How To Open A Car With Keys Inside
A lot of things can ruin your day but locking your keys in your car would be the furthest thing from your mind. When this happens, it’s your fault and you only have yourself to blame. You feel foolish on top of everything else. It’s one of the most annoying things that a driver can experience. You can take some comfort in the fact that you are far from the only person who has ever had to handle such a situation. Locksmiths list it among the services they offer because it happens frequently enough.
You don’t have to break a window if you realize you’ve locked the keys in the car. You can gain access to your vehicle again using several methods, depending on where you are and what you have on hand. Here are some of the best ways to unlock your car while the keys are still inside.
The Best Ways To Open A Car With Keys Inside
The Plastic Strap Method
If you do not wear shoes with laces, you may be able to wear this one. For instance, if you find a strip of plastic that is used to bind stacks of newspapers, you can bend it in half to make a loop, and insert it through the door jamb of your car into the vehicle’s cabin.
It works almost exactly the same way as the shoelace method. Maneuver the loop over the lock and pull it up. You can only do this with locks with mechanisms you can easily grab and pull out. You may need to use the coat hanger method if your lock has a small switch or button.
The Coat Hanger Method
Using a coat hanger is an old-fashioned way of getting in a car. This is a method used by thieves to gain access to vehicles in older movies. Some vehicles can use it, but not all cars are the same so it may not work as well as it does in movies.
If your car has a manual lock, it is possible to extend a fully wired clothes hanger and bend the end like a fish hook. You can make a much cleaner hook using needle-nose pliers at the end of your hanger if you have them. At the end of the hanger, you want to create a V shape.
You can try threading the hanger down into the door frame between the window and the rubber seal at the bottom. If you do a bit of fishing near the locking mechanism, you can easily grab the pin and pull it out. It may be much easier if you’ve left your window open a crack and you can just hang the coat hook in the open window, but obviously, that’s less likely.
The Inflatable Wedge Method
Inflatable wedges are not the kind of thing you usually think of until the situation arises and you don’t know what to do, but if you’re into planning ahead, then you might keep one around for emergencies.
The inflatable wedges are similar to wooden wedges or screwdrivers, but they are much less damaging to your vehicle. The air wedge is a simple little pad that you insert between the door and the frame, then inflate with a hand pump. The air pressure will force the door away from the frame, allowing you to open it.
Inflatable wedges have the major disadvantage of having to be purchased in advance. You can get some decent-quality ones for around $15 on Amazon.com. Fortunately, they’re not too expensive. Some kits come with everything you need to get your door open again safely. This is if you are willing to spend a little more money.
The Phone A Friend Method
This idea only works if you plan ahead, but this is definitely something you should try. Even if your car didn’t come with a spare set of keys, you should have one made up. If you lose your key, make sure you have a spare at home or with a trusted friend who can retrieve it quickly.
Not only is this a wise idea for locking your key in the car, but it is also a wise choice if you happen to lose your key at some point. When you want to lend your car to somebody else, but don’t want to give them your whole key-chain. Having a backup key is always a good idea in case of an emergency. Keep it in a safe and secure place when you aren’t using it.
The Call for Help Method
You may need to call a professional to help you get to your car if all else fails. A local locksmith or AAA should be able to come to your car and help you depending on where you are, and what the situation is. This type of thing occurs more often than you’d think, so you won’t discover an unexpected problem by calling for help. I know it’s embarrassing, but it happens to a lot of people, and it’s better to ask for help than to damage your car.
Conclusion
Modern cars work in a way that makes it very difficult to lock your keys inside. However, if you have an older car, or if your key fob breaks, you could end up locked out without a way out. It can be embarrassing to lock yourself out of your car. You don’t want to tell anyone about this, not even your friends or roadside assistance.
It also never hurts to plan ahead, especially if you’re someone who hates asking for help in a situation like this. A pro tip would be to try to always keep an air wedge if you can. You could also keep some tools on hand that you could use to gain access to your car in an emergency.
However, there’s no shame in asking for help. Often in these situations, if you don’t ask for help, you’ll be stranded. A small amount of embarrassment is likely something that you can handle if it means you’ll get back in your car sooner rather than later. Remember that roadside assistance gets calls like this a few times a week every week. Therefore, you’re not alone and there’s no reason not to reach out for help when you need it.
