This locksmith I was very disappointed with. Here the story, I had two new car door locks (that I had two keys each when I came in)changed to match the ignition switch key that I brought in with me. But later I found out I bought the wrong lock for the car. I tried to go back to see if I can retrieve or have them make replacements so I can send them back on where I bought them from. So I can have them replaced with the right locks for the doors. They were going to charge me $20 set up fee plus $15 per key. Any other place I call said they offer 2 sets of keys when changing the lock settings. Btw, it cost me $60 for nothing. Thanks for nothing! read more

I am a Realtor and have used J.D. Lock and Key twice so far. He is great about coming out when you need him, which is useful when you need to change locks when tenants move out. He is fast and his prices are fair. read more

They tried 3 times to cut key, none of them worked. Took days to get key cut, gave me 15 min notice that key was ready on Thursday night, they are closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I showed up Monday, not even open at posted time, an hour late. Others showed up too saying they had issues as well. read more

This guy was great! After my car keys were stolen, I called nearly every locksmith and dealership around. I drive a 92 camaro with a chipped key so you can imagine, this wasn't going to be easy. Most told me they couldn't do it. Others quoted me very high prices. But when I called JD I was told if I could get the car there, he could do it for less than half the price of the other guys. I saved over $200 by going here, and the service was fast and very casual. Only 4 stars because my blinker switch was never quite the same after taking it here. Because he had to remove my steering column, I imagine he didn't quite put it back together correctly. Not a huge deal for the $ I saved and I bet if I asked nicely he would have fixed it. These are very nice people! read more

great service needed vw key programmed the dealer said only vw dealerships could do it. But dean was able to get it. showed up real quick and spent a lot of time but couldn't get it that night. Came back in the morning and was able to do it no xtra charge and saved me from towing it to the dealership! Thanks read more

They just spent about 45 minutes of their valuable time, searching for a key blank, that would work on My Honda scooter. The Honda store had sold me the wrong blank. They charged me their standard ($5.95) even though they had to spend all that time, AND, they were totally cheerful about it. Great place to do business. read more

Great service in replacing keys for a specialty lock that seven other locksmiths could not help me with. Quick resolution and great attitude, highly recommended. Thanks again. read more

Most locksmiths on google don't have a physical office and are just slimeballs working out of a van, posting fake addresses. This place is the real deal and know what they are doing. The owner is very nice and gets work done quickly at a fair price. They cut my aftermarket switchblade car keys (for $20) without hesitation, thankfully. Many other places (Ace hardware for example) will not touch switchblade keys because A: they don't know what they're doing, and B:They do not want to "deal" with customers expensive keys if and when they screw up, even though no special tools or skill is required to cut switchblade keys. If you need a real locksmith with a a real work space, Auto Authority aka JD lock and key is the place to go in Costa Mesa. read more

great service, great product. nice locally owned business.

J.D. and Laura are a wonderful husband-wife team! I have been going to J.D. Lock & Key since the year 2000, about 12 years ago. They have helped me with lock-outs, key copying, and with car alarm systems, et cetera. *Always* friendly and ready to share their expertise. Old-fashioned professional customer service! Believe me, J.D. is an expert in this business, and he knows it like none other. I highly, highly recommend this place over any dealership. They charge more than fairly, their prices are great, and will not overcharge or recommend unnecessary services. They are speedy, responsive, friendly, and quickly go on-site to help you with a lock-out problem. read more

Laura was amazing!!! This place rocks for all key needs... I work at South Coast Plaza and we always visit them for Fitting room Keys duplicates. I just now used them for my Husbands office and it was very reasonable !!! Thanks Laura!! read more

Went to HB Toyota dealership and they wanted to charge me $700 for my 2002 Toyota ignition switch. They had convinced me to purchase a key with chip in it for a $100 so I did few months later same problem key no longer works ... No warranty .... Found Auto Authority and WOW he charged me $ 175 for my ignition switch all in an hour great customer service not looking to rip you off. Been around for almost 30 years and made me a customer for life. Thanks again read more

The woman scheduling was incredibly rude. They close the shop unannounced during regular business hours and do not return voice mails (when they state "we are with another customer, leave a message and we will call you right back). I was on a tight time frame to get a car key programmed and they acted as if they were doing me a favor squeezing me in two weeks out. There are countless lock smiths in Orange County, I am the one doing them a favor by calling to inquire about their business. I will take my business down the street as opposed to being treated in such a rude manner by a receptionist. read more

When every other locksmith in the area wanted to charge me $140+ for a new key to my old car, JD assured me that he'd solve the problem for $40... $40 later, problem solved. $3 more later and I have a duplicate. Super nice guy, great banter and super fast service. Inspired my first yelp review. He does everything, but it's best to bring in your car, or he has to charge a delivery fee. I had mine towed through a friend' s AAA. Well worth the extra hour wait. read more

The worst business I have ever dealt with! I had some work done before on a vintage bug and it seemed to go flawless, so I returned when I needed a key made for a safe I had acquired from my uncle. He didn't have the key for the tumbler and I wanted one made. They told me no big deal and explained how to get the dial off the safe. I removed the dial and brought it in the shop. It was a more complex key than they had previously thought but said if I leave it with them and come back in an hour they would have it done. I returned to find a key made but upon inspection of the lock found that they had broken the rear finger that locks the tumbler. When I questioned the owner, who had done the work, he immediately got defensive and told me that it wasn't his fault because he didn't have a socket to remove the nut that would fit, all the sockets he had were too thick. I explained that I had the tool at home if that was the issue but regardless I would like what was broken fixed. He grabbed it out of my hand and with a pair of pliers removed the nut saying that is how he had done it before. The rear of the dial and the lock was all chewed up from him using the pliers on it. His solution was to fix it with JB Weld. I told him that, that is not a proper fix and how am I to know that it will hold up. He was yelling at me at this point saying I didin't know what I was talking about and he kept repeating that it wasn't his fault. I was insisting that he replace the broken parts due to the fact that this was on the front of a gun safe, he had previously told me and warned me to mark everything when I took the dial apart because if I didn't put it back together right it would be a minimum of $300 to come out and open it, he would then also be drilling into the front of the safe and that charge would not cover repairing the safe when he was done. He now could not guarantee that he would cover that cost if his JB Welded part didn't hold up. He informed me that he could not get the parts for the safe, although he is a cannon dealer. He was going to charge me $25 for the key he made and would not come down at all or refund my money even after he broke the lock. Long story short I had to go to another lock smith and do some searching online, I found the dial parts myself that came with a new lock, keys and backing plate for $40. I returned and asked him to reimburse me for the repair cost, parts only due to me doing the labor. I got yelled at again, he was again repeatedly screaming at me saying it was not his fault and basically telling me to get the hell out. I am lucky the parts didn't cost a lot but I will definitely never return here again. Just for curiosity's sake I removed the tumbler from the lock he broke, he told me that he had re-keyed it to make it easier to make a key, I found he had only put 2 of the 8 pins back in!! This is seriously compromising the integrity of the lock! What is the point of having a lock that can be turned with any key?! Again, worst business I have ever had to deal with. read more