How to open a car door without a key: 6 easy ways to get inside when it's locked

Locking the keys in the car is, to put it mildly, unpleasant, especially if you are in a hurry somewhere. You can always call AAA technical assistance or a locksmith, but you will probably have to shell out and also wait for them to get to you. You may even be towed.

Luckily, there are a few homemade ways to open a car door in desperation, and I'm not talking about hoaxes like using a cell phone or a tennis ball. To open locks when you don't have the keys, try a lanyard, a car antenna, or even a windshield wiper.

These lock-up tricks may seem incredible, but they definitely work, although it all depends on the make and model of your car. New cars and trucks will be harder to get into with automatic locks and security systems, but not impossible. You can at least try one of these lockpicking tips before calling in an expensive professional to do it for you.

Method #1: Use shoelaces

It may seem like an impossible task, but you can open a car door in seconds with just one lanyard. Remove the lace from one of your shoes (another type of lace will do), then tie a lace in the middle, which can be tightened by pulling on the ends of the lace.

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Hold one end of the rope in each hand, pull it over the corner of the car door, and work back and forth to lower it far enough for the knot to slide over the doorknob. Once it's in place, pull on the rope to tighten it up and pull it up to unlock it.

This method won't work for cars that have locks on the side of the door, but if you have a handle on the top of the door (as in the screenshots above), you have a good chance of getting this to work. .

Method number 2: use a long fishing rod

If you can open the top of the car door just a little, you can use a wooden wedge, an air wedge, and a rod to unlock the car. First, take a wooden wedge and insert it into the top of the door. In order not to damage the paint, put a cap (preferably plastic) on the wedge.

If you think you can do this often, get a set of wedges or an inflatable wedge and a longer reach tool.

• How to open a locked car door without a key or Slim Jim

Insert an air wedge next to a wooden wedge and pump air into it to increase the distance between the car and the door. Push in the wood wedge as far as you can until there is a significant gap. Finally, insert the rod into the door gap and carefully open the door using the locking mechanism on the side.

If you don't have an air wedge, you could probably do without one. This will be more difficult to do, but the following video will help make it easier.

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Method #3: Use a strip of plastic

If you have a locking mechanism at the top instead of the side, you can use a plastic strip instead, which might be easier than a drawstring. You will still need to open the door somehow, with or without an air wedge.

• How to open a locked car door without a key or Slim Jim

Method #4: Use a Hanger or Slim Jim

One of the most common ways to open a car door is to use a modified wire coat hanger, which is a thin DIY clip. The principle is the same. This method works best for doors with manual locking; for automatic locks see one of the other methods.

Using pliers, unravel the hanger so that you have one straight side and the other with a hook that you will use to pull out the control lever inside the door connected to the lock rod.

Then slide the hanger down between the car window and seal until the hook is about 2 inches below the car window and car door junction, near the inside door handle where the control lever would normally be. (You should find a diagram online for your specific make and model of vehicle in advance, as the location may vary.)

Rotate the suspension until the hook is inside and find the control lever, which is not always easy to find. Once you are locked, pull up and the car door will open.

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Again, the coat hanger trick only works with certain locking mechanisms, usually on older cars, so it most likely won't work on newer car models. For newer cars, you can still use a coat hanger, but you'll have to slip it between the door and the rest of the car (as in method #2) to open it from the inside.

Method #5: Use Your Antenna

On older models of cars with a certain style of exterior handle, like the screenshot below, you could potentially open the door from the outside using just your car's antenna.

Simply unscrew the antenna, carefully thread it through the inside of the doorknob and move it around until the lock starts to shake. Once you see that you are making a connection, push the antenna forward and the door will open.

Method #6: Use a glass cleaner

Usually the wipers can be removed from the car quite easily, but this method depends on the car model. No matter what car you have, a windshield wiper can save you the hassle of having to call a locksmith to open a locked car door.

First remove the wiper from the front of the car. If your window is slightly ajar or you can jam the door, you are maneuvering inside the car. Use the windshield wiper to either grab the keys on the chair or press the unlock button on the side of the door (which I successfully tried out in the video below).

You can practically use anything that gets through your window long enough, but if you're in a hurry and can't see anything around you that could get through the gap, a windshield wiper is your best bet.

What worked for you?

Have you tried any of the methods above? Or do you know other ways to open the car door with your own hands? Let us know in the comments below!

If none of this works for you, you can always try AAA roadside assistance if you're a member (or call and make an appointment by phone). They will usually reimburse you for some or all of the costs if you need to call a locksmith. If you don't have an AAA, you can try calling the police or local security (university or mall). Cops usually ride in cars with thin jims, but don't count on it - helping you is probably the least important thing on their to-do list.

If you don't want to be locked out again, you can also invest in magnetic key holders. Put the spare car key there and hide it under the bumper.