How to Unlock Your Car? (4 Steps)

 

To unlock a vehicle without its key, you need to unlock it as if you are inside of the car – using either the electronic unlock button or the manual button on one of the doors. The main idea is that you need to find a way to create a tiny bit of space between the door and the frame so you can insert a tool into the car and use it to push or pull one of the unlock buttons from the outside.

 

Step 1: Locating the unlock button in your car

Most cars have 2 types of unlocking buttons. You probably already know where the ones in your car are. The electronic unlock button is usually located on the driver-side door’s panel and one click on it will unlock all the doors at once.

 

The manual buttons are located on each door and unlocking one of them will unlock that specific door. Old cars with no electronic locking mechanism don’t have an automatic unlock button, they can only be unlocked by engaging the manual to unlock button on the door, or by using a tool to pull the handle from the inside.

 

Look into your car and locate the unlock buttons. See what kind there are if they require pulling or pressing on. Decide which button would be the easiest to reach with the tools you have.

Step 2: Wedging the door and the frame apart

Now you need to create some space between the door and the frame of the car that will allow you to slide a tool in and click the unlock button. You want to create the minimum amount of space that will allow you to move the tool comfortably inside of the vehicle.

 

This is critical because prying the door open puts a lot of pressure on the door and the locking mechanism and too much of it will either bend the door or break the locking mechanism altogether. The most common household tools you can use as a wedge are rubber or plastic door stoppers or a big flathead screwdriver but look for anything thin enough you can slide between the door and the frame that will give you that inch of space.

 

Once you’ve found your wedge of choice, carefully slide it in at the top part of the door, as far from the hinges as possible. This is the part that’ll give you the most space because it has the least amount of pressure on it from the hinges and locking mechanism. Try to push your wedge beyond the rubber seal so you can see the tip of it sticking out inside of the car. At this point, you should have about an inch of space between the door and the frame.

Which door should you try to open?

Which door you should open depends mostly on whether you’re targeting the electronic unlock button or the manual one. If you’re going for the electronic unlock button, you’ll have to use the driver’s door because that’s where the button is located. (Except in very few cars where it’s located in the middle console). If your car doesn’t have an electronic button or your tool can’t reach it, you should go for the driver’s side if you’re right-handed and for the passenger side if you’re left-handed. This is pretty intuitive, you need to hold the reach tool with your dominant hand to make it easier to aim and hit the button.

 

Step 3: Sliding a tool into the car and pushing the unlock button

All you need to do at this point is to find a thin, long tool, slide it into your vehicle and use it to push or pull the unlock button. The best household tool for this task is usually a wire coat hanger since it’s long, thin, and can be bent according to the unlock button’s location in your car.

 

Depending on the tool you use, you may need to move the wedge to different areas in the door and try to hit the unlock button from different angles. If you don’t have a wire coat hanger, try to find a small branch that has a bit of an angle to it. It must be firm enough, so it won’t break when you use it to push the unlock button. Usually, it’s easier to aim for the electronic unlock button, but if your tool can’t reach it, go for the manual one. If your car has a FOB and it’s in a visible place in the car (like on the seat), try to aim for the unlock button on the FOB. Remember, you’re using improvised tools, so you have to play around with the different options until you find the one your tool can reach.

Once you hit the unlock button and hear the beautiful sound of your car unlocking, you’ll be tempted to immediately pull the handle and open the door. Don’t do it! Instead, do this first:

 

Step 4: Pulling the reach tool and the wedge out before opening the door

This step is important and often overlooked. With the wedge separating the door and the frame, there is a lot of pressure on the door’s locking mechanism. If you open the door before you release the pressure, the locking mechanism can break. Fixing it will cost so much that you’ll wish you had called a locksmith. So before opening the door, take a second to pull the reach tool out of the car. Then pull out the wedge. The door will return to its normal position and only then should you pull the handle and open it.

 

That’s it! You’ve done it. You’ve unlocked your own car (hopefully). Now get your car key copied so next time you have a spare key to save yourself from all the hassle.

At BarzzLocks we can help you with all types of locks and locksmith services, here are the details to reach us.
ADDRESS: 30 Howard Pl #1, Kitchener, ON N2K 2Z4, Canada
PHONE: +1 2268994427
EMAIL: barzzlocks@gmail.com
WORKING DAYS/HOURS: Mon-Sun / 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM