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If It’ s Complicated, I’ m Interested: All Locked Up Safe
From scrapyards and libraries to £ 50k worth of kit, Paul Hanscombe explains why auto locksmithing is the ultimate problem-solving trade. Based in Chichester, Paul and his wife Joanne run All Locked Up Safe, a business that has quietly but decisively pivoted away from domestic locksmithing to focus almost entirely on automotive work.
» PAUL’ S STORY ISN’ T ABOUT overnight success or shortcuts- it’ s about obsession, integrity, deep technical knowledge that’ s self-taught and a refusal to accept that something“ can’ t be figured-out”.
From Domestic to Diagnostics
I’ ve been in the trade a long time. Before cars, I was doing windows, doors, UPVC repairs which was the family business. My father-in-law ran the original business before retiring, and Joanne and I worked together with him for years. I gradually branched out into domestic locksmithing and did this for around 20 years until the industry started changing. The £ 39 and £ 49 Google ads were everywhere and it was killing the trade. People expected miracles for nothing, and the work became more about speed than skill.
Domestic work was what we knew, I could do it in my sleep, I needed more of a challenge and I loved cars. Auto locksmithing was different, more complicated, and the more complicated it is, the more I enjoy it.
Why Auto Beats Domestic Every Time
Houses are similar, but cars are not; every vehicle is a different puzzle. Different modules, different software, different failure points. One day it’ s a simple OBD job, the next it’ s a BMW with corrupt data or a Land Rover that doesn’ t even want to talk to you. That’ s what gets me out of bed.
If something doesn’ t work, I don’ t get frustrated and lose hope- I get interested. I want to know why. I want to know what failed, what corrupted, what didn’ t sync. I’ ll deliberately corrupt a module just so I can learn how to recover
it. That way, if it happens on a customer’ s car, I already know the solution.
I’ ve always loved puzzles. As a kid I’ d take things apart just to see how they worked. I still do. I’ ll go to the scrapyard, buy a console, strip it down, study it. I want to understand systems from the inside out.
Self-Taught, the Old School Way
I didn’ t learn from weekend training or the internet, I started doing cars long before Google was even a thing! By going to libraries, studying manuals and going to junkyards; my method was by trial and error, proper old-school learning!
A lot of my knowledge comes from crashing things on purpose. When you update a module and it corrupts- which happens more than people admit- you need to know how to recover the data, not just say‘ sorry’ and walk away. EEPROM work is where the £ 49 guys disappear, because there’ s no quick profit in it and no margin for mistakes.
I hate not being able to do a job. Hate it. If there’ s a car we can’ t cover, it stays with me. I’ ll buy extra equipment, extra keys, even if we never see that model again. I once rebuilt the whole locking system on a 35-year-old motorhome just for fun.
£ 50k of Investment & No Regrets
You can’ t do this level of auto work on the cheap. I’ ve invested around £ 50,000 in equipment, and that’ s not slowing down anytime soon.
If you look at our van on Instagram, you can see where our investment is and we now cover most vehicles. I’ d rather have a new bit of kit for my birthday or Valentine’ s than anything else. Joanne will tell you- I’ m always ordering something. We joke about it. Joanne has introduced a‘ zero days since the last purchase’ board, but it’ s best to ask for forgiveness than permission. I’ ve just bought the G3 programmer and I want the Lock50 as well, but apparently, I’ m“ not allowed” yet. We’ ll see …
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FEBRUARY 2026
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