Automotive Locksmithing Goes Smart with the MyAutoSmart App

When I started out in the locksmith business, I noticed there was very little information about working on car locks.  There were articles by Hank Spicer and others but nothing you could easily look up as you were going about your day from service call to service call.  I decided to provide such a tool. I have designed and written the AutoSmart books for locksmiths for the last thirty years. I have written user manuals for the Ford NGS, the SPX DART, the TCL-1 from ASP, the original TCode and MVP, and also the Pro versions of the MVP and TCode. 

As technology advanced, I wanted to develop something easier to access than carrying around the printed AutoSmart books.  Customers of the books would ask if there was something more that you could look up on a website.  For many years we had a Year, Make, Model version of the books laid out in a friendly user interface on the web.  Then in the mid-2000’s, smartphone downloadable applications became popular and I started to pivot to that technology.  Many locksmiths use their smartphones to take service calls from customers, order parts from a supplier and it has become the most useful tool any small business owner has.

Because the MyAutoSmart App is from the creator of AutoSmart you get all methods to make the first key to the vehicle, plus:

• Code series and key machine setup information
• Tumbler charts for the locks on the vehicle 
• Ignition retainer type details
• Key Progression charts
• Airbag locations
• Code locations
• Key, remote and prox fob silhouettes
• FCC ID information regarding remotes or proximity fobs
• Built-in VIN barcode scanner  
• What type of Transponder that may be needed
• Valet keys - if applicable
• Available ASP and STRATTEC part numbers
• Comprehensive parts and model notes, ability to make personalized user notes

One of the most common issues is having to determine which tumbler positions are in the locks.  We have that info for you.  We have purchased and decoded thousands oflocks over the years and continue to update the MyAutoSmart app.

The MyAutoSmart app is updated throughout the year, and it is not necessary to wait until your subscription is up to get new information.  Subscriptions are based on a yearly renewal fee and there are discounts for multiple users under the same company, making it easier to outfit your employees with the MyAutoSmart App.

A recently added feature enables users to report any errors and suggestions for features they would like to see directly within the MyAutoSmart App while it is still fresh in their minds.

 

Real-Life Locksmith Applications

A common scenario is receiving a phone call from a customer wanting to know how much it will cost to make keys to their car.  You can pull open the MyAutoSmart App to determine what is needed to make the mechanical key, if the car has a transponder, if there is a proximity option and whether the locksmith has the right key and/or remotes to do the job. You can then quote the job according to your own pricing, based on the customer's location and time of day.

In another common locksmith scenario, you get a call to make keys to a 2014 Chevy Silverado at the local used car lot where you do occasional work. You go out to the car lot and identify which vehicle has the lost keys. Now it’s time to determine the best way to do this.  When you grab your smartphone and look up the Silverado in the MyAutoSmart app, you see that you can read the door lock cylinder with a lock decoder reader tool such as a Lishi for the cuts needed to make a partial mechanical key. You are reminded that on that model year of the Silverado, the last two cut positions are repeated in the first two cut positions, making the job a little easier.  Now you only need to determine cut positions 3 and 4.  You could also use a key code program to find the missing bitting, or make a progression chart based on the code series and the MACS (Maximum Adjacent Cut Specification).  

Once there’s a working mechanical key in the ignition, it’s time to cut and program a transponder key.  You check the MyAutoSmart App to see which transponder key is needed for this vehicle and you program that key. Collect your money and move onto the next job.

The MyAutoSmart App does everything instantly and accurately. Now your smartphone or tablet is the best automotive tool you own!  It would be too difficult to try and remember every tidbit about every car, when you could just reach for the MyAutoSmart App.

Subscriptions can be purchased directly from the www.MyAutoSmart.com website or from your distributor.

 Automotive locksmith Michael Hyde, National Auto Lock Service, created and updated the AutoSmart books, a well-known locksmith reference guide, for 30 years. He also created the MyAutoSmart App, available for the last 14 years.