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.
Medeco Rekey Locks in Los Angeles: What to Know First
We rekey Medeco locks across Los Angeles as an independent Medeco service provider, typically finishing a standard single-cylinder rekey in 45 to 90 minutes once we’re at your door. Rekeying is the process of swapping the internal pins inside the lock cylinder so your old keys stop working and new keys operate the same hardware. You won’t find vague hourly rates here. Kevin Yoon and our team give you a written price before any work begins, and that’s the exact number on your invoice.
This page is for homeowners and business operators in Los Angeles who already own Medeco hardware and need it rekeyed, whether it’s one deadbolt in Silver Lake or a full commercial key system in the Wilshire corridor. If you want a real number on the phone, call us at (409) 405-4485.
How Medeco Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
Medeco builds genuinely tough locks, but after years of service in Los Angeles, we see the same handful of issues come up again and again. Here’s what actually goes wrong, line by line.
- Medeco Maxum deadbolts and seized tailpieces. This is the single most common failure we see across L.A. The Maxum uses a reinforced tailpiece that threads through the bolt assembly, and in older installations where the strike plate was never properly aligned, the tailpiece binds. The key turns, the cylinder rotates, but the bolt won’t retract. The fix usually involves realigning the bolt’s housing and replacing the worn tailpiece retainer before rekeying the cylinder to match.
- Medeco Biaxial and M3 cylinders with worn driver pins. Medeco’s angled cuts and sidebar design mean precision matters. After eight to ten years of daily use, the driver pins inside a Biaxial or M3 cylinder develop micro-flats that make a key feel gritty or refuse to turn unless you jiggle it. A rekey here isn’t just swapping pins. We inspect every pin chamber, replace any worn driver pins, and re-time the sidebar so the new key action is smooth, not mushy.
- Medeco X4 SFIC cores with frozen control pins. We see these in L.A. commercial buildings, apartment entries, and a surprising number of mid-century homes that were upgraded back in the day. The control pin sleeve inside an SFIC core can accumulate dust and oxidized brass, especially in buildings near the coast where salt air creeps in. When that sleeve sticks, the core won’t release for rekeying. We use a controlled solvent bath and a brass pick to free the sleeve without marring the core, then rekey and lube everything back to factory feel.
- Key-in-knob Medeco cylinders in Baldwin handlesets with collapsing spring cages. This one is less about Medeco and more about the marriage between a Medeco cylinder and a Baldwin chassis. The spring cage inside the knob that returns the key to neutral can fatigue and crack. You’ll feel the key turn, but the knob won’t spring back. Since we service Baldwin hardware alongside Medeco, we replace the cage with an OEM-grade part and rekey the cylinder in the same visit. No need for two different vendors.
- Medeco M3 padlocks and shackle corrosion on perimeter gates. Los Angeles has hard water and, depending on where you are, meaningful morning condensation. Outdoor gate padlocks, especially the M3 brass-body series, develop green oxidation around the shackle and inside the keyway. The key goes in, but the tumblers are so gummed up that turning is a fight. We clean the keyway, rekey the cylinder, and treat the shackle and body with a dry graphite-based lubricant. WD-40 is not your friend here. It attracts dust and turns to paste in our climate. We never use it on Medeco hardware.
Our Medeco Rekey Locks Process
Here’s what a Medeco rekey looks like when you call Preston Locksmith & Security, step by step.
- 1
Call and get a written price. We answer live, 24/7. Tell us what you have, what’s going on with it, and we’ll quote you a firm range based on the cylinder count and hardware type. That price is in writing before we dispatch anyone. No call-out surcharge added on arrival, no pressure to add services you didn’t ask for.
- 2
We arrive when we said we would. You get a live trackable arrival time through The Relay Visibility Guarantee. You’ll know who’s coming, what they look like, and when they’ll be at your door. Background-checked, uniformed technician, no surprises.
- 3
Diagnostics on the spot. The technician checks the cylinder, keyway, and any related hardware. If a part needs replacing beyond the pins, they’ll show you, explain what it does, and quote the add-on in writing before touching it.
- 4
Rekey with the right parts. For Medeco cylinders, we use OEM Medeco pins and springs where the cylinder is still under warranty or where aftermarket tolerances could cause binding. On out-of-warranty cylinders where we’ve verified fitment, quality aftermarket pins from established brass suppliers can save you money without compromising the lock’s action. We’ll tell you which route we recommend and why, with the price of each.
- 5
Test everything. The rekeyed cylinder gets cycled multiple times with the new key, checked for smooth rotation, sidebar engagement, and proper key removal. We also test the door’s alignment and throw the bolt with the door open and closed.
- 6
Photos and a written guarantee. You get before-and-after photos of the work, a digital invoice with a pay link, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise stamped on the job. If it’s not done right, we make it right. Free second visit if the repair fails. No charge, no argument.
