Most jobs are straightforward. The few that are not usually involve an old lock, a weak battery or a module somebody else has already tried. These set out who carries what when that happens.
Last updated 1 September 2026 · applies to work booked from that date onwards
These terms apply between Sidewinder Auto Locksmiths Ltd, company number 13884210, of Unit 7, Blenheim Court, Blenheim Industrial Estate, Bulwell, Nottingham, NG6 8UP, and anyone who asks us to open a vehicle or make, program or repair a key. Booking a job means accepting them.
Nothing here removes rights you have as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
We price from your registration and a description of what has happened. The figure we give includes coming out to you anywhere on our patch; there is no separate call-out charge.
If what we find at the vehicle differs materially from what was described — a second lock damaged, a seized barrel, a fault that is not the key — we stop and tell you the new figure before carrying on. You can decline at that point and pay nothing further.
Before opening a vehicle or making a key for it, we check that you are entitled to ask. That normally means the V5C registration document alongside photo ID, or other evidence linking you to the vehicle.
If ownership cannot be shown, we will not do the job, however the request is explained. Where we have already travelled, a call-out charge may apply, and we will tell you what it is when you book.
We may also refuse, or stop, any job where we have reason to believe the request is not genuine, and may pass information to the police where the law requires or permits it.
We open vehicles by non-destructive methods and do not drill or force a lock to save time. In the great majority of cases the vehicle is left exactly as we found it.
There are a few things we cannot fully control, and it is fairer to say so in advance:
Programming a key means communicating with the vehicle’s immobiliser. On almost every vehicle this is routine. On a small number, it carries risks we will explain before starting:
A handful of very new premium systems are genuinely dealer-only. Your registration tells us if yours is one, and we will say so before travelling rather than after.
If, having started, we find that a job cannot be completed with the equipment available at the roadside, we will tell you what the alternative is — usually completing it at our unit, or referring you to a dealer.
Where we cannot complete a job for reasons we should reasonably have identified from the registration and description, you pay nothing. Where it is because of something we could not have known, such as an undisclosed previous repair, we may charge for the time spent, and will agree that figure with you first.
Arrival times are honest estimates, not guarantees. Traffic, previous jobs and weather all move them, and we will ring if we are going to be materially later than we said.
We need safe access to the vehicle and somewhere we can legally stand. In multi-storey car parks and on permit streets, please tell us where the vehicle is when you book.
You can cancel free of charge before a van is sent. Once it has set off, a call-out charge may apply, and it will have been stated when you booked.
Keys we supply, and the programming we carry out, are guaranteed for twelve months against failure in normal use. If a key or its coding stops working in that time, we will come back and put it right.
The guarantee does not cover water damage, a flat key battery, physical damage to the key, loss, or work on the vehicle carried out by somebody else afterwards.
Private work is paid on completion, by card or bank transfer, after you have tested the key and the vehicle yourself. We do not take payment in advance for private work.
Trade and fleet accounts are invoiced monthly on thirty-day terms once agreed in writing. Late payment may carry interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
We hold public liability insurance and are responsible for loss or damage we actually cause. For any one job, our liability is limited to the cost of putting it right or the value of the job, whichever is greater.
We are not liable for indirect losses such as missed appointments, hire vehicles or lost earnings, except where the law does not allow that exclusion. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or anything else that cannot lawfully be limited.
If something is wrong, ring us. Most problems are sorted inside a day, because a key that does not work is usually quick to diagnose.
If we cannot resolve it between us, you can take it further through the usual consumer routes. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.