Thursday, August 25, 2016

Tips for Vehicle Lockout Emergencies

 
You've got a lot on your mind while driving. Let's face it, 21st century society has placed a lot of demands upon those behind the wheel. You've got dozens of channels on your satellite radio and surely one of them is playing something good right. You've got e-mail and text message alerts going off like crazy and, being the safe driver you are, you wait until you park the car and get out to read them. Then there's the kids! Oh, the kids that can you drive you crazy. With all those other things going on...is it any wonder you only notice your keys are still securely in place inside the ignition switch in that final agonizing second before the locked door slams shut. 

Like thousands of people every day, you are now facing one of those situations known as emergency auto lockouts. Your options are not as limited as you might think and here's the great part: those options do NOT include calling AAA or a locksmith. These options are for auto lockouts where you simply don't have the luxury of waiting around for an hour or more while help gets to you.

A Good Reason for Wearing Laced Shoes  

Note: this method only works on cars with locking mechanisms on the door that pop up. Unlace one of your shoes and then create a loop in the middle so that you have two long stretches on either side. Next, stretch the lace out so that you can work it into the opening around the corner of one of the doors until you have gotten it through the seal and actually inside the car. It may take awhile, but the idea is to get the loop around the locking mechanism securely enough that you can pull the ends of the lace to tighten around the lock, thus allowing you to pull it up and open.

A Rod and a Wedge

A small piece of wood or even hard plastic shaped like a doorstop and a thin metal rod can get you back into some locked cars. Use the wedge to...well..wedge an opening in the door just large enough to allow you to work the rod into the car. From that point it's just a matter of making sure the rod you have is long and thin enough that you can use it to press one of those buttons that unlocks the car from inside.

Hanger  

The old wire coat hanger trick is dependable for cars where you slide a hanger into the small bit of wiggle room between window and the door seal so that the hanger can hook around a locking button. The problem with this time-honored method is that it's pretty much useless if your auto lockout doesn't occur near easy access to hangers.

Paper Clips  

If you can dig up a couple of paper clips, straighten them out and insert one directly into your car's door lock and start gently pushing it in and out while you keep the other clip fully inside the lock and start wiggling and turning it until you've successfully picked the lock open.

Removable Antenna  

Older cars with the kind of antenna that can be unscrewed and removed have a built-in tool for getting into the car when locked. Just unscrew the antenna and work into the into as a way to press down on a button that works the lock.

Through the Trunk  

If you just can't seem to unlock the car door, try picking the lock of the trunk. Some vehicles allow for entry into the car through the trunk by pulling on a cord that unlocks the rear passenger seats, thus allowing access into the car.

Borrow a Remote Control  

If your car has a remote control that unlocks it, try to find someone with a similar model and see if you can borrow their remote. Give it a try and you just might get lucky enough to find a remote that works on your car.

Article Source: Tips for Vehicle Lockout Emergencies
 

No comments:

Post a Comment