Locked Out of Your Car? Here's What NOT To Do

Don't use a coat hanger

Modern door cavities are packed with side-impact airbag wiring, window motors and lock actuators. A wire hook fishing blindly through the weather stripping tears wiring insulation and rips the seal, and you will not know until the window stops working or a warning light stays on.

Don't wedge the door with a screwdriver

Doors are aluminum or thin steel and they bend permanently. A bent door frame means wind noise and water leaks forever — in this climate, that means mold in the door card by the following summer. Professional wedges spread pressure across a wide area for exactly this reason.

Don't break the smallest window

It is never actually cheaper. Tempered glass showers the entire cabin with fragments that live in your seat rails for years, and the replacement plus the labor is far more than the service call you were avoiding.

Don't let anyone drill the lock on a standard lockout

A normal lockout does not require destroying anything. If the first thing someone reaches for is a drill, that is a scam signal, not a technique. Ask them to stop and call someone else.

Do this instead

If a child or pet is inside, call 911 immediately — that is an emergency and it comes before cost. Otherwise, get somewhere safe, note your exact location and cross street, and call a mobile locksmith. Most lockouts in Palm Bay take minutes once someone with the right tools is standing there.

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