Getting locked out of your car is extremely frustrating. Especially when you are in a hurry and if you don’t have any idea how to open a locked car door, it worsens the feeling. There’s no point attempting to open the door if you don’t understand the technical know-how.
To save yourself from that situation, you need to understand your locking mechanism by reading this article to know about the various methods you should adopt to open your locked car door easily and still get to that meeting on time.
How to open a locked car door
It happens to the best of us. You lock your keys in the car and you’re stranded. Don’t call a tow truck or a locksmith just yet. You may be able to unlock a car door yourself. Here are a few methods you can try to get back into your car.
These may not work for every car, but they’re certainly worth a try. The first method is to use a Slim Jim. If you have a Slim Jim, insert it into the space between the door and the window. Then, slide the tool down until you feel it catch on the lock.
Once it’s caught, lift up and the lock should pop open. If you don’t have a Slim Jim, you can try using a coat hanger. straighten out the hanger and make a small hook at the end. Then, insert the hook into the space between the door and the window.
Once you’ve found the lock, jiggle it until the door opens. If neither of these methods work, your last resort is to call a tow truck or a locksmith. They’ll be able to get you back into your car in no time.
1. Get Your Spare Key
When you purchase a new vehicle from your car dealer, they likely gave you a pair of car keys. If this sounds familiar, and you’re at home, you might want to try to find that spare first.
2. Load Up Your App
Newer cars may also be remotely unlocked using your auto manufacturer’s mobile app. You’ll need to sign up and pair the vehicle to your account prior to your lockout, but doing so right when you purchase your vehicle will prevent lockouts in the future.
Here’s a short list of lockout apps for popular vehicle brands:
- MyChevrolet – Acts as a remote key fob to lock or unlock your GM vehicle, start or stop its engine, sound the horn, and even locate the vehicle, among others.
- Hyundai Blue Link – Allows you to unlock, lock, start, stop, and activate headlights and the horn of your Hyundai.
- NissanConnect – Services include lock/unlock, Vehicle Health Reports, Maintenance Alerts, and connectivity to Alexa and Google Assistant.
- Toyota App – Enables you to lock and unlock the doors, find your Toyota, receive recall alerts, and access maintenance info.
- MySubaru – Via STARLINK, the MySubaru app locks and unlocks your vehicle, remote starts and stops it, and even immobilizes the vehicle when it’s stolen.
3. Unlock Manual Locks with String or Fishing Line
Have an old vehicle with manual locks? grab a few feet of shoestring, fishing line, or twine, fashion a loop in the middle of the string, and work it into the door’s opening. Hook the loop onto the locking mechanism and pull up.
4. Unlock with a Wire Clothes Hanger
Makes this method look easy; we assure you that it is not. However, a wire hanger can unlock your car door via its power lock/unlock button.
Straighten out your hanger, insert it into the door frame’s seal, just above the unlock button, and gently fiddle with it until the metal hanger slides in. Guide it to the unlock button.
5. Unlock with an Inflatable Pump Wedge
If you happen to lock yourself out of the car regularly, it might be a good idea to invest in an inflatable wedge kit. These “auto entry tools” will help you avoid damaging the vehicle’s paint, which can sometimes happen when using metal tools.
The wedge creates space between the door and jamb, allowing you to insert access tools or rods that disengage the lock.
6. Unlock with a Strip of Sturdy Plastic
Many autobody novices will use makeshift door wedges out of spare plastic strips. These can be bent and slid through the cracks of the car door to trigger most manual locks.
7. Call AAA or a Locksmith
When you can’t get your shoestring, wire hanger, or wedges to work, it’s time to make like Robin Hood and call the locksmith.
Service providers like AAA are also good options; they have special lockout tool kits for this very occasion. The downside is that you’ll have to pay for someone to unlock your car.
8. Call the Police
Officers, manning a slim jim, used to provide assistance with vehicle lockouts. However, some police officers today cannot assist if your vehicle is a newer model. If your situation is particularly dire, contacting the authorities is a good idea.
Unless you’ve locked a baby or animal inside a hot car and need assistance ASAP, we suggest calling a non-emergency line rather than dialing 9-1-1. View this list of non-emergency Kansas City Police contact numbers.
If you absolutely must break your window to get inside the car, don’t worry! Auto glass replacement is quite affordable, and most work can be done in an afternoon.
