Car lockouts happen pretty often; when it does happen, the most important thing to do is breath and think carefully about what you’re going to do. Once you feel somewhat more relaxed (or less panicked) ask yourself if you have a spare key. I hope you do have one. Having a spare key in these sort of situations can be a total lifesaver. If you don’t have one, remind yourself to make one after this is all over. If you do have one, simply grab it and you can be back on the road.
The majority of cars lock all the doors at once once the lock button on the keyfob is pressed, but sometimes only the driver’s side door locks, or the stick locks can even jam. Make sure to check all your car doors to make sure they’re truly locked. Then see if the trunk is open; if you have a hatchback, you can get into the main part of your car though the trunk. If this works for you, you’re very lucky indeed.
DIY Approaches
If none of the solutions I just listed work, you’re going to have to implement some creative solutions. Calling a car locksmith can certainly help, but I’ll talk about that later. Right now, you can attempt this simple and cheap solutions that can get you back in your car. First, analyze your surroundings, and see if you can obtain any tools (thin rigid metal pieces) that can allow you to break into your car or unlock it. If you don’t have anything like this (even a shoelace with a loop can suffice), you might have to go to the hardware store to pick up materials. DIY tips work better than one might assume – you just need the right equipment.
Calling for Professional Assistance
If DIY tips aren’t working, your car is very secure indeed. The best thing to do at this time is to call a professional locksmith who provides the best in line service. They can come firectly to your location, and even make you a spare key on the spot. They are experts in broken key extraction, and can perform services in seconds that might take much longer in DIY attempts. If time is of the essence, calling a professional locksmith is the best possible thing you can do to get back inside your vehicle.
Custom Tips
- Keep key copies in the places that you’re at the most often. Have a car key copy at your house and at your workplace. This helps make it impossible for you to suffer a lockout at work or at home – it also helps if you’re on the road, but not far from either your home or your office.
- Always give a close friend a spare key, as this is a great thing to do if you’re nearby that person’s home, and can save you the money or time it would take to attempt a DIY entry or call a locksmith.
- Try wearing spare keys on your body – you can wear one as a necklace, integrating it into your favorite lightweight chain, or make sure that you keep it in a specific pocket. This ensures that even if you lose your original set of keys, that you’ll always have a spare set nearby your person.
- Even if you have an electronic key fob, try opening your car manually every now and then to make sure it’s working correctly. By testing to see if the key is operating properly, you are eliminating the chances of getting locked out due to the combination of a low key fob battery and a slightly bent key (or in incidences of extreme temperature, the bulging or shrinking of the metal key.) This is especially important for owners of somewhat older vehicles that can suffer degradation of the internal lock mechanisms.
It’s always important to be prepared; with a backup plan you can get back on the road instantly, rather than be frustrated trying to figure out what to do. You never know when you’re going to suffer a lockout, but by following the tips that I illustrated in this article, getting locked out won’t cause you that much trouble, even when it happens.