Did you lose your car keys or lock them inside your car? Relax, we have been in similar situations too. How else would we have learned this quick hack? With a screwdriver and a coat hanger, you’d have your car door unlocked.
To unlock your car door with a screwdriver, you must first locate the unlock key. Next, use the screwdriver to create a wedge between the door and frame. Once you notice that the screwdriver’s tip is inside your car, insert a coat hanger between the space created by the screwdriver. Now, reach for the unlock button and pull.
It is as easy as that. However, remember to carefully remove these tools before you open the door. Failure to comply, and you risk damaging the exterior of the car.
Here we’ve broken down the process of unlocking your door with a screwdriver into two methods.
Contents
Method #1: Screwdriver and Coat Hanger
Tools You’d Need to Unlock Your Car Door
- A flat or Philips’s head screwdriver
- A bendable coat hanger
- Hand Gloves (for safety)
Step 1: Locate and Identify the Car’s Unlock Button
The unlock button of every car is typically located inside the vehicle. However, note that this location will depend on the unlock button the car uses. There are also two types of locks used in car doors;
- The manual unlock button
- The automatic unlock button
The manual unlock button is more common in old cars, and you’d find it on the panel of every door the vehicle has. Automatic ones are on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
If the unlock button is manual, unlocking it will only open that door. The button could also be the pull or press type. It’s crucial you determine if it will be easy to access the button with the screwdriver and coat hanger.
Step 2: Insert the Screwdriver
We cannot emphasize enough how careful you must be during this step. If you are not careful while inserting the screwdriver, you may damage the whole lock mechanism of your car.
Here’s how to properly insert the screwdriver.
Carefully push it in to create a wedge between the door and its frame until you see the point of the screwdriver inside your car. Once you create a wedge using the screwdriver, we recommend placing a shim between the car door and its frame.
N.B: Wear hand gloves for safety. This will help prevent any injury should the screwdriver slip.
Step 3: Introduce the Bendable Coat Hanger
Now it’s time for the coat hanger to take the scene. Carefully place the hanger inside the space created by the screwdriver and move it towards the lock. If it is an automatic lock, you need to press down on the button to open the car. For manual locks, maneuver the hanger and pull till it opens.
N.B: We recommend using a bendable coat hanger because, in a situation where you may need to pull or adjust, the bendiness of the hanger will come in handy. This hanger is also thin and strong enough to go through the gap.
Step 4: Remove the Tools
Before opening the door from the outside, remember to take out both the screwdriver and the hanger. Failure to do this can cause significant damage to your car, and you’ll end up spending more.
Method #2: Shoelace and Screwdriver
As absurd as this may sound to you, it is entirely possible. But note that this method mainly works for cars with the manual lock keys.
All you need to do is ignore step 3 here. Instead, take off the shoelace from your shoes and form a knot in the middle so that it tightens when you pull both ends of the lace.
Next, put the shoelace around the car door and move it till it slips inside the car and lands on the lock button. Once it does, pull the two ends of the lace until the formed knot tightens around the lock.
When it does, move the lace upwards to pull the lock; just like that, you can get the car unlocked.
Here’s a video by the Make it Easy Mechanic on how to use a shoelace to unlock a locked car door
Key Video Takeaways
- Make sure your shoelace is long enough to cover the length of the window diagonally
- This method works best for car doors with vertical knob
Benefits of Unlocking Your Car Door With a Screwdriver
Knowing how to unlock your car door with a screwdriver can quickly get you out of sticky situations. Here we’ve curated some of the benefits of the car door method of unlocking car doors.
It Is Economical
It is true, instead of calling a towing company or an automobile technician, if you own a screwdriver and a bendable hanger, you can regain access to your car for free rather than paying a car locksmith 150-300 dollars to get it open.
Can Help Save a Life
When your keys are locked in or lost, and a toddler is in the car, knowing how to unlock a car door with a screwdriver can spell the difference between life and death.
Saves Time
You can avoid being stranded if you have locked your keys inside your car and need to be mobile. With the aid of a screwdriver, you can regain access to your car and get where you need to be, especially if you are not in familiar terrain.
Is There Any Drawback With Using a Screwdriver?
You won’t be wrong to be skeptical and worry about the damage that might result from trying to unlock your car door with a screwdriver.
One con of using the screwdriver method to open your car is damage to the car’s paint Job.
While you try to wedge the screwdriver between the door and the door frame, if the screwdriver slips, it can damage your car’s paint job. The extent of the damage will determine how much you’d need to spend.
We understand how frustrating this can be, especially since it might cost more to fix the paint job than it would have been to engage the services of a professional locksmith.
Alternatives to the Screwdriver Technique of Unlocking a Car Door
Asides from using a screwdriver, there are other efficient ways to unlock your car without the keys. These two alternatives are also handy:
The Bobby Pin Method
This method demands much patience. This is because of the small size of the bobby pins.
All you need to do is bend one of the pins to a right angle, then insert the curved part of the pin into your car lock. Once you successfully do this, please take a second bobby pin, bend the tip, and insert it into the lock. Do not insert it fully as the first pin.
Now, hold the first pin in place and move the second pin until the lock clicks. This is one of the most effective ways to pick a car lock, but it is not so popular because it requires much patience.
Using a Tennis Ball
This is the most controversial method, but there’s tons of proof that it works. It is easy. All you have to do is make a hole in the tennis ball, place it over the keyhole, and push. The pressure from the ball will open the lock. Of course, to do this you need to have a tennis ball lying around.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need a Special Screwdriver When Trying to Unlock My Car Door?
Any regular flat or Phillips Head screwdriver will do as long as it can separate the door and the frame.
Will I Tamper With My Car’s Security if I Open It With a Screwdriver?
The overall security of your car will be OK. As long as you do not break the lock while trying to open the door.
Final Thoughts
The screwdriver method of opening a locked car door is tested and trusted. It has a very high success rate and guarantees you won’t stay stranded for long. Additionally, you wouldn’t need to spend so much on a typical flat or Phillips head screwdriver like the CRAFTSMAN screwdriver set.