Getting locked out of your car can be a very stressful experience, but it is always important to stay calm as improper methods of opening your vehicle may harm it. There is a vast tool kit that auto locksmiths use to open a car that have the keys locked inside the car, broken in a lock, or simply lost. The slim jim is perhaps the most commonly thought of tool for opening a locked vehicle but is only effective on cars with upright style locks. The Slim Jim method varies depending on the make and model of the car but is predicated around the idea of slipping the tool between the weatherstrip and moving it until the upright lock is moved. Once the tool has found the locking device, the Slim Jim must hook the lock and be slid up to unlock the car. This process requires a lot of finesse as this part of the door has many wires and electronic mechanisms that can be disrupted, harming the car if done unprofessionally.

A more common practice in car lockouts is the use of wedges. Wedges vary in size and shape to accomplish success with a vast number of different makes and models. Though some wedges may seem more refined than others they are used because of their proven track records and will not harm the vehicle. The wedge serves as a way to create an opening in the door so another tool may be used to unlock the car from the inside. Once the wedge is in place a Lasso Tool may be used for an upright door lock. This tool grasps the lock with a small lasso so that the lock can be pulled upwards to unlock the car door. A rod may be used for push or slide buttons if the car does not have upright locks.

More specialized tools act in a similar fashion to the Slim Jim, in terms of a wedge free entry. The Japanese Tool (named for its use predominantly on Japanese manufactured cars) is dropped down between the weather strip and the windowpane and comes up on the other side of the glass to manipulate thumb style locks. The Auto Buster (perfect for GM cars) enters the car just like the Japanese tool, but due to its shape can more adeptly press sidelocks or use side sliding locks.

FAQs

How fast will the car locksmith arrive?

When you need an car lockout service, you need it now. Our mobile locksmith can be at your location in 15 to 30 minutes. This depends on a few external factors such as, how busy our technicians are with other customers at the time, the technician’s location in relation to you, how remote a location you are in, etc. There is no need to worry though, because we will be there to help no matter what. You can be sure that our technicians will arrive as soon as they can, and inform you of their estimated time of arrival before you fully commit to the service.

How long will it take to unlock car door?

A traditional car lockout takes approximately 5 minutes to remedy. After that, you will be back in your car and on your way to fun and excitement. If your car has more complex security than a standard vehicle, then the time needed to gain entry will adjust relative to the difficulty of the job. However, there is no need to worry, because our locksmiths will get you in as quick as possible without harming your vehicle.

Will it damage the vehicle to unlock car door?

No. Painstaking effort is made on the part of United Locksmith to assure that no car lockout results in unnecessary damage. There are very rare circumstances with some cars where a deadlock feature combined with keys that have been left in the trunk, may require some drilling. However, that hole will be covered by your reinstalled license plate, in the rare instance that you need that very particular service. We understand that your car is precious, and that is why we do our utmost to ensure that all automobiles under our care are protected from harm.

Is it ever impossible to unlock car door?

If it is, United Locksmith has yet a case where they could not unlock car door. There is no such thing as perfect security. It is impossible to make anything completely secure, which is good news for you. It means that an unlock car door is possible no matter what. This does not mean that you have bad security. In fact, if it takes a professional locksmith a while to open, then that means that most criminals would be turned away. Don’t think of it that your car is imperfect. Think of it as, United Locksmith being amazingly talented.

Unlock Car Door

Can’t unlock car door? No problem. Here at United Locksmith, we have specialized technicians with the skill and experience to get you back into your locked car no matter what the circumstances are. With our expert technicians, there is no car lockout that cannot be solved. We have the tools, resources, and professionally trained workers required to open any locked car. There are many ways they can approach a car lockout.

Each technician learns the science needed to quickly unlock car door. From there they work on the art. With all aspects of locksmithing, there is craft required. Beyond the know how there is a need for the locksmith to feel and finesse the locks. Perhaps it is a love of the industry that causes me to give this type of praise and interpretation to locksmithing, but there is certainly a case to be made for the beauty of security. It is only right that beauty should need something as beautiful to be its undoing. And there is no one better than undoing beautiful security than United Locksmith.

Tools

Locksmiths need their tools in order to unlock your door.  The usage of one tool over another is left to the discretion of the locksmith. Because of the artistry that locksmithing requires the individual insight of a particular locksmith, a lot must be left up to that individual. Beyond the technician’s preference, there are certain tools that lend themselves to a situation.

A good locksmith will know what tool to use and when a tool is not appropriate for the job. A modification on a car may also prevent a standard type of entry tool. This decision centers on the situation and the intuition of the very locksmith that will have to perform the service. Some of the tools they may use include:

Wedges – A wedge is used to create a gap between the frame of the car door and the very door itself. These wedges can fluctuate depending on the discretion of auto locksmith. These variations include, but are not limited to, wooden wedges, plastic wedges, rubber wedges, and air wedges. Wooden and plastic wedges are likely to be hard, so it is important to lay down some sort of towel or rag as a buffer between the car and the tool.

This will keep the paint from getting scratched, and protect the weather stripping and plastic coating around the window glass. Softer rubber wedges are relatively uncommon, but there are locksmiths that feel very comfortable with them. This material will not scratch or damage the car as it slides between door frame. The most common professional wedge is the air wedge. This is a cloth pouch that has a small rubber bladder attached to it by a length of tubing. The wedge is inserted while flat, into the door jam. Then the bladder is pumped so that the pouch expands.

No matter what type of wedge is used, it must not be left in the gap for too long. A gap that is maintained for an extended amount of time can cause lasting harm to the door. That is why our locksmiths handle a car lockout quickly and efficiently. In the same vein as the time precaution, a gap can be made too wide, which might break the glass or just damage the door.

All of these issues with wedges are reasons that you should leave a car lockout up to professional locksmiths. This method also requires a probe tool to be inserted through the gap. Simply opening the door slightly will not be enough to open it. The end goal of this entry method is to manipulate the interior door locks in some fashion.

Probes – Once a wedge has been installed successfully into the doorway, it is time to use the probe. A probe is a thin and long tool that is used to manipulate the interior door locks. It must be inserted from the outside of the car, so the material needs to be sturdy and thin. The professional probe tools have a balance of strength, which is necessary to manipulate the interior door locks, and malleability, which is needed to better reach the different types of locks.

Probing a doorway can take a bit of time, especially if the lock buttons are inopportunely placed. For this reason, it is not always better to use a probe, even though it may seem like the best way. A trained locksmith will know if a probe is the right choice for your car lockout.

Specialized Closed Doorway Tools – Other than the variety of slim jims that exist, there are other types of closed doorway entry tools. The defining characteristic of these tools is that they do not rely on opening the door to any degree. They are not considered to be a probe. Secondly, they are not a slim jim, because they do not open the lock while inside the door. These tools are placed between the weather strip and the window glass, go into the door, but then resurface on the inside of the car.

After the resurfacing, these tools will manipulate the door lock buttons on the car’s interior. The reason that these tools must be specialized is because there must be pre-existing bends. The shape allows the tool to enter the door while closed, resurface and then have the proper shape to still use the locks on the other side. All of this requires precise measurements and angles for every length and bend. The trick with these tools is knowing which works for what type of car. Other than that they are relatively intuitive to use, but problems can occur from misuse.