A child or a pet inside: call 911 first
A closed car in the sun heats up far faster than people expect, even on a mild day. If a child or an animal is inside, call 911 before anyone else. Emergency services will break a window without waiting for a locksmith, and a window is cheap next to the alternative. California law also makes it an offense to leave a young child or an animal in a car in dangerous conditions, which tells you how seriously the risk is taken.
What to try before calling anyone
- Walk around the car and try every door and the trunk. On many cars a single door or the tailgate stays unlocked.
- Check for a spare: at home, with a family member, or in a magnetic box you may have forgotten about.
- Look at your app. Many cars from the last several years can be unlocked from the manufacturer's phone app or through the connected service in the car.
- Check your cover. Roadside assistance from your insurer, your credit card or a motor club often includes lockout service, although the wait can be long.
Why not the coat hanger
On an older car with a vertical lock button, a wire through the weatherstrip sometimes worked. On anything built in the last twenty-five years, the space inside the door is full of wiring, the side airbag and the lock linkage, and a wire or a slim jim fished around in there can do far more damage than it saves. Prying the top of the door with a screwdriver bends the frame so it whistles at speed forever after. If you want to try something, try the app and the roadside cover.
How a locksmith opens the car
We use an inflatable air wedge to ease the top corner of the door open by a few millimeters, within the flex the door already has, and a long-reach tool to press the unlock button or pull the handle from the inside. Nothing touches the paint, nothing goes inside the door, and the glass is not involved. On most cars it takes minutes. If the keys are locked in the trunk, we usually open a door first and use the trunk release or fold the rear seat, which is quicker and safer than working on the trunk lock.
A Tesla is a case of its own: no keyhole, frameless glass, and doors that need the car's 12V battery to open. Our guide to getting into a locked Tesla covers the phone key, the key card and a car that will not wake up.
What to have ready
Expect to show that the car is yours: your ID, and the registration or insurance card, which are often in the glove box, so we look at them once the door is open and before you drive away. A locksmith who opens a car without asking would open anyone's car.
When it is not a lockout
If the key is lost rather than locked inside, opening the door does not get you home, because the car still will not start. That is a key job, and our guides on losing your only car key and losing a push-to-start fob explain what happens next. If the car is a pickup, a box truck or a semi, see our truck lockout page, since the doors and the paperwork are different.
Our car lockout service covers driveways, parking lots and the roadside across the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, at any hour, with the price agreed by text before we drive over.
Questions people ask
Will opening my car damage it?
Not when it is done with an air wedge and a long-reach tool. The door is eased open a few millimeters within its normal flex, and nothing goes inside the door or touches the paint.
My engine is running with the keys inside. Is that different?
It is the same opening, just more urgent because of the fuel and the risk of the car being taken. Tell us when you text so we come prepared, and stay near the car.
Does my insurance cover a lockout?
Often, through roadside assistance on the policy, a credit card or a motor club. It is worth a quick check, especially if you are not in a hurry.
Can you open a car with keyless entry and a dead fob?
Yes. Most fobs hide a mechanical key inside, and there is a hidden key cylinder on the driver's door. If that fails, we open the car the same way as any other lockout.