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Car Lockout
It is probably no comfort to anyone who has just locked themselves out of their car to hear how common an occurrence it is. After all, a car lockout can make the difference between making an important appointment or not. It can mean losing out on an opportunity, missing an event, upsetting your schedule and that of others, being stuck in horrible weather with nowhere to go, being stuck in a dangerous place…the list of lousy things that can occur because of a car lockout just goes on and on. It doesn’t help at all to know millions of others have done it too. Fortunately, there are solutions. At Locksmith Pro, we offer a skilled locksmith for cars as part of our 24-7 mobile locksmith service.
What to Do With a Car Lockout
So, it happened. You went to slam the door closed and even as you were letting it go you thought, “The keys!”. Too late, the latch clicked and you are locked out. Maybe you didn’t even realize it till later and you suddenly felt a lurch in your stomach as you realized you hadn’t grabbed the keys. Maybe it is just that the keys are actually nowhere to be found, and you have been too many places to look. Maybe the building in which those keys sit is now safely locked for the weekend. Again, the ways you can experience a car lockout can seem endless and no comfort comes from knowing almost everyone has done it (or at least almost done it). What is comforting to know is that a car lockout service is available, and that it can get to you pretty quickly. Our skilled locksmith for cars understands how to get you access to any sort of make or model, and can even help you with issues like traditional keys, transponder keys and even new keys if needed. So, step one in a car lockout situation is to be sure you know our contact details, and then find a way to get in touch. Our team ensures you have access to a locksmith 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we emphasize this because we don’t want you to panic. This is the number one response for most people who have locked keys in a car or require car lockout service. Because of that, we want to take a few moments to review what NOT to do when you are in the middle of a car lockout.
What NOT to Do With a Car Lockout
In a moment, we’ll look at some clever ways to be proactive about car lockout situations, and even how to avoid them. Before that, though, we need to look at some of the things our customers have done in the past, and explain why these are not wise steps to take.
Jimmy, jam or bump the lock – These are steps that will usually end up ruining the lock (meaning you now have to pay to have new locks, new keys and maybe even a new ignition cylinder). They will also run the risk of harming the door, leading to a much more expensive repair. This is particularly true if you ram a shim or jimmy between the glass and the door as it might interfere with other systems, too. Also, keep in mind that most modern car locks cannot be bumped the way that door locks can, and so you should never try this approach.
Call numerous locksmiths – Also, please never call two or more emergency locksmith services in order to get at least one there quickly. This means you now have multiple mobile locksmiths heading to your area, but it also means that only one gets the job. This is unfair to the 24-hour locksmith services, and some will actually demand payment for the call.
Breaking in – Please, whatever you do, never try to break into your car. Whether you attempt open a window force or pry open the door or lock, you run the risk of pretty severe injury to yourself, damage to the vehicle, and major problems with your auto insurance provider. Also, please never try to squeeze into spaces not meant for people to pass, small side windows or the rear windows in pickup trucks are not really sized for an adult, and you may get injured or stuck, and then face more expenses. And while the Internet says that entering through the trunk is a good idea…it isn’t.
Instead of panicking when this sometimes unavoidable blunder occurs, just be a bit proactive. You’ve already started by reading this. Make sure you have our name, contact information and other details available (either by entering it into your phone or making note of our business name and using it if you need to get in touch with a reliable provider during a car lockout). Even if you don’t have a phone and find yourself knocking on a stranger’s door to get some help, knowing a trustworthy and experienced car locksmith‘s name will give you peace of mind.
