Locked out of Your Car? Here's How to Get Back in

Most of us have lock ourselves out of our car at one point in time or another. In fact, I can say that I don't know of a single person that has never done that. It's inevitable and unavoidable that eventually your attention will drift just a half second and you will forget your keys in your car somehow. As frustrating as the situation is, you can do something about it and there are several options available to you.

If you have a tendency to leave your keys in your car, investing in a magnetic key box is probably a really good idea. Just make sure that you put it someplace that is hard to reach and out of sight. It is much better to have to reach a little bit to get to your extra key than it is to have your car stolen. It is very important that you do not put your house key in the little box along with your car key. In the event someone was to find the key, you don't need to give them everything in your house as well.

So, now on to the solutions in case you don't have one of those little magnetic key holders on your car.

#1 - If you have the older style door locks knobs that move up and down, find a wire hanger and straighten it. You will want to bend one end of it into a little hook and then feed it in between the rubber modeling and the window or door. With a lot of patience you should be able to get the hook end around the knob and pull straight up, unlocking your door. If you have the one of the newer styles that are smooth and contoured into the door molding the chances are that this will not work.

Varieties of this method include using the hook to push the power unlock button on the door if you have power locks. Some doors will unlock if you pull on the door handle from inside the vehicle so if you can form a loop and get it around the inner door handle, you can sometimes pull it from the outside with the wire hanger and unlock the door.

#2 - If you are parked in a shopping mall lot, a parking facility or near a service station you may be able to barrow a jimmy or even have an attendant open your car for you. It never hurts to ask someone. What the jimmy does is it slides down into the door and operates the locking mechanism directly, just like the key would. These can save you a lot of time and headache.

#3 - Call a locksmith. There are some things to take into consideration such as that you might have to prove that you are the owner of the car before he will start and that he will expect immediate payment. However, the locksmith can do things that very few other people can, and he can do it all on site while you wait. If your key get's damaged and it's a special key that's coded or has a computer chip in it, he can normally make a new one for you right on the spot. It's not a bad idea to find out your key's code before you need it and write it down someplace that you can have available to your in such an emergency. However, some very skilled locksmiths can determine your key code without the key sometimes. That's just not something I would depend on though.

#4 - If you happen to get lucky and have your trunk open while your doors are locked you may be surprised to know that you can fold down the rear seat in many cars which will give you access to the inside of your car and your keys again.

#5 - If you decide to jump off the deep end and bust out a window, break out the little vent window if possible. Often times that vent window is less expensive than other windows. In addition to that, they are normally not held in that entire well and you may find that it comes out before it actually breaks. Be sure to wrap your fist in something to protect it, or use a heavy weighted object like a brick or a stone. Be sure to keep your head out from any flying debris, and whatever you do don't smash a window that will make the vehicle unsafe to drive.

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