Getting locked out of the car.

Saruman

So this morning, i got in the car and turned it on. I then got out of the car for a few mins and closed the door, as i do every morning to let it heat up on these cold mornings.
When i go to get back in.. its locked? Im assuming i pressed the lock button on the remote and did not notice as the engine started.. either that or it was a glitch.

Anyway, this is the good bit.. Its a Renault scenic (02 model). So i decide the best thing to do is smash one of the small windows (cheaper) so i can get to work. To my surprise... both a normal hammer and a mallet/lump hammer? only succeeded in making a lot of noise and making a mark on the glass.

I gave up, not wanting to wake the neighbours up (7am) so i signed up to the AA, only to find out i can not use them for a while... I called them and they suggest i try my insurance (should have done that first)

Insurance rescue number sent someone out about an hour and a half later and he pried the door open enough to put down the electric windows

Anyway.. while i was waiting i found this!!
http://www.automotogadgets.com/how-not-to-open-an-audi-unbreakable-windows-on-an-a4-the-ultimate-gadget.html

Anan1

Where was the second key?:)

L1011

You know your car is not covered if its stolen when you do that in the mornings, right? Bye bye car and nothing from the insurers as it was negligence.

peasant

re smashing toughened safety glass ...

Used to work in a place that made toughened safety glass. Every now and then we would have to smash bits that were made wrong/rejected. You can hit a bit of safety glass with the flat end of a hammer until the cows come home, it will not break. Even with the fin you will have a hard time, unless you really hit it with an edge rather than the full surface.

The surefire way to break safety glass is to hit it on the edge with the fin of a hammer, that'll do it. If you have no access to the edge, then you need something very pointy (like a pointy chisel) or one of those emergency hammers like you see them on buses.

gucci

Aaaah the old locked out of the car story:

My sister-in-law takes her dogs up an old unused road for walks. And couple of weeks ago she got out of the jeep to put on her walking shoes , which she had just taken out of the boot of the jeep. When she went to take the dogs out of the cabin of the jeep, one of them had locked the door of the car!! Luckily she had her phone with her and its a pile of muck so her husband could open the door with a piece of wire.

Saruman

The spare key? Currenty in Alabama with my wife

Earth Worm Jim

Lock out kits are available in good motor factors and advertised in the back pages of a well known auto mag - they consist of an airbag - wedge - and some long wire hooks for reaching the handles.

As for smashing car windows - drill bits - steel files or a broken spark plug will do them in seconds!

Masada

best thing to break even toughened glass is a sharp drill bit, its even better than those glass hammer things they have on buses and stuff,

Saruman

Do you hit it with a drill bit or drill into it?
Yeah i saw the spark plug thing, its the second video in the link i posted Did not have one to hand.

Anyway that kit with the airbag etc is what this guy used. Did not cost me the price of a new window at least.

Del2005

Saruman wrote: »

The spare key? Currenty in Alabama with my wife

If the car has central locking you can ring your wife and get her to open the doors over the phone. The alarms are ultasonic so sounds can get through. Wife may not be happy getting a phone call early in the morning!

beerbaron

I thought that Myth was Busted ?

cjt156

Well and truly busted; they do work better if you hold them under your chin though:rolleyes:

cantdecide

Happened to me too. As peasant says, blunt instruments are useless. I used the claw side of a claw hammer that had a claw broke off already. It broke the second one off and I used the jagged nub that was left to break the glass. Still took me about 3 goes. I was finding tiny bits of toughened glass for 6 months cos it went EVERYWHERE.

Esel

Scuuuumbags used to use a sparkplug on a piece of string, like a conker. Handy, pocket-sized, yaknaowworramean like?

Esel

If trying with a relatively unsuitable object, try to strike the glass near a corner?

Also, I've opened loads of cars with a screwdriver (masked to protect the paintwork) to pry the door and a wire hanger to pop the catch or pull the button. You usually have to have a few tries, shaping the wire to reach.

Alun

Del2005 wrote: »

If the car has central locking you can ring your wife and get her to open the doors over the phone. The alarms are ultrasonic so sounds can get through.

Mobile phones have an audio bandwidth of approx. 300Hz - 3.3kHz, which by no stretch of the imagination includes any part of the audio spectrