Car Ignition Repair -Fix Stuck, Jammed or Broken Ignitions

Expert Ignition Repair Across Sydney

A faulty ignition is more than a minor annoyance -it can leave you completely stranded. When your key will not turn, grinds against the barrel, or the ignition fails to engage the starter motor, you need a specialist who can diagnose the problem accurately and fix it on the spot. That is exactly what Car Locksmith Sydney delivers.

Our mobile ignition repair service covers the entire greater Sydney area. We carry a full range of ignition barrels, wafer kits, extraction tools, and diagnostic equipment in every van so we can resolve most ignition problems in a single visit, right where your car is parked.

Understanding Your Car’s Ignition System

Before diving into the types of problems we fix, it helps to understand what is actually going on inside your ignition. The ignition system in most vehicles has two main components that work together:

The Ignition Barrel (Lock Cylinder)

This is the mechanical part -the cylinder that your key slides into. Inside the barrel, a series of small brass plates called wafers (sometimes called tumblers) are spring-loaded to match the unique cuts on your key. When you insert the correct key, the wafers align perfectly, allowing the cylinder to rotate. Turn the key and you move through the ignition positions: off, accessory, on, and start.

The Ignition Switch

Sitting directly behind the barrel is the electrical ignition switch. When the barrel rotates, it physically moves a set of contacts inside the switch, completing electrical circuits that power different systems -accessories at one position, fuel pump and ignition system at another, and the starter motor at the final position.

Problems can occur in either component, and the symptoms often overlap, which is why accurate diagnosis is essential before any repair work begins.

Common Ignition Problems We Fix

Worn or Collapsed Wafers

This is the single most common ignition fault we encounter in Sydney. Over time -particularly in vehicles with high mileage or keys that have been copied multiple times -the brass wafers inside the barrel wear down. Eventually they collapse out of alignment, and the key either sticks, turns with difficulty, or refuses to turn at all.

Symptoms:

• Key is increasingly difficult to turn
• You need to jiggle or wiggle the key to find the right position
• The key turns in one direction but not the other
• Sometimes the key works on the first try, other times it takes several attempts

Our fix: We remove the ignition barrel from the steering column, disassemble it, replace the worn wafers and springs with new components matched to your key’s cut pattern, and reassemble the barrel. The result is an ignition that turns as smoothly as it did when the car was new -using your existing key.

Wafer replacement starts from $199 and typically takes 45 to 60 minutes.

Broken Key Stuck in the Ignition

Keys can snap inside the ignition for several reasons: worn wafers creating excessive resistance, a weakened key blade from years of use, or simply too much force applied when the key sticks. Whatever the cause, a broken key fragment jammed inside the barrel prevents you from starting the car or, in some cases, from removing the steering lock.

Our fix: We use precision micro-extraction tools -including screw extractors, hooked probes, and specialised pliers -to grip and withdraw the broken fragment without damaging the internal mechanism. Once the fragment is removed, we inspect the barrel for internal damage and either repair it or recommend replacement. We can also cut a new key on-site if your blade was the one that snapped.

Broken key extraction starts from $149.

Complete Barrel Failure

In some cases the barrel is too damaged, corroded, or worn to repair. This is more common in older vehicles that have been exposed to harsh conditions, or in cars where a previous break-in attempt has damaged the lock mechanism. When the barrel is beyond repair, we replace it entirely.

Our fix: We install a new OEM-grade ignition barrel coded to match your existing key profile. If you prefer, we can also supply a new barrel with its own key set and reprogram the immobiliser to accept the new key. Full barrel replacement starts from $349 and includes removal, installation, coding, and testing.

Ignition Switch Failure

If your key turns smoothly but the car will not start -no dashboard lights, no fuel pump hum, no starter engagement -the problem may be the electrical ignition switch behind the barrel rather than the barrel itself. Switch contacts wear out over time, especially in vehicles with high-mileage city driving where the ignition is cycled frequently.

Symptoms:

• Key turns freely but nothing happens
• Dashboard lights flicker or fail to illuminate
• Intermittent starting -works sometimes, fails other times
• Accessories (radio, lights) do not power on in the accessory position

Our fix: We remove the steering column shroud, disconnect the faulty switch, and install a new one. We then test all ignition positions -off, accessory, on, and start -to confirm the electrical circuits are functioning correctly. Ignition switch replacement starts from $299.

Why You Should Not Ignore Ignition Problems

A sticking or difficult ignition might seem like something you can live with -just jiggle the key a bit and it eventually works. But ignoring the early warning signs usually leads to one of two outcomes:

1. Complete failure at the worst moment. The wafers finally collapse entirely and the key will not turn at all. You are stranded in a car park, at a petrol station, or worse, in traffic with the steering lock engaged.
2. Key breakage. The more force you apply to overcome a sticking barrel, the more stress you put on the key blade. Eventually the metal fatigues and snaps, leaving a fragment jammed inside the cylinder that is more expensive to resolve than a simple wafer replacement would have been.

If your key is starting to feel sticky, gritty, or difficult to turn, call us sooner rather than later. Early intervention is always cheaper and faster than emergency repair.

Mobile Service Across Greater Sydney

Our ignition repair technicians operate across all Sydney metropolitan suburbs including the CBD, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Western Sydney, Sutherland Shire, and the Hills District. We also service areas south to Wollongong and north to the Central Coast by appointment.

Call 0468 090 057 to describe your ignition problem and receive an upfront quote. We will dispatch a technician to your location and have the repair completed -often within the same hour.