For additional tips or to schedule a visit at one of our Kansas City body shops, dial 800-NEW-AGAIN or request a tow online. Trust McCarthy Collision Centers to give you free estimates and even work with your insurance company to submit claims. We’re here for you.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Q: How do I open my locked car with a flathead screwdriver?
Step 1: Locate the unlock key
This is the first and most important step. If you are familiar with your vehicle, locating your unlock key would be very easy. If you are not, you can check your car’s manual; it should tell you where you’re to unlock key is located.
Step 2: Pry the door with a screwdriver.
Carefully pry into your door using your screwdriver and use it as a wedge between your door and its frame.
When you use a screwdriver to wedge a door, you apply high pressure on your door and lock mechanism, making you run a risk of bending your door or damaging your lock mechanism. So you have to do this as delicately as you can.
Now you have to be able to get your screwdriver in the middle of the door and frame and push it in until its tip gets inside your vehicle. Ensure you stay far away from the hinges so you can have enough space.
Step 3: Insert the tool to push your unlock button.
The best tool you can use for this is a long, thin, and firm coat wire coat hanger. You will have to place your wedge at the angle you need to insert your tool.
If you can get to the electronic unlock key, all you have to do is push the button down, and your car door will open, but if you can’t reach your electronic key, you can still open your door by using the hook to pull its handle.
Step 4: Take out your tool and wedge.
Please ensure that before you open your door, you have removed your tool and wedge. This is very crucial. Opening your door with the wedge and tool still in place can damage your vehicle’s lock mechanism, and it is very costly to repair.
Gently take out your tool first, remove the screwdriver, and then you can now open your car door. There’s no need to go through this if your car has features that support remote door unlocking; you can check up on how to open a locked car door with a cell phone and get your door open.
Q: What do I do if I lock my keys in the car?
Everyone hates being locked out of their cars, especially if the spares are in there too. However, there are various effective methods you can try to unlock your car door, including;
- Using your shoestring
- Coat hanger method
- Use a Slim Jim
- Using a ride and screwdriver
- An inflatable wedge
- Using a tennis ball (Hail Mary’s method)
- Call a locksmith or car assistance provider
You can learn how to unlock your car door with any of these methods.
Q: How much is pop a lock for a car?
To get the actual cost of popping a car lock, you have to take into account the cost of contacting the locksmith, the nature of the lockout, and some other factors. That’s why most people prefer to learn how to pick a car lock themselves.
The cost to unlock your car using the service of a locksmith starts at $15. Then car lockouts usually begin at $35, but still depend on the complexity of the job and your factors. This sums up to give $50.
If you do not have access to your spare keys or your key is broken, the cost of making a new key is usually around $160. You don’t have to make your car key immediately if you can’t accommodate the cost.
Q: Can cops help unlock cars?
Well, the cops might be able to help you out, but they shouldn’t be your first resort when you are locked out of your vehicle. However, if they cannot do it themselves, they can help you with a tow truck, but you will have to pay for that service.
Of course, the police will not unlock your car for free. I mean, who can I call to unlock my car door for free?
No one, of course, unless during emergencies. In those times when the cops get to the scene, they might smash your window to access your vehicle because they do not possess the right tools to unlock car doors.
So it is much better to call a locksmith if you are trapped outside of your vehicle. You can also call an emergency locksmith if needed.
Q: How much does it cost to fix a locked car door?
The cost of fixing a car door has several factors that determine its price, including the parts that will need replacement and the different causes of the lockout.
So giving a fixed price on how much it will cost to repair a locked car door can be difficult. The type of car also determines the price range, as spare parts of vehicles vary in price.
On using a locksmith for the job, the cost of repair includes the service cost of the locksmith and the repair cost. How complex the job is to determine the labor cost.
Getting a locksmith to do the job will range between $75 – $220, which might be expensive, but you are sure of getting your car door fixed.
Towing your vehicle to your dealership to do the work is the most expensive. First, you have to pay the tow fee and deal with the set price of the dealership.
Well, looking on the bright side, you are sure your locked car door will be fixed. However, you might not get your door fixed as quickly as when you use an auto locksmith. We range the cost of using a dealership to fix your locked car door to be around $200 – $650.
Final Words
Unlocking a car door is a lot more technical than it seems, so you have to know the right methods on how to open a locked car door before attempting one, which is precisely what this guide has offered you.
Ensure you read through each of the methods thoroughly, as this is vital if you intend to successfully unlock your car door.
It’s essential to know that none of these methods should be used in breaking into people’s vehicles, as it’s considered a felony in most countries, and that can send you to prison.