KVoigt97

Hello, I have a 2011 F-150 and I just purchased a used 2014 tailgate off eBay to replace my tailgate that was stolen. When I bought it, I assumed I could take the lock cylinder from the tailgate and have it rekeyed at a local locksmith to match my ignition key. Today I called a dealer because there aren't any locksmiths close to me that are opened past 4:30. The dealer informed me that I would have to purchases new lock cylinder and have that recoded to match my current key. He was kind of giving me dodgy answers as to why I had to buy a completely new cylinder. Can anyone tell me if this is actually the case or if he is just trying to get an extra $80 out of me. If this is true could you please explain why. Thanks in advance.

michealhicks

You must take locksmith's advice they will tell you whether he's charging you more or less.

jsimmonstx

Any brick/mortar locksmith should be able to recode your current cylinder for no more than $30 or so. I just had mine done this weekend.

If you can't get to your local locksmith before he closes, take some time off work to get it done, or have it done on a Saturday.

BTW, lock cylinders cost about $50 from Ford. Don't buy a new one, because you don't need it.

ronaldjones

I would then hire baltimore locksmith to recode the cylinder.

Chrisl31

This is really the correct answer, though pricing may vary by location.

If you're really having that much trouble getting it done locally, I can buy a new lock, code it, and send it to you if you can take a clear enough picture of your key and it's not too worn out. It's not something that I regularly stock though, so it may be like a week of turnaround.

I can beat $80, but not $30 for this.

FWIW, the dealer might not be completely full of it as far as having to order new because they probably don't stock the individual parts to do rekeys. They may either order complete new locks with rebuild kits or outsource the work to local locksmiths when it comes up.

Also, fun fact: Ford purges their key code records after 10 years, so if you have a Ford older than that there's nothing that they can do in-house for you if you were to lose your keys.

MPETE

iTrader: (1)

THIS IS CORRECT. In a general sense, Ford does not offer the parts and supplies to re-key existing cylinders. Some dealers run into re-keying more regularly and will stock supplies to do it, but they are acquired through a separate vendor, not through FoMoCo. My dealer charges $50/per lock JUST for the keying procedure, not including the lock cyl.

As for the key code thing, again 100% correct, although I have heard Ford does offer the opportunity to dealers to purchase records before they are purged, but I can not confirm or deny this. The absolute best thing you can do as a preventive measure is to have the dealer provide you with the key code while you can still get it and stick it in a safe somewhere. I have done this with every vehicle Ford I have owned since learning this information.

Chrisl31

With the correct background checks/credentials/insurance, dealer personnel may be able to source the information from a third party, but I'm not sure how often anyone bothers to do it considering they generally have in-house access to the last decade and keeping up these kind of connections may be cost prohibitive for the amount of times they'd actually need it.

Occasionally, I'll get calls from Ford dealers in my area to make keys to theft recovery vehicles or vehicles where the shop itself lost keys and either the car is aged out of the system or it's been rekeyed already.

With all that being said, key codes are really only somewhat handy to locksmith that knows what they're doing these days and personally saves ME maybe 5 minutes out of the process in making a new key, so I don't know that I'd really go out of my way to try and procure them as an end-user. Your results may vary as you may have some pretty scrubby dudes working out your way.

It's sad how many times I'm done with a job in 10-15 minutes to hear from my customer "oh the last guy took 3 hours!"