, the cylinder is worn, or the strike plate is loose, replacement may be needed. Our tech will test the deadbolt and show you the condition before recommending anything. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll walk you through what applies to your door.
Need a rekey today? Call (409) 405-4485. We’ll quote the full job in writing before anyone is dispatched, and a background-checked Preston tech will arrive at your San Gabriel address with a live tracking link, a uniform, and the price you already approved. No phone tag, no driveway surprises. That’s the whole promise.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving San Gabriel since 2008.






