I Locked My Keys Inside The Car!

August 29th, 2024

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According to the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia Inc (RAA), there are plenty of reasons why motorists reach out for roadside help or assistance.  The obvious reasons might be having a flat battery, the car not starting, or just plain running out of fuel (or battery charge).  But there is one other quite common reason for requiring roadside assistance from an experienced technician and that is you’ve locked the keys in the car!  For me – and I can vouch from experience – this is the reason that tops the list of the most embarrassing reasons for a call-out. 

If you make a habit of leaving the keys in the car as a fairly common occurrence, one thing that might make life a little less stressful is to hide an extra key somewhere on the outside of the vehicle’s body.  You can buy a little magnetic box that’s big enough to accommodate a spare car key for the car, though not so huge you’ll be drawing a load of attention to it.  For obvious reasons, it’s probably best not to have the box painted pink or some other bright colour either.  The great thing about these boxes is that they can stick themselves magnetically to any metal surface which is part of the vehicle’s bodywork. One excellent area would be the vehicle’s underbody framework.

Once you’ve put the spare key inside, find yourself a great location on the bodywork in an obscure and hard to reach location.  Obviously, you want it to be in a place where the wee box won’t easily be knocked off or be seen.  Making it a bit difficult for yourself to reach is better than having it attached in a place where thieves can easily find it. 

Fortunately, on the one hand, many of the new cars we buy come with electronic door opening mechanisms known as electronic keys or digital keys.  Not so fortunately, on the other hand, there is a big downside to having these digital keys if you lose the gadget (key fob), because, as my mother has found out, it can take days to find it or cost hundreds of dollars to replace it.  You may even need the help of a tow company to have the vehicle towed to a garage or local dealer. 

Then there is the fact that if you’ve lost the digital key fob but have a mechanical key for opening the door, you’ll still require the digital key to start the vehicle!  In this situation, and if you’re lucky enough to own the right new vehicle, the vehicle may have an override starting switch.  You just need to know where its located, and that information might be in the manufacturer’s manual back at home (which is why I keep the manual in the glovebox or one of the cabin storage compartments). 

There are some vehicles that have door locks that are recessed inside the interior door handle.  These will likely require the help of a professional to open.  But, if you have an older vehicle which has the raised lock pins on the doors on the topside of the window ledge, then these can be unlocked fairly easily with a sturdy bit of wire.  If you have a bit of know-how and mechanical aptitude, then this can be a DIY job. 

At any rate, if possible do make sure you do have a spare mechanical key or a spare digital key fob that you know where it is – on the car or at home.  This makes the event of locking yourself out of a vehicle that much easier to deal with. 

Some new cars can be unlocked via a smartphone app.  This is even easier than the hidden key trick.  However, if your phone is inside the car along with the keys (it happens), then you’ve really got a problem, as you can’t call for roadside assistance or a locksmith either. 

More tips:

• Train yourself to check the keys before you get in or out of the car.  If you have a keyless stop/start function, clip that key to your belt loops or keep it in your pocket.
• If you’re unsure who to call and you’re not part of a roadside assistance scheme, then call the non-urgent police number, not 999. The number is 131 444.
• Keep a spare in your handbag or wallet if you don’t like the idea of storing one on the car itself.