Tips for Unlocking Your Car Door When You’re Locked Out

If you’ve ever misplaced your car key or locked the keys inside your car, you know the panicked feeling that quickly sets in. The good news is that there are several relatively simple methods you can try to unlock your car door without the key. This post from your favorite automotive locksmith in Fairfax, VA will cover a few of those methods that may be able to get you out of a sticky situation:

• Shoestring: If your car door has a lock that unlocks by pulling up, you can use your shoestring to unlock it. Make a loop in the middle of your shoestring and thread it through the space where the car door meets the exterior. Once the loop is in the car, hook it around the lock and pull upwards. It’s as easy as that!
• Coat hanger: A wire coat hanger can be hard to come by if you’re locked out of your vehicle. But if you can find one, it’s a handy tool to unlock any lock. Untwist the hanger and slip it in the window through the weatherstripping. It may take some time and fiddling around, but you should eventually be able to open the door.
• Rod and screwdriver: If you have a Phillips head screwdriver and a steel rod, you can open up any car door. Simply pry open the car door using the screwdriver and stick the metal rod in the door and press the lock button. Keep in mind that this method can damage the door, so be extra careful when doing so!
• Slim Jim: A Slim Jim isn’t just a tasty treat—it’s also a useful tool for opening doors without a key! Slide the metal tool into the car door the same way you would with a coat hanger, and pull up on the locking mechanism. It’s an effective method, assuming you have such a tool lying around somewhere.
• Plastic strip: Instead of scraping up your car door using metal objects, you may be able to unlock the door using a piece of plastic. In addition to being less harsh on your paint job, plastic is easier to bend and wedge inside your car door.
• Tennis ball: Whether or not this method works is highly debated. However, it is an interesting concept! Take a tennis ball and drill a small hole into it. Then, place the tennis ball on the lock with the hole on top of the keyhole and push down. The pressure from the tennis ball should (in theory) force the car to unlock!
• Call a professional: Instead of trying all of the steps mentioned above, just call a locksmith the moment you realize you’re locked out! Calling a locksmith from the get-go can save you from a lot of frustration, and can ensure that you get on with your day as fast as possible.

Don’t trust anyone else but Artie’s Lock and Key the next time you lock yourself out of your vehicle! In addition to being a reliable automotive locksmith in Fairfax, VA, we also offer locksmith services for your home and business. Give us a call today to find out what we can do for you!

Categorised in: Auto Locksmith

This post was written by Writer