Why You Should Use a Portland Locksmith to Unlock Cars
A lot of us have experienced the panic-filled, what-do-I-do-next situation of locking yourself out of your car. Your initial reaction might be to do whatever it takes to get in, as quickly as possible. You might try and break a window, try to pick the door lock or borrow a slim jim from a neighbor. These might seem like great ideas at the time, after all, you just need to get back in your car as soon as you can.
The reality is when you try to unlock your car without professional tools and the knowledge to use them, you can cause severe and costly damages to your vehicle. Picking a lock is not as easy as you’d think, and you can damage the lock to the point where a key will no longer fit inside. Slim jims may be an option for some vehicles, but definitely not all, and if you don’t use it correctly you can scratch your car, dent your door frame or even damage internal wiring.
If you find yourself locked out of your car, it’s best to call our professional locksmiths in Portland to get you back inside. We always have an emergency locksmith on-call to get you back in your vehicle as quickly as possible!
Portland Locksmith: Methods to Unlock Cars
Most people automatically think of a slim jim as the primary method to unlock a car. While it can be a useful tool for locksmiths in Portland, it is not a universal fix and is generally only compatible with older vehicles. At 24 Hour Lock and Key, our locksmiths in Portland use a variety of specialty equipment to quickly and safely unlock your car.
AIR WEDGE: Probably the quickest and safest method, an air wedge, is an inflatable bag that is positioned between the doorway. When the air wedge is in place, it’s inflated to wedge the door open enough for a long reach tool to be used.
PROBE: Probes are long reach tools that are used when a gap has been created by an air wedge. Probes are inserted into the created wedge space to hit the lock/unlock button inside your car.
AUTOMOTIVE LOCK-PICK: Picking a lock is an art. It takes a lot of practice, precision and patience. Lock-picking is done with a series of tools, called picks, that are inserted into the key slot to maneuver the mechanism the same way a key would.
No method is a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why our automotive locksmiths in Portland arrive at car lockouts armed with professional knowledge, techniques and tools to achieve the best and safest unlock for your specific vehicle.
Portland Locksmith: How We Unlock Trunks
Most of the time locking your keys in your trunk is the same as locking them in the body of your car. Cars commonly have a trunk release button that is accessed on the driver’s side of the car interior. No sweat, we just use one of the methods above, hit the trunk release and you’re good to go.
But some years/makes/models of vehicles do not have a trunk release button that our locksmiths in Portland can access by unlocking one of the doors. In these cases, technicians can either pick the trunk lock or make a key to open the trunk and retrieve your keys.
Portland Locksmith: Making Replacement Car Keys (If Yours is Lost)
Sometimes a locksmith in Portland is called to unlock a car but the owner of the vehicle realizes their keys weren’t in the car, and are instead lost. This isn’t a problem for our automotive locksmiths as they can make you a new key for your car right then and there. It’s not a separate call that needs to be made and can usually be done immediately for almost every year, make and model of car.
If you have questions for our automotive locksmiths in Portland regarding replacing your key, check out our recent post: Common Questions About Replacement Car Keys.
Portland Locksmith: Unlocking Specialty Vehicles
Not all vehicles are created equal, therefore different methods are used depending on what you need unlocked. For example, some models of luxury vehicles like BMW and Mercedes don’t have a trunk release button so our locksmiths in Portland make a metal key to unlock the trunk or pick the lock, as mentioned above.
Other special vehicles like food trucks, semis, box trucks, RV’s and various work vehicles may require different unlock techniques, but our locksmiths in Portland have the professional tools and knowledge to get the job done. If it’s locked, we can almost always unlock it!
Unlocking a vehicle is just one of the many ways an automotive locksmith in Portland can assist with your car needs. For more information on what a locksmith in Portland can do for you and your car, read our list of 5 Reasons to Call an Automotive Locksmith in Portland.
Locksmith Portland: About 24 Hour Lock and Key
If you would like to know more about our locksmith Portland qualifications, visit our about page to see info on our licenses and accreditations. We are a family-run business that has operated as a locksmith service in Portland OR since 2018. We also have locksmiths in southern Washington, including locksmiths in Vancouver WA, Camas locksmiths and Battleground locksmiths.
If you're interested in what services we provide for our residential and commercial customers, check out 5 Reasons to Call a Residential Locksmith and 5 Reasons to Call a Commercial Locksmith.