How to Open Locked Cars
Straighten a wire hanger., Bend a hook into one end of the hanger., Feed the hanger down between the window and the weatherstripping., Turn the hanger to point the hook toward the inside of the car., Fish the hook around to find the lever., Lift up...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Straighten a wire hanger.
This method will work best for vehicles with a vertical manual lock—meaning a lock that you pull up to unlock or push down to lock.
These locks are usually at the top of the door panel just inside the window.
This method requires a thin but rigid tool that you can feed between the weatherstripping around the bottom of the window and the glass itself.
A wire coat hanger works well, but you must straighten it first.A universal unlock tool or a “slim jim” also work in this case if you’re prone to locking your keys in your car and want to keep one around for future occurrences. -
Step 2: Bend a hook into one end of the hanger.
Though the hanger mostly needs to be straight, you will need to keep a hook bent into one end.
This hook will need to catch on the lever arm of the locking mechanism inside the car door.
The hook should be roughly two or three inches long., In order to reach the locking mechanism lever in the door, you must feed the hook end of the hanger into the small space between the bottom of the window and the weatherstripping the helps seal and cushion the window in the door.
You will need to feed the hanger down several inches, and you will feel when the end of the hook slips down past the window. , The mechanism lever will run parallel to the car door, so you’ll need to turn the hanger close to 90 degrees to make sure the hook faces perpendicular to the lever and can catch it. , This part is not an exact science and depends on the specific car.
You will have to fish the hook around inside the workings of the door to find the lever.
The lever will likely be slightly behind the actual lock placement, so use the hanger within a few inches of the manual lock tab instead of directly next to it.You will see the manual lock lever shake and jiggle when you make contact with the lever arm, so keep fishing around until you see it start to move., Once you feel that the hook in the hanger is around the lever arm and you see the manual lock moving, then you simply need to jiggle and lift up on the hook to finish unlocking the door.
Since the lever arm is stronger than the hanger, it may bend your hook out of place.
Pull the hanger out, reshape the hook, and reinsert to at the same spot.
It may take several tries, but as long as you see the manual lock jiggling, then you know you’re in the right spot. , If you cannot seem to get any leverage by going beneath the window, you can always try one of the other methods, or you can simply call a locksmith.
With the professional assortment of tools a locksmith will have available, they’ll have you back in your car within minutes. -
Step 3: Feed the hanger down between the window and the weatherstripping.
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Step 4: Turn the hanger to point the hook toward the inside of the car.
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Step 5: Fish the hook around to find the lever.
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Step 6: Lift up on the lever arm.
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Step 7: Call a locksmith.
Detailed Guide
This method will work best for vehicles with a vertical manual lock—meaning a lock that you pull up to unlock or push down to lock.
These locks are usually at the top of the door panel just inside the window.
This method requires a thin but rigid tool that you can feed between the weatherstripping around the bottom of the window and the glass itself.
A wire coat hanger works well, but you must straighten it first.A universal unlock tool or a “slim jim” also work in this case if you’re prone to locking your keys in your car and want to keep one around for future occurrences.
Though the hanger mostly needs to be straight, you will need to keep a hook bent into one end.
This hook will need to catch on the lever arm of the locking mechanism inside the car door.
The hook should be roughly two or three inches long., In order to reach the locking mechanism lever in the door, you must feed the hook end of the hanger into the small space between the bottom of the window and the weatherstripping the helps seal and cushion the window in the door.
You will need to feed the hanger down several inches, and you will feel when the end of the hook slips down past the window. , The mechanism lever will run parallel to the car door, so you’ll need to turn the hanger close to 90 degrees to make sure the hook faces perpendicular to the lever and can catch it. , This part is not an exact science and depends on the specific car.
You will have to fish the hook around inside the workings of the door to find the lever.
The lever will likely be slightly behind the actual lock placement, so use the hanger within a few inches of the manual lock tab instead of directly next to it.You will see the manual lock lever shake and jiggle when you make contact with the lever arm, so keep fishing around until you see it start to move., Once you feel that the hook in the hanger is around the lever arm and you see the manual lock moving, then you simply need to jiggle and lift up on the hook to finish unlocking the door.
Since the lever arm is stronger than the hanger, it may bend your hook out of place.
Pull the hanger out, reshape the hook, and reinsert to at the same spot.
It may take several tries, but as long as you see the manual lock jiggling, then you know you’re in the right spot. , If you cannot seem to get any leverage by going beneath the window, you can always try one of the other methods, or you can simply call a locksmith.
With the professional assortment of tools a locksmith will have available, they’ll have you back in your car within minutes.
About the Author
Cheryl Anderson
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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