Who you’re dealing with
Auto Lock And Key is Jude Green — a local locksmith, not a franchise, a call centre or a lead-generation website. When you ring 07436 636367, the person who answers is the person who loads the van and comes out. That’s the whole structure of the business, and it’s why the promise on every page of this site is possible: the price agreed on the phone is the price you pay, because the person quoting is the person doing the work.
Fifteen years, and the training never stops
Jude has worked specifically in automotive locksmithing for around fifteen years — from traditional transponder keys through to today’s remote and proximity systems. He has trained with Hickleys, 3D Group, Advanced Diagnostics, Autel and Xhorse, and keeps that training current for a simple reason: automotive security changes constantly, and what worked on a manufacturer ten years ago can be completely different on a newer generation of the same vehicle.
The van and the unit — both real, both signed
How to check who you’re trusting
There is no statutory licence in the UK that somebody must hold before calling themselves a locksmith — anyone can buy a van and a sticker. So the fair question is what evidence there is behind the name. Here it is, plainly: fifteen years of automotive locksmithing, a documented training record on the equipment used, full insurance, a 12-month warranty on parts and workmanship, and a real signed unit in Kidsgrove you can drive past. There are also weekly notes from the van — the actual jobs, week by week. Master Locksmiths Association approval is currently being applied for — when it is granted, it will be stated here and not before.
The van is the workshop
The van is set up as a mobile automotive key workshop: professional key programming, diagnostic and cutting equipment across several equipment platforms — because no single programming tool is best for every manufacturer. Different systems have different vehicle coverage and strengths, and working across platforms is what lets one van handle a 2006 transponder blade in the morning and a proximity fob in the afternoon. Programming also needs stable vehicle voltage, so professional battery support is used where appropriate — the last thing anyone wants is the car’s voltage dropping mid-procedure.
Diagnose first, replace second
A modern key can hold several separate systems — an emergency blade, an immobiliser transponder, remote locking electronics, proximity functions — and they fail independently. So the job starts with working out which part has actually failed, using vehicle diagnostics alongside key equipment where the symptoms might be coming from the car rather than the key. Fob faults get assessed for repair before anyone talks about replacement. And when replacement is right, we supply quality aftermarket keys we’re prepared to put our name behind — two keys can look identical from the outside while the electronics inside are worlds apart.
The 12-month warranty
Every job comes with a 12-month warranty. If there’s a genuine problem with the key or the work during that period, come back and it gets resolved properly — we’re two minutes from Kidsgrove station, not a van that disappears after payment.
The rules we work by
- Fixed quote before the van moves. Your reg and postcode get you one number. It doesn’t change on arrival — if a job surprises us, that’s our cost, not yours.
- Proof of authority, every time. V5C logbook or insurance in your name, plus photo ID, before any key is cut. Nobody gets a key made just because they’re standing next to a car.
- Non-destructive entry only. Professional entry tools, using the method that suits that vehicle.
- Honest capability. If we’re not confident we have the right equipment and information for a particular vehicle, we say so before travelling — not after experimenting on your car. Knowing when not to press a button matters as much as knowing which button to press.
- Honest ETAs. If we’re forty minutes away, we say forty minutes.
- Published prices. Our guide prices are on the site for anyone to check — the only local locksmith we know of that does this.
Where we work
Based in Kidsgrove and covering Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alsager, Biddulph, Congleton, Crewe, Talke, Sandbach and Leek — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you’re on the edge of the patch, ring anyway: if we can’t get to you quickly we’ll say so straight.