Do NOT
- Jimmy, jam or bump the lock
- Call numerous locksmiths
- Break in
Be Prepared for Car Lockout
So, what’s the best way to respond to a car lockout? To be prepared for it. However, as you prepare for it, you can also start to train yourself to avoid it. Our goal at Locksmith Pro is to create a long-term working relationship with our clients. We believe that once you find reputable and skilled locksmith services you can then turn to us for any locksmith needs. Usually, we try to help you avoid costly car lockout issues by offering some savvy tips and advice. After all, why pay us repeatedly for something that is almost too easy to avoid? To support you in your effort to avoid car lockout service, we recommend the following tips:
Train the Brain
Many of our customers who find themselves making repeat calls for car lockout services tell us that they overcome this issue by creating a routine for exiting the car. Counting out loud, with each number meaning a single step (i.e. “One, engine off. Two, keys in bag or pocket. Three, exit car.”) often works. It may seem extreme, but if you find that you are a bit sloppy about your keys, you need to retrain yourself in order to ensure safety and security. After all, the keys you are so often forgetting could also have house, office and other keys, too. With mention of keys…
Vehicle Maintenance
Think of your car locks and keys as part of your vehicle maintenance. For example, you can always have our mobile locksmith pay a visit to check the conditions of your car locks and keys. How would this help you avoid the need for car lockout service? It changes the way you view the issue of car keys. If they are as significant as the engine, the headlights or the brakes, you start to view them with much more value and are much less likely to toss them aside and forget about them until the door is locked or the keys are misplaced somewhere.
Have a Spare Car Key
Give us a call and have us create a complete set of spare keys to your cars, property and other areas. Then, find a reliable friend as your emergency go to or even use a powerful, magnetic “hide a key” concealed on the car. Though a lot of thieves are aware of the areas that people most often stow these handy devices, it could be one solution.
Buy a Steering Wheel Lock
This sounds very outdated and odd, but it is a truly amazing tip. Why? First, it gets you into a habit of a car exiting routine. As we learned in one of the steps above, this is a great way to avoid a car lockout by retraining the brain. Second, if it doesn’t work as a brain retraining device, it does let you leave the car unattended to get help or make a call without too many worries that the vehicle will be stolen. Of course, you need to keep the key to it somewhere OTHER than the regular key chain. With just those few simple, preventative measures, you may not need a car locksmith for a car lockout. And yet, accidents happen. After all, we are frequently phoned by vehicle owners who have experienced a key snapping off inside of the car’s door lock or trunk. This is also time for car lockout services. Of course, if you had that maintenance done, it might have avoided the issue! This is why it is such a proactive and preventative measure. Just think about it: If you had our locksmith for cars do a quick review of the car’s keys and locks, they might have told you about any potential problems. Slight damages, bent or overly worn keys, and other issues are all part of the work of a car locksmith. Though our 24-7 mobile locksmith will be able to address the issue of a bent or broken key, it could have been avoided. Locksmith Pro will do everything possible to repair a lock that is malfunctioning (or about to act up) or address the car door lock in which a key has broken, but quite often, it means we need to rekey locks or do a new lock installation. The methods that our mobile locksmith might use can include picking the lock, using an air wedge or any other industry-approved methods to open the vehicle’s doors. We can even extract a broken key and rekey locks as part of the car lockout service.
Some Things to Consider
The car is running
We have received many car lockout panic calls because the owner of the car has left it running and locked the doors. This feels like a huge issue, but just take a moment to remember that our car lockout services are running around the clock. It does not matter where you are in our service area. We will get to you shortly. Do not panic and try to break in. We can get into the car quite quickly once we arrive, not matter how you ended up in a car lockout.
You need to find help and the car is in a bad area
Here's the thing; it's better to get yourself to a safer area and get help on the way than to stand around worrying about the car. If you have to leave it in order to get emergency locksmith services, know that help will arrive shortly. Arrange to meet us somewhere you are comfortable and then we can head to the car or truck.
Everything is in the car
This can feel horrible, but the wisest thing to do is avoid drawing attention to yourself. Keeping calm and not shouting or raging about the keys (and all of your valuables) inside the car is the best action. You know you need to phone Locksmith Pro for car lockout services, and you know it will be only a short time until we arrive. If you can sit with the car and guard your things (after making the call), it is best, and will ensure your belongings and vehicles are safe. It takes moments to make the call, and then our car locksmith is on the way.
Now, up until this point we have discussed the how and why of car lockouts and some steps to avoid them. We did not yet touch on a few of the real headaches of the situation, or how to deal with them should they occur. So, let’s take a few moments to look at them now…
We encourage you to keep our number 844-777-LOCK on your cell phone’s speed dial to ensure you can always get in touch at any time. Whether it’s for a car lockout, emergency locksmith issue, another task for a locksmith for cars, Locksmith Pro has the car locksmith services you need.