yeah... that's kinda what I was afraid of. I was shuddering when he started hammering it. the manual says to never force the key in at the risk of causing permanent damage.

I got the sense that it was the end of his day and he just didn't give a damn.

HOWEVER, utilizing a combination of key jiggling and luck I've been able to get it to turn and start. I left the key in the ignition so that I can get to work tonight (locksmiths charge way more on weekends around here).

Tomorrow I'm gonna try to find someone competent to look at it and hopefully just pop the fragment out. If not, does it describe how to install a new lock cylinder in the service manual?

Thanks so much for the responses everyone, I've been lurking this forum for about 6 months and using alot of the info. Great resource!