Glad I Was Carrying Today (but not what you'd think)

Locked my keys in the car this morning, in the hotel parking lot 4 hours from home. Didn't have access to much in the way of tools, but begged a clothes hanger from another visitor. Was able to pry the door slightly with my clip-on Kershaw Bareknuckle, but the gap wasn't wide enough where I could get it wedged in. Needed something else to get the gap opened wider, so first was the magazine from my compact 1911.

That helped a little, but still not enough to reach the lock button. So I stripped the pistol, used the mag to pry the door enough to wedge the barrel in, then slid the hanger through the barrel so it wasn't pinched in the door. Took about 5 seconds from that point, but about 20 minutes before I thought of it. I wouldn't be a good car thief.

Never thought I'd need a gun to get into my car.

 

Good thinking there but I would have been tempted to blast out a window LOL.
Also I carry a spare key that'll unlock the door but will not start my jeep in my wallet. Has saved my bacon at least two times so far.

 

I'm pretty good getting into locked cars, i even have 5-6 feet of string in my wallet if the auto has door locks that stick up. Locked the keys in my dads drango on time out hunting and found the gut hook on my skinning knife fits the nut on the radio antenna, make a wedge from a stick and was able to press the window lock.

 

I've used the antenna on my old Cherokee before...just bent it at 90 degrees to get enough leverage to unthread it. This car doesn't have an external antenna. Shapes of the lock and buttons make me think they don't want you breaking in them.

I never considered blasting a window out, but I was wondering which window would suck the least to replace if I used the gun to smash one.

 

I love stories of folks using limited resources to solve problems!
However, I do see a magnetic spare key box in your future....

 

Thats easy. The windshield has a smallish deductable and is usually insured against breakage.

 

The police unlock cars for people all the time around here.

 

They do where I live too and probably do up here as well. I'd thought about asking them and I would have given them a call as a last resort. Or next to last, since last would have been breaking a window.

 

AAA does it for free if you're a customer. If you have the right plan, they will tow your vehicle up to 200 miles!

Be sure to check your insurance policy, you might have to pay for that front window. A lot of people think that they replace them for free.

 

Side windows actually are designed to crumble if hit - local kids years ago learned to use an old sparkplug to shatter a side window to gain entry (and if you're actually on surveillance at night all you hear is what sounds like gravel hitting the ground) another of those "ask me how I know" deals.... Windshields are a completely different proposition - they're not designed to crumble and in fact have a layer of plastic between two sheets of glass and are a real shore to break through....

For side windows a spring loaded center punch will make a tiny crack - that will quickly spread through the entire glass - allowing it to crumble out with a push... The point of a knife will achieve the same effect... Any valuables in your car - need to be kept in the trunk, period - and it's not very safe either...

I haven't worked on the street since 1995 - but some things you don't forget...

 

I don't believe I did anything to damage the rifling, but it's an officer sized .45. Not really match grade accuracy with me on the controls anyway. I figured a bendy hanger has to be softer steel than the barrel steel though. When I went inside to ask at the front desk they offered the local PD's phone #.

 

FYI, newer cars with telematics can usually be unlocked remotely by the manufacturer's service, (OnStar, etc), assuming you have the app or you know your account password.

Of course, they can also be disabled remotely....for better or worse.

Some manufacturers have already eliminated both traditional ignition keys and even the smart key fobs in favor of a phone app- though they still provide an emergency lockout blade meant to be carried in a purse or wallet.

The Cadillac XLR, (may it rust in peace), had a lock cylinder on the rear bumper which released the trunk lid and allowed access to a cable which would then open the door. I sell a lot of side windows to owners who don't know it's there!

 

Great thinking to run the hanger through the barrel to prevent the friction from allowing it to work!

Actually, great thinking just to McGyver the gun itself into a car opening tool.

 

Looking at the title of this thread this wasn't what I was expecting! Love the creative thinking!

 

I locked me keys in my truck one time when I was way out in the river bottoms hunting. I had just came out from a long days hunt & put my gun & gear into the passenger side of the truck. As I slammed the door I remembered I had laid my keys on the seat before pileing my stuff inside. I had half a coat hanger in the bed from another project but it was too short to work but I found the sliding back window just had a little room to get my knife point into. Well with prying with my knife & the piece of coat hanger I was able to flip the latch open the holds the sliding window closed. But I still had to reshape the coat hanger to reach the lock because with all the clothes that I had on I couldn't get through that little window to reach the lock with my hand.
I can buy another knife but a cold winters night is too much to sit through because of locking my keys in my vehicle.

 

I was working at the range. Looked in the locked driver's side door to see my keys on the seat. Called my wife from the range office. Friend asked what was going on. He said the window is down on the passenger side, quick, call your wife. If she's already left, I'll go roll up that window. But she hadn't left, crisis avoided.

 

Now that you're home. . . attach a key the back of the license plate using one of the spare screw holes.

 

Our new car will not let you lock your keys inside. Back in the days of real keys that used a hole in the door to unlock, they had this marvelous invention that was just a little weather proof box, that magnetically attached inconspicuously to the undercarriage. Saved my butt more than a few times.

 

Got a call from my wife she had locked the car with the engine running. Mentioned that there was a magnetic box with a key under the right rear wheel well. She looked said it wasn't there.

Got up there, put my hand under, pulled out the key box. Oh well, it was a nice day for a 30 mile motorcycle ride anyway.

 

Having been in similar situations, I learned to have a set of keys that I used as well as spares in a leather case in my pocket. The only key I have to be careful with is the spare for my '08 Ford Ranger as the ignition requires a chip key and the spare is not a chip key. It does let me unlock the doors so I can recover the other keys.

 

I really appreciate FordPass. I now intentionally lock the keys in the truck so that I don’t lose them in the woods. Been in a rough spot or ten though and have used plenty clothes hangers to get out of those rough spots. I would have never thought to use the barrel as an access tube.

 

That should have been in an episode of Mcguyver.... beautiful problem solving. Much respect.