How to open a car door with a rope

If you've locked your keys in your car, you're familiar with that feeling of nausea and the knot that forms in your stomach. You have an expensive tow truck visit to unlock the car, and it can take hours before they arrive.

You may not have to wait for a tow truck to arrive to unlock your car doors. If your door locks have a pin that goes through the top of the door panel, or if your doors open when the doorknob is pulled, you may be a little more fortunate than you initially thought.

To help yourself, you will need a long string. The string must be at least 36 inches long and strong but not stiff. Some string types that are good to use:

• Drawstring coat
• Shoelaces
• Drawstring sweatpants
• Twine

Your goal here is to "hack" your machine. Since you're not really trying to steal it - it belongs to you - it's actually a more creative solution to the problem than breaking into a car.

Method 1 of 2: Lasso on the Door Lock Button

In this method, you need to make a slipknot on the end of the rope, push it into the gap between the door window frame and the roof of the car, and lasso the button of the door lock. It's tricky and may take a few tries before you're successful, but it'll be helpful if it works.

• A warning: You will need to use physical force to try to get into the car. There is a possibility that you can damage or bend the door, tear the seal or scratch the interior of the car.

Necessary materials

• A string matching the above description

• Tip: This method only works if the door lock button is at the top of the door panel and expands slightly at the top of the button like a tube.

Step 1: Make a loop in the rope using a slipknot.. Bring the end of the thread to the middle of the thread.

Go under the middle of the rope. The end of the thread forms a small loop.

Pull the end of the rope through the loop and pull tight.

Step 2: Insert the rope into the car. You will need to push the rope through the slot at the top of the door past the seal.

You can use a glove or sock to widen the gap. Roll up your sock and secure it to the top of the door, creating a small rope hole to make it easier to get into the car.

Step 3: Lower the rope to the door lock button.. Rotate the loop so that it locks around the door lock button.

Step 4: Hook the loop around the door lock button.. To do this, pull the string to the side. Carefully slide the cord down the back of the door or B-pillar and pull to the side.

The hinge should fit snugly around the door knob.

Step 5: Unlock the door lock button. Move the rope up along the door again, pressing firmly on the rope.

As soon as you get close to the top of the door frame again, the door lock will move to the open position.

As soon as you open an unlocked door, the rope can be released freely from the lock button.

If at any point in this process the hinge comes off the door lock button or the hinge breaks, reset and try again.

Method 2 of 2: lassoing the inner door lever

The front doors of some vehicles, both domestic and foreign, are unlocked by pulling the inside door handle when it is locked. This is a feature to prevent accidental opening of the door when it is locked and in motion, but you can use it to your advantage if you lock yourself in the car.

Necessary materials

• Some string matching the above description

For this method to work, the handle must be a lever.

Step 1: Create a slipknot similar to the one used in method 1.. You will need to apply considerable force to pull the inside doorknob, so make sure the knot around the hinge is tight.

Step 2: Insert the loop into the machine. From the top edge of the driver's or passenger's front door, you will need to push the rope into the vehicle.

Use a glove or sock to wedge the gap to make your job easier. The gap near the rear edge of the door will be the most convenient in order to push the rope inside.

Step 3: Lower the rope to the doorknob.. Slowly move the rope along the top of the door to where the doorknob is.

Be careful not to pull the rope out of the door or you'll have to start over.

Once you are in line with the doorknob, try to gently rotate the hinge towards the handle.

The handle may be recessed into the door panel and not visible from the window on the same side of the vehicle. If you have a friend or passer-by with you, have that person peek from the other side of the car to indicate how you should correct your movements.

Step 4: Hook the doorknob onto the hinge. This is easier said than done and will take a few tries to get it right while you tweak your process to find something that works.

Step 5: Move the rope to the back edge of the door.. Once you have "caught" the doorknob, move the rope back to the back edge of the door.

Be extremely careful not to pull the string too tight or loosen it too much, otherwise it may come off the handle and you will have to start over.

Step 6: Pull the cord straight towards the back of the car.. It takes a lot of pressure to pull the door handle hard enough to open it.

On some vehicles, the door will unlock at this point. On others, the door will actually open.

Open the door and remove the rope from the handle.

• A warning: Attempting to break into a vehicle using these methods may draw the attention of law enforcement. Do not try to get into the car with a rope if you do not have your ID with you.

While it may take a few tries and a lot of patience to hook a door lock or doorknob with a rope before you get it right, the procedure for unlocking a car with a rope is actually quite simple. So if you have a car with a matching door lock or interior handle, it's worth knowing how to perform this trick in case you accidentally lock your keys in the car.