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 Residential Locksmith in Los Angeles: What to Know First
We’re Preston Locksmith & Security, an independent Medeco service provider in Los Angeles – not a Medeco dealer, but a team that works on Medeco residential hardware every week. Most Medeco lockouts, rekeys, and cylinder swaps in L.A. can be done same day, usually within 60 to 90 minutes of your call. A standard Medeco rekey runs $35 to $65 per cylinder, and a full Medeco deadbolt replacement typically lands between $180 and $320 installed, with the exact price in writing before we start. Real price on the phone. Same price at the door. That’s it.
If you own a Medeco Maxum deadbolt, a Medeco 11 series knob, or a Medeco key-in-lever set and something’s grinding, sticking, or won’t turn, this page tells you what’s actually wrong and what it costs to fix. Call us at (409) 405-4485 and a live person answers – no voicemail tree, no callback queue.
How Medeco Products Fail – and How We Fix Them
Medeco builds some of the most pick-resistant locks on the market, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to wear, weather, or installer error. Here’s what we see on residential Medeco jobs across Los Angeles:
- Medeco Maxum deadbolt – key turns but bolt won’t throw. The tailpiece connecting the cylinder to the bolt mechanism wears down or slips out of alignment, especially on doors that get slammed or sag from foundation settling. We open it up, replace the tailpiece with a proper Medeco-spec part, and realign the strike plate. No new cylinder needed in most cases.
- Medeco 11 series knobs – key gets stiff or won’t insert fully. Los Angeles dust and the dry Santa Ana season work crud into the pin chambers. Medeco’s angled cuts and sidebar mechanism are tighter than a standard Kwikset, so even minor grit makes the key bind. We remove the cylinder, ultrasonic-clean the plug and pins, apply the right dry lubricant, and test with your key. This is the most common fix, not a replacement.
- Medeco key-in-lever sets – lever droops or returns slowly. The return spring inside the lever housing breaks, which is a mechanical failure, not a cylinder problem. We replace the spring assembly using the correct Medeco part, keeping your existing cylinder and keys fully functional.
- Medeco ARX or older Medeco Classic cylinders – key works in one direction but not both. That’s almost always a worn shear line or a pin that’s cracked. The fix is a full pin replacement, not a new lock, and we re-cut the key to match the fresh pins. The total cost runs $45 to $75 per cylinder, and it’s done on site.
- Newly installed Medeco deadbolt – bolt binds against the strike. We see this constantly after DIY installs or handyman work. The bolt isn’t entering the strike cleanly, so the deadbolt feels stiff or won’t lock without lifting the door. We re-drill the strike opening, shim or mortise as needed, and verify the door alignment. This usually takes 30 minutes and costs under $100.
Our Medeco Residential Locksmith Process
Every Medeco job follows the same sequence, whether it’s a midnight lockout or a planned deadbolt upgrade. Here’s what happens when you call us in Los Angeles:
- 1
You call and talk to a person. We ask what’s wrong, what Medeco hardware you have, and where you are. You get a written price range on the spot, and a confirmed arrival window with a live trackable link.
- 2
The technician arrives in uniform and confirms the price before opening the tool bag. No dispatch fee surprises, no “it’s worse than we thought” upcharge without your approval.
- 3
We diagnose the specific failure. On a Medeco lock, that means checking the cylinder, the tailpiece, the bolt, and the strike alignment – often the problem is one worn part, not the whole lock.
- 4
We decide parts with you. If a part needs replacing, we tell you whether we’re using a Medeco OEM component or a quality aftermarket equivalent, and we explain the price difference. You choose, in writing, before any work happens.
- 5
We do the repair or replacement, then test with every key you own. If we rekeyed, old keys no longer turn. If we replaced a part, the action is smooth and the bolt throws cleanly.
- 6
You get before-and-after photos and a digital invoice with a pay link. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies – if it fails within a year, we come back free. That’s not a verbal promise. It’s stamped on the invoice.
