How to open a car without a key

The nightmare of any driver is leaving the car locked with the keys inside. A situation that, in most cases, forces us to resort to a locksmith or break a glass to regain our mobility. Fortunately, it is possible to open a car without a key, thanks to some simple home remedies.

At a time when opening a car with a mobile phone is still very rare, leaving the keys inside the car is not something strange. In Spain, this situation occurs around 10,000 times a year, which is usually a joy for locksmiths and roadside assistance companies. However, if you are the one affected, surely what you are interested in knowing is how to open a car with the keys inside, precisely so that you do not have to resort to these professionals.

Fortunately, there are some techniques with which to open a car without keys. Some of them require certain tools, while others can be started with everyday objects, so you won’t need a car ramp or anything special to proceed. What is essential is to arm yourself with patience, since the opening process will surely be complex. So you can forget about what you saw in that YouTube video where they explain “how to open a car without a key in 10 seconds”.

By the way, all these methods are designed to be used on your own car, so if you use them for what you shouldn’t, it’s your own responsibility. Especially since some of these systems can cause the alarm to go off. However, if you have the keys inside, it will be easy for you to quickly disconnect it. With that said, let’s get down to business to see how to open a stuck or locked car door when you don’t have the keys to hand.

1. The hanger

If you want to know how to open a car with central locking without keys, keep reading, because we reveal the “secret” to you. To proceed, you will need a simple wire hanger, one of those that can be unfolded once disassembled. To proceed, it will be necessary to stretch the hanger until it has the appropriate shape, which must be elongated and keeping the hook at the tip. Depending on the shape of the vehicle, you will have to mold the hook to the necessary shape to reach the area of ​​the inner opening handle.

Once you have the hanger stretched, it’s time to take action. To open a car with central locking, it will be necessary to pull the door a little and insert the hanger inside the passenger compartment, bringing the hook closer to the door lock area. Once this is hooked, it will be enough to give the hanger a strong pull to release the door and access the interior.

If your car is older, then you may want to stick the coat hanger through the outer window seal until you locate the door lock mechanism. Once located, a simple pull is all you need to open the door.

2. The shoelace

This system is similar to the hanger system, although it is recommended for older cars that have a lock on the upper part of the door. In this case, it is necessary to make a small loop in the middle of the cord, which we must go down the inside of the door to the insurance area.

Once we have that insurance in the middle of the loops, just pull the ends to close the knot, and pull the rope up, thus releasing the door. As you can imagine, it is a method that requires a lot of skill and good-sized laces. However, it is also possible to use any other rope, as long as it is not particularly thick.

3. Rod and screwdriver

Similar to the coat hanger system is the rod and screwdriver system. In this case, we will use the screwdriver to open the door a little and make way for the metal rod, with which we will open the vehicle’s door lock and gain access to the interior. This rod must have a sufficient size for our task and we should place a handkerchief, textile or similar on its tip, so as not to scratch your car during the process. 

When starting this system, it is usually useful to have the best multitool you have at hand, since the different elements that are part of it will help you access this interior area with greater comfort than a simple screwdriver.

4. The tennis ball

This model arouses certain controversies. On the one hand, because few people are usually on the street with a tennis ball on them. And on the other hand because it is a system that requires a somewhat complex mix of skill and strength to be successful. But by trying, you don’t lose anything. At most, a simple tennis ball.

The idea is to make a hole in the tennis ball with any tool. This hole must be large enough to accommodate the keyhole, while trying to achieve as tight a seal as possible. And it is that the base on which this system is based requires high air pressure, which we generate by pushing the tennis ball once it is placed in its place. The idea is that by pushing the ball we will cause a pressure blow of such caliber that the door will open. If you get it, don’t hesitate to let us know.

How to open a trunk from the inside

Although it is a very rare situation, we did not want to close our article without explaining how to open a trunk from the inside. In many American cars there is a phosphorescent colored handle, which allows the trunk to be opened from the inside. It is also possible to open the trunk if the vehicle has an opening system from the driver’s seat. This mechanism uses a cable, so you “only” have to remove the part of the trunk on the driver’s side, find the cable and pull. Alternatively, if you can’t open it, you can always force the seats forward or lift the boot tray and exit through here, on vehicles that allow it.