Car lockouts we handle
- Keys locked on the seat or in the footwell
- Keys shut in the trunk
- Engine running with the doors locked
- Push-to-start cars with the fob inside
- Rental, leased and company cars
- Trucks, vans and SUVs
- Older cars with manual door locks
- A child or a pet shut inside
How we open a car without damaging it
We do not use a slim jim. On anything built in the last twenty-five years that tool runs straight into the door wiring, the side airbag and the lock linkage, and the repair costs more than the lockout did. Instead we ease the top corner of the door frame open a few millimeters with an inflatable wedge and a plastic shim, then reach in with a long tool and pull the handle or press the unlock button. The frame flexes back and there is nothing to see afterwards. One exception worth knowing: if a child or a pet is shut inside on a warm day, call 911 first and then call us. The fire department is closer than we are and will not wait.
Where we come to you
Parking lots, driveways, gas stations, the Metrolink lots and the shoulder of the 5 and the 14. We cover Santa Clarita, Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, Canyon Country, Stevenson Ranch and Castaic, the San Fernando Valley from Sylmar to Woodland Hills, and up to Lancaster and Palmdale. Tell us the cross streets and we will tell you how long. On the Westside we work by appointment and do not take lockout calls.
Car lockout in 70 cities
Santa Clarita Valley: Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Saugus, Castaic, Val Verde, Acton, Agua Dulce
San Fernando Valley: San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Village, Burbank, Glendale, Tarzana, Northridge, Reseda, Winnetka, Panorama City, Sun Valley, Lake Balboa, Valley Glen, Toluca Lake, Universal City
West Valley: Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills, Canoga Park
North Valley: Granada Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Mission Hills, San Fernando, Arleta, North Hills, Porter Ranch, Lake View Terrace, Shadow Hills
Crescenta Valley: La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge, Sunland, Tujunga, Montrose
Northeast LA: Eagle Rock, Atwater Village
Central LA: Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Feliz
Las Virgenes: Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Hidden Hills
Santa Monica Mountains: Topanga
Conejo Valley: Westlake Village, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks
East Ventura County: Simi Valley, Moorpark
Heritage Valley: Fillmore, Piru, Santa Paula
Antelope Valley: Lancaster, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, Littlerock, Leona Valley
Car lockout questions
Will opening the door damage my car?
Not the way we do it. The wedge spreads the door frame within the flex the metal already has, and the tool that goes inside is coated so it cannot scratch the trim. We have not had to break a window to get a customer into a car, and if one ever came along that we could not open cleanly, we would tell you before starting rather than force it.
Do you need proof the car is mine?
Yes, and be suspicious of anyone who does not ask. Registration, insurance or a photo ID that matches paperwork in the car all work. It takes thirty seconds, and it is the reason your car is not opened by a stranger while you are at work.
My keys are locked in the trunk. Is that different?
Usually we open a door first and use the trunk release or drop the rear seat, which is quicker and safer than working on the trunk lock itself. On a car with no release and a separate trunk barrel we pick that lock instead. Either way it is one visit.
Locked out of the car right now?
Call and tell us the cross streets. We will tell you how long, and what it costs, before we set off.