What Medeco Rekey Locks Costs in Los Angeles
Here are honest price ranges for the Medeco rekey scenarios we handle most across Los Angeles. These are per-cylinder or per-job figures, not hourly rates that balloon while someone fights traffic on the 10.
- Standard Medeco single-cylinder deadbolt rekey (Maxum, Biaxial, M3): $35 to $65 per cylinder, depending on the cylinder’s condition and whether we’re rekeying to an existing Medeco key or cutting new keys.
- Medeco double-cylinder deadbolt rekey: $60 to $100 per lock, since you’re rekeying two sides of the same lock.
- Medeco X4 SFIC core rekey: $45 to $85 per core, with core removal, cleaning, and control key verification included.
- Full house rekey, Medeco hardware throughout (3 to 6 cylinders): $120 to $280, depending on cylinder count, keying schedule, and whether new Medeco keys need to be cut and coded.
- Medeco padlock rekey (M3, brass body): $25 to $45 per padlock, including keyway cleaning.
What moves the price is cylinder condition, whether you need new keys cut from a Medeco key card, and how many cylinders are involved. A seized SFIC core takes longer to free than a clean Maxum deadbolt. You’ll get the full quote on the phone before we dispatch, and it is the price on your invoice. The estimate is free. Call (409) 405-4485 and Kevin or one of our techs will give you an exact number.
Why Los Angeles Homeowners Call Preston Locksmith & Security for Medeco Work
We’re not a call center that dispatches whoever happens to be nearby. Kevin Yoon grew up in Koreatown, learned the trade at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, and has been working on L.A. locks, including plenty of high-security Medeco hardware, for years. When he started this company, he did it partly because his mother got burned by a bait-and-switch locksmith. Quoted one price on the phone, handed a much bigger bill at the door. Kevin decided someone in this city should just tell people the real number upfront.
Real price on the phone. Same price at the door. That’s it.
Beyond Medeco, we service Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware. That matters when your Medeco cylinder lives inside a Baldwin handleset or you need to rekey a mix of brands in one visit. One call covers it all. Every job includes The Relay Visibility Guarantee: a written price before work begins, a live trackable arrival time, before-and-after photos, and a written guarantee on the repair. Founded in 2008, independently owned and operated, and backed by people who actually pick up the phone.
FAQs
No. Rekeying a Medeco lock with OEM Medeco pins does not void the manufacturer’s warranty. The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, not routine maintenance like rekeying. However, if a Medeco cylinder is under the manufacturer’s warranty and a part inside has failed, we often recommend going through Medeco’s warranty path for that part rather than fitting an aftermarket replacement, which could affect the remaining coverage. As an independent Medeco service provider, we’re not authorized by Medeco, but we know which repairs belong in their hands and which ones we can handle same day.
A standard single-cylinder Medeco rekey takes 45 to 90 minutes once our technician arrives. A full house with four to six Medeco cylinders usually runs two to three hours. If you have SFIC cores that need freeing or a padlock that’s corroded, that adds time. We’ll give you an honest window when you call. We quote the full price on the phone at (409) 405-4485 before anyone is dispatched.
We keep OEM Medeco pin kits and springs in stock for the most common rekey jobs, including Maxum, Biaxial, and M3 cylinders. For X4 SFIC cores and less common Medeco lines, we may need to source control keys or specialized pins, and we’ll tell you that before scheduling. Either way, you’ll know the timeline and price before we start, not after the cylinder is apart on your kitchen table.
Yes. If you have a Medeco key you want to keep using as your primary, we can rekey any Medeco cylinder in your home or business to match it, provided the keyway is compatible. We can also cut new Medeco keys on the spot for most common lines, including the M3 and Maxum. Key card duplication for the higher-security X4 system takes a bit longer because we need to verify the key code. We’ll tell you exactly what’s possible for your hardware when you call.
For a standard Medeco rekey in Los Angeles, our response time runs 60 to 90 minutes in central neighborhoods like Koreatown, Silver Lake, and the Wilshire corridor. Outlying areas can run closer to two hours. Lockouts and same-day security issues are prioritized. You’ll get a live trackable arrival time the moment your dispatch is confirmed, so you’re not sitting around wondering where we are. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate and an arrival window.
Contact Preston Locksmith & Security for Medeco Rekey Locks in Los Angeles
If you own Medeco hardware and you need it rekeyed, call Kevin Yoon and our team at (409) 405-4485. You’ll get a real person, a written price, and an honest answer about your hardware, whether it’s one deadbolt or a full commercial key system. We serve Los Angeles and the surrounding neighborhoods with the same approach Kevin’s been using since day one: tell people the truth, show the work, and stand behind it for a year. That’s the whole model.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner, Preston Locksmith & Security at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.