Auto lock pick

Locked your keys inside your car? Well you're in the right place. This page will explain how to use an auto lock pick. There are various ways to get into your car if you're locked out, breaking the window is the most expensive, so read this before you do that.


A Slim jim vehicle entry tool


This is a Slim jim, the most well known vehicle entry tool, what police generally use. Car locks work by sliding a bolt from an upright position in the door down at a 90 degree angle to latch onto a protrusion from the frame. Insert the slim jim into the space between the door and the frame, and try to feel where the bolt is (usually in line with the keyhole). Use the notched end to lift the bolt up. This is similar to using a credit card to slide between a door and a door frame to unlock a common doorknob lock (the oldest trick in the book). This takes practice, and be careful not to ruin any of the wiring or electronics. Do it on the passenger side, as the driver's side usually has more wiring.


air wedge automotive lock pick


This is a typical air wedge, and is not actually an "auto lock pick" per se. Companies like AAA usually use this when people lock their keys out of the car. First, pull the door as far from the frame as you can with your hands (grip it from the top of the door). Then slip the air wedge into the space, and use the hand pump to pump it with air. Pump it enough that there is a wide space to fit and maneuver a coat hanger, but not so much that the door breaks. Then, insert a bent coat hanger (other tools are sold commercially, but coat hangers work just as well) into the space. If the car has electronic locks, push the button to unlock it with the coat hanger. If it has the kind that slide side to side, try to do that. If it has the locks that you have to pull up, then use a slim jim because that is very hard to unlock with a air wedge and a coat hanger.


jiggler lock picks, jiggler keys


These are jiggler lock picks (aka jiggler keys), and they work just like you would expect. Stick 'em in the keyhole and jiggle them around while trying to turn like a regular key. These are used for cars only, because most car manufacturers do not use a very large set of different locks. I used to have a Pontiac Sunfire, and its key opened the door on my friend's Chevy Cavelier with a little jiggling (both made by GM). The problem is that different manufacturers have different shaped locks, so some jiggler lock picks may not work with some cars. It's really hit or miss, so hope to get lucky. Car locks are quite hard to pick with a conventional pick set, because they are double sided ie, pins on the top and bottom. To set the pins at their shear point, both the top and bottom pin have to be pushed to their shear point simultaneously. Not impossible, just hard.

Remember that these methods will make the alarms go off in cars. Don't freak, just get into the car so you can get your keys and turn it off, there's no laws against using an automotive lock pick on your own car.

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