What Medeco Residential Locksmith Costs in Los Angeles
Here’s what Medeco work actually costs in the L.A. market, based on what we quote and charge every week:
- Medeco rekey (key-in-knob, lever, or deadbolt): $35 – $65 per cylinder, including new keys.
- Medeco Maxum deadbolt replacement (parts and labor): $180 – $320, depending on finish and whether we’re keeping the existing cylinder.
- Medeco 11 series knob or lever replacement: $150 – $275 installed.
- Medeco cylinder cleaning and pin replacement: $45 – $75 per cylinder.
- Medeco strike plate realignment or door adjustment: $60 – $100, including hardware and labor.
- Residential Medeco lockout (non-destructive entry): $65 – $120, depending on time of day and access.
What moves the price: finish (polished brass costs less than satin nickel or matte black), whether we’re reusing your existing cylinder, and whether the door frame needs reinforcement. Full price is always quoted on the phone before anyone is dispatched, and that’s the price on the invoice – no call-out surcharge added when we arrive. Call (409) 405-4485 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Why Los Angeles Homeowners Call Preston Locksmith & Security for Medeco Work
Medeco locks are not the hardware you want a generalist fiddling with. The tolerances are tighter, the sidebar mechanism is unforgiving of shortcut fixes, and the wrong aftermarket pin can turn a $50 rekey into a $400 cylinder replacement. Kevin Yoon, our owner, learned this trade hands-on at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and has been working Medeco hardware in K-Town, Silver Lake, and the Wilshire corridor for years. We carry the correct Medeco pins, tailpieces, and springs on the truck, and we’re also equipped for Schlage and Kwikset if you’re mixing brands across the house.
Every job is covered by The Relay Visibility Guarantee: a written price before work starts, a live trackable arrival time, before-and-after photos, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the repair fails within a year, the second visit is free. No argument, no re-diagnosis fee. Just a uniformed, background-checked technician who shows up when they said they would.
FAQs
No. As an independent Medeco service provider, we work on your lock without voiding the Medeco warranty. The warranty covers manufacturing defects in the lock itself. A professional rekey, cleaning, or part replacement doesn’t void it. What does void warranty coverage is physical damage or using incorrect aftermarket parts – which is exactly why we tell you before any part goes in whether it’s OEM Medeco or a quality equivalent.
Yes, but there’s a hardware reality to understand. Medeco uses a completely different keyway and pin system than Schlage or Kwikset. A Medeco cylinder cannot be rekeyed to accept a Kwikset key without replacing the entire cylinder. What we typically do instead: rekey the Schlage or Kwikset locks to a new key, then replace the Medeco cylinder with a Medeco-brand cylinder keyed to the same operating key, if you want one key for everything. The Medeco cylinder replacement runs $85 to $140 per cylinder, and we’ll give you the exact number before we start.
In most L.A. neighborhoods, we can be on site in 60 to 90 minutes, sometimes faster. Our dispatcher gives you a live trackable arrival link the moment you book, so you see exactly where the technician is and when they’ll arrive. No four-hour windows. We service the entire Los Angeles area, including Koreatown, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Hollywood, and the Wilshire corridor. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll tell you the real ETA, not an estimate someone guessed.
Yes. The price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice. If the technician finds additional damage during the job – say, a broken tailpiece we couldn’t see from the outside – we stop, explain exactly what’s wrong, show you the part, and get your written approval on the new price before touching anything else. No bait pricing, no arriving-with-a-higher-number routine. That’s the whole reason Kevin started this company: his mother got burned by a bait-and-switch locksmith, and he decided someone in this city should just tell people the real number upfront.
We stock the most common Medeco residential parts on every truck: cylinder pins, tailpieces, return springs, strike plates, and full replacement deadbolts in standard finishes. If you need a specific finish or a less common Medeco series part that isn’t on the truck, we can usually source it from a Los Angeles distributor within 24 hours. For most residential Medeco jobs, the part is on the truck and the work is done same visit.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner, Preston Locksmith & Security at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Los Angeles and nearby areas.