Get Back On Your Way With Minimal Hassle
The odds are youll lock your keys in the car sometime, and those odds are on the increase. The American Automobile Association reports that it gets calls from more than 4,000,000 locked-out motorists every year. Thats up from 500,000 or less just a few years ago. The culprits, according to AAA, are keyless ignition and increasingly sophisticated electronic anti-theft systems.
With the harried holiday shopping season upon us, you might be even more likely to lock yourself out. Heres what you can do to stay calm and get help on the way.
Tip Number Five: Call The Police
In case your safety is compromised, you can always call the emergency services. Of course, we dont recommend using this method if its not absolutely necessary. The police and other emergency services have more pressing matters to tend to, so only do it if youre in a dangerous situation.
The police officers do have the tools to help you, but they dont have time to waste on non-emergency situations, so keep this method as your last resort.
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Other Ways To Unlock Locks Without Keys
Not trying to get inside a car or house? You can break into padlocks using a beer can shimmy, bust into suitcases using a pen, decipher combinations on Master combo locks, brute-force your way in to American combo locks, and even break into safes with a little know-how. For more information on this hacks, check out our previous guide on breaking into locks.
Image via Shutterstock
Know of any other cool methods for opening a car or house door without a key? Let us know in the comments section.
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Unlock A Car Door Without A Key In 6 Simple Ways
1. The Clothes Hanger Trick for Keys Locked in the Car.
If you have an older car with button locks, you can use a wire clothes hanger to get at keys locked in the car. First, straighten the hanger, then bend it to make a small hook at one end. Next, slide the hook into the narrow space between the window and the rubber molding. You should be able to hook it around the button and pull it up to release the lock. Of course, this method will only work to unlock a car door if you have access to a clothes hanger! If youre at home or near a dry cleaner, youll have more luck with this method of getting at the locked keys in your car.
2. The Second Clothes Hanger Trick for Keys Locked in the Car.
This trick is useful if youre trying to figure out how to unlock a car door by lifting the handle inside. The first step of how to unlock a car without keys is to straighten a wire hanger. Next, bend one end of the wire and make a loop thats about as long as your longest finger. Secure the loop by wrapping the wire and stick the wire down into the car via one corner of a door.
3. How to Open a Locked Car Door with a Windshield Wiper.
Did you know that a windshield wiper can help you get to keys locked in a car? Well, if your drivers side window is open a few inches, this method can prove helpful. Detach one of the windshield wipers from your car. Take the windshield wiper, move it through the window opening until you can reach the lock on the door panel, and press it.
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How To Get A Car Key Unstuck
There are several different ways to go about getting a key Unstuck from your vehicles ignition. Success often comes down to a matter of selecting the best of these methods, for your particular situation.
The following are several of the easiest ways to free a stuck key from a vehicles ignition cylinder.
How To Remove A Broken Key
This article was co-authored by Shawn Fago. Shawn Fago is a Master Locksmith and the Founder of Noble Locksmith, a nationwide locksmith company based in San Diego, California. With over seven years of experience, he provides commercial, residential, and automotive locksmith services to customers. Shawn attended California State University, Fullerton. This article has been viewed 165,491 times.
Hiring a locksmith to remove a broken key can cost you hundreds of dollars. If you have a broken key in the lock of your car or house, before you resort to calling a professional, you can try to remove the key yourself. Usually, you can get out a broken key in just a few minutes. You may be surprised how easy it is to do.
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The Shifter In Park Position
If you have an automatic car, you most likely need to have your shifter in the parking position to get the key out from the ignition. This can also be caused by a faulty shifter switch in the shifter, where the car thinks that the shifter is in a different position than its actually in. Try to jiggle it back and forward between the park and neutral position while pressing the brake pedal and trying to turn the ignition switch one more step back, and removing the key.
Should You Break A Window
You should only consider this option as a last resort in an emergency. First, getting a new window will definitely cost more than even the most expensive locksmith and second youre much more likely to hurt yourself in the process.
If you cant unlock the car by yourself and dont have the money to pay a locksmith, try your very best to find someone to borrow the money from. If your child or pet is locked in the vehicle, call the police or the fire department and they will come immediately as this is treated as an emergency. I recommend breaking the window only in situations that are potentially life threatening like if your child or pet is locked in the car on a very hot day, or if youre locked out and its freezing cold outside.
Naturally, if there is someone in the car, always break the farthest window away from them. Car windows are made of protective glass and are not easy to break. If you have a tool like a hammer or a screwdriver it would make the job easier, if you dont look for a medium size rock and aim for the center of the window. Make sure you do it extremely carefully as the window will usually shatter into small pieces.
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Key Keeps Getting Stuck In The Ignition
If youve noticed that its been slightly more difficult to get your key in and out of the ignition over time or the key keeps getting stuck in the ignition, here are a couple things to try.
WD-40 Spray
Try spraying a little bit of WD-40 into the ignition lock. The can should come with a thin straw that should fit into the space between your key and the ignition lock. Sometimes, this additional lubrication will be enough to allow the key to be removed by gently wiggling it. Once the key is out, inspect it for damage or any sign of being bent. If thats the case, youll want to have the key replaced.
Rubbing Alcohol / Adhesive Remover
If the key is not damaged but you notice some dirt or gunk on the key, take some rubbing alcohol or adhesive remover and thoroughly clean the key.
If using WD-40 to remove the key doesnt work and youve already tried the two fixes in the section above, you may have a problem with the ignition lock itself. Youll want to contact a locksmith or mechanic to confirm this but an ignition lock cylinder replacement may be in your future.
What Not To Do
First and foremost, do not jerk haphazardly on any key that is stuck in a vehicles ignition. This can cause your vehicles key to break off at the neck, leaving you in a far worse situation than you were initially faced with.
Remember, in most cases, you will still be able to start your vehicle, even if you cannot remove the key itself. Therefore, the situation is not as dire as it could be.
If you do not feel comfortable attempting the key removal steps listed above, contact a trusted automotive service center or locksmith for further assistance.
The cost of obtaining such help likely pales in comparison to that which will be incurred, should you inadvertently create more damage, due to the obvious frustration that accompanies such situations.
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Take Apart The Steering Column Covering
Life Hacks To Repair An Ignition
Since you may not have access to the right tools, or have a friend you can bum a wrench off of, we also compiled a list of our best hacks to make your life easier and drain your pocket less.
- Vehicle keys are tricky business, so having them replaced isnt a job that just anyone can do. Make sure you have a plan to either replace or remake keys
- Dont go wildly yanking away trim pieces in your vehicles interior. There are usually clips holding things together, so youll need to be ginger with them even after removing the screws.
- Some models have different ignition switches for different trims and other specific configurations. For obvious reasons, its important to make sure youve got the right part for your specific vehicle model.
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An Old School Coat Hanger
You may have seen this in a movie before, but it does work for real if you have the right kind of car. Modern cars with electronic door locks will probably not respond very well to this method to jimmy a lock. However, if you have an older car that has the little knob that looks kind of like a golf tee on the inside of your door that you lift up to unlock and push down to lock, then a coat hanger maybe the magic wand youre looking for.
For this to work what you need to do is straighten out the coat hanger as best you can and then form one of the ends into a small hook. You have to force the hook down between the rubber molding that holds your window in the window frame itself and the window glass. Now youre going fishing.
Carefully lower the hook into the door along the window until you can hook it around the door lock button itself. Get the hook underneath it and pull up to unlock the door. It really is that simple, and thats why old school cars were subject to being stolen with this method. It doesnt take a lot of work if you know what youre doing.
You can also use something called a slim jim for this method if you happen to have one handy. Of course, if you happen to have a slim jim handy but not the keys to a car, thats a little unusual in and of itself. Just make sure the car youre trying to unlock actually belongs to you.
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Pick The Lock Using An Auto
Another way to pick the lock of a car is by using an auto-jiggler. Its a simple way to see if you can get the car door open before opting for more drastic measures. You can use this method, especially when in the middle of nowhere.
- Find a Simple Key: Do you have any keys in your pockets or a screwdriver that you can use? Its important to have one or the other if you want to use this tactic to open the car door.
- Place the Key on the Outer Car Lock: When you have the key or the screwdriver, place it on the car lock and start to jiggle the lock. This means you try different ways to open the car door with the item at hand. You can have a bump key at times, which can work on many car models made before 2005.
- Find the Equivalent of a Bump Key for Newer Models: New car models have software that helps you run them. When you lock your key in the car, you can access its computer and override the system. This is an equivalent of a car bump key for these types of vehicles. If you dont know how to do it yourself, call an expert to help you out.
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Tip Number Two: Use Your Shoelaces
This trick is almost impossible to pull off on newer cars, but its worth the try. It will work with a specific type of lock, and its a fairly simple method. Make a slip knot from your shoelaces, and try to wiggle it inside of your door. After youve done it, try to maneuver the knot around the lock and try to pull it to unlock your car.
Of course, as previously mentioned, this wont work with electronic locks, so the older your car model is, the more likely its to work. It might be lengthy depending on your skill, so if youre in a rush, it would be much more efficient to move on to another method instead.
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When All Else Fails Call Someone
If youve tried all of the methods we mentioned above and you still cant get the key out, then its time to admit defeat and call someone. You can either call a mechanic or a locksmith to help you and they will get your key out for you. We also recommend you calling them if you dont feel comfortable removing it on your own in the first place.
A key removal typically costs around $100 $150, but it can easily be cheaper or more expensive depending on the severity of the damage.
When To Go To A Dealer For A Replacement
If you have a car that was built within the last five years, a new-car dealer will usually be your best bet when you need a replacement key fob, due to the expensive programming equipment that is required, says John Ibbotson, CRs chief mechanic. Although it might be tempting to search for a cheaper key fob online, we learned from Audi and Subaru dealers that some won’t work with aftermarket key fobs.
If you want a new key fob for your Audi, it has to come from us, said a service adviser at Hoffman Audi of East Hartford, Conn. There’s a built-in security chip in the fob that cannot be reprogrammed for another Audi. The need for this chip is also why you can’t buy a new aftermarket Audi key fob online. The fob has become a critical part of the security of the car, he said. The average price for an Audi key fob replacement, including programming, is $500, we were told.
This isnt just the case for Audi, but European cars in general. They almost always force the customer to go to a dealer because the digital key encryption is only programmable by the manufacturer in a few select outlets in North America, says CRs Yu.
Other retailers we called, including a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealership and a Lexus dealership, said they dont mind trying to program aftermarket fobs if thats what the customer wants them to do, as long as the customer understands the risks involved.
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