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Charlotte Automotive Locksmith

CALL: (704) 215-4238

Mike McElveen Car Locksmith Charlotte NCHi, I’m Mike McElveen, the owner and primary operator of Car Keys Mobile locksmith service! Thanks so much for stopping by. A little about me, and my background…

​I am an Eagle Scout (Troop 323) where I learned at an early age to treat everyone with respect and the way you would want to be treated. My parents own an automotive repair shop in Gastonia, so I have been around cars most of my 50-year life. Instead of throwing ball with my dad, we worked on cars together.

I attended NC State for 2.5 years and decided at that point it was not what I wanted to do for a living. I received my degree from Nashville Auto Diesel College. After that I worked for a few years in my family’s business. I then decided to go out on my own and opened an automotive repair shop in Gastonia.

I later started performing repossessions for banks and finance companies. I owned that business (Car Masters) almost 18 years and cut keys for many of the repossessed vehicles. In December 2014, I decided it was time for a change. I sold the business and now I make car keys for a living full time.

I have been licensed with the NC Locksmiths Licensing Board for a little over 6 years. (My license number is #1104. ) I am also a member of the NC Locksmiths Association, as well as ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc.


Mandi's Headshot

Hey, I’m Mandi Merrit, Mike’s daughter. (That’s short for Amanda.) After working in the automotive parts industry for three years in various roles and organizations—including AutoZone and O’Reilly Auto Parts—I joined the Car Keys team in 2015 as an apprentice and earned my locksmith’s license shortly thereafter. (My license # is 1943.)

Car locks aren’t the only ones I’ve been trained to assess … Prior to joining my dad in business, I attended Paul Mitchell the School and graduated from The Aveda Institute where I earned my cosmetology license. Since then, I’ve enjoyed caring for the lovely ‘locks’ of hair on all my friends and family members’ heads. 🙂

Speaking of family, most of my free time is spent with them. I’m a wife and a proud mother to our 9-month-old son whom I adore with all my heart. I’m also an NC State fan.

I’ll be taking over Car Keys when my dad retires. In the meantime, I’m happily learning from the best car locksmith in Gastonia and Charlotte and gathering a ton of experience in the process.

Go Wolfpack!

(Note: we specialize in automotive locksmith work only. However, we have many locksmith friends who specialize in other areas and believe in helping our counterparts in any way possible. So if you are looking for someone to handle your residential needs, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.)


 4 REASONS TO HIRE CAR KEYS CHARLOTTE MOBILE LOCKSMITH

With so many car locksmith companies in and around the Charlotte area, it can be difficult to know who to call when you’re in an emergency situation or need a new set of car keys. When hiring someone to service your car locks or keys, it’s important to find a company that’s reliable, with technicians you can trust.

At Car Keys, we believe we are that company. Here’s why so many customers have chosen to trust us as their Charlotte car locksmith:

1. We are local. Sure, you can hire someone national to make you a new set of car keys and mail them to you, but how do you know they will be reliable and trustworthy? Furthermore, who knows how long you’ll be waiting to get on the road again?

As a local company, we can perform almost any job on the spot, and often on short notice. We service most of Charlotte and surrounding areas and will come straight to you, as quickly as possible. Also, by being a local company we have great referrals for automobile paintless dent repair, mechanical repair, and more!

2. We’re trustworthy. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers out there giving the automotive locksmith industry a bad name. Some locksmiths will quote you one price over the phone, and then hike it up once they get to your location and see that you’re in a sticky situation and will likely pay anything just to get out of it. You can rest assured when you call us that the quote we give you over the phone is what you’ll pay when the job is done.

Our philosophy is simple: we believe in being honest and doing the right thing. We don’t take advantage of our customers, and we aren’t out there pretending to be a ‘locksmith’ with no credentials to prove it.

3. We’re licensed, bonded and insured. We have a current license (#1104) that you can check and confirm with the North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board, and we encourage you to do so before hiring any locksmith!

4. We’re affordable. We pride ourselves on having the most competitive rates compared to other locksmiths in the Charlotte area for all of our services, including: emergency vehicle unlocking, car key replacement, car key duplication, transponder/chip key programming, ignition and lock repair, and more!

Give us a call and we’ll prove it to you! And as stated before, you can rest assured that whatever we quote you over the phone is what you’ll pay at the end of the job. What’s more, we won’t leave your side until you’re completely satisfied and back on the road again!

Need a Charlotte auto locksmith? Call us today at 704-215-4238, or fill out the form on this page to get a FREE estimate!


CALL: (704) 215-4238