Help Needed! Keys locked in car, no spare set!

[Ade07]

Ok, so my Jeep Grand Cherokee arrived this evening, parked on drive in pouring rain, couldn't remove the keys from the ignition so closed the drivers door due to awful weather and went to fetch a torch from the house. Came back to a locked car with the only set of keys sitting in the ignition still. Not good. Any ideas oh pistonhead experts??

[thinfourth2]

Well lets start stupid

You have tried all the doors including the boot?

[*Al*]

Are you in the RAC or AA, i'm sure they will be able to do this if you have home start?
Alternatively break the cheaper piece of glass.

[Ade07]

thinfourth2 said:

Well lets start stupid

You have tried all the doors including the boot?

Yep, all locked solid.

[Ade07]

*Al* said:

Are you in the RAC or AA, i'm sure they will be able to do this if you have home start?
Alternatively break the cheaper piece of glass.

Have RAC but only roadside, not home start

[Superhoop]

Smallest, cheapest piece of glass, and the 'other' key



ETA: and lots of sticky tape, to prevent a half hour clean up afterwards

[Chucklehead]

The AA can break in to your car usually with no damage. About £150 iirc.

To get your keys out of the ignition you need to push the key in to the barrel and twist it anticlockwise one more notch.

[ODJ]

Move window rubber, fetch coathanger, wiggle, open door, lastly remove fuse from stupid Jeep door mounted central looking system. My Grandfather had a Cherokee for about 12 years and used to lock himself out about once a month - its a stupid system

[wolf1]

Wedge top of door open a bit and use an unwraveled wire coat hanger to pull the lock button up or which ever way it needs to go to unlock car.

[bazking69]

Yellow Pages. Auto locksmith.

Although I imagine his callout fee my be steep this evening...

[NoNeed]

bazking69 said:

Yellow Pages. Auto locksmith.

Although I imagine his callout fee my be steep this evening...

Last time I used one it was £40 and that was early evening and ten years ago.


Still probably the cheapest option

[Zyp]

One of these -


and one of these -


and Bob's yer Uncle.

• I hold no responsibility of damage caused by said chap.

[long time lurker]

£10! It's much cheaper oop North, then again most 5 year old's can get into a car within seconds

[Ade07]

Thanks guys, some interesting replies! Just checked door again and it's not fully closed but still locked, it's on the catch but not fully. I'm going to wait for day light hours and try the coat hanger option. Cheers

[DaveH23]

This may be an urban myth but ive heard cutting a tennis ball in half and placing it over the key hole and giving it a good smack causes some kind of air lock and can unlock a door.

[mike9009]

DaveH23 said:

This may be an urban myth but ive heard cutting a tennis ball in half and placing it over the key hole and giving it a good smack causes some kind of air lock and can unlock a door.

I think this worked on old British Leyland product ( mini for example). Locking systems nowadays are a little more sophisticated.....

Mike

[Zyp]

mike9009 said:

I think this worked on old British Leyland product ( mini for example). Locking systems nowadays are a little more sophisticated.....

Mike

Sophisticated?

It's a Jeep Cherokee.



No offence, OP

[jamiebae]

mike9009 said:

DaveH23 said:

This may be an urban myth but ive heard cutting a tennis ball in half and placing it over the key hole and giving it a good smack causes some kind of air lock and can unlock a door.

I think this worked on old British Leyland product ( mini for example). Locking systems nowadays are a little more sophisticated.....

Mike

It was old Audis and the like where the system used air pressure to open the central locking rather than electrics.

OP, most breakdown guys will use an inflatable bag to prise the top of the door out, then a thin piece of metal to open the electric windows if they work with the ignition where it is now, and otherwise try to open the door handle. My Mondeo did something similar in France outside our house, but with the engine running!

[Astra Dan]

If the door is on the first latch and not fully shut, you might find simply pushing the door shut will spring the lock.
Most cars won't let the drivers door lock if it's open and the act of shutting the door moves the latch back up, resetting the lock and tricking the motor into thinking the door is open.

[*Al*]

I actually did the same thing and locked the keys in the ignition on my Dodge Ram. Luckily it was on my drive and i had a spare set of keys indoors. If the door isn't fully shut you should be able to access the lock or handle with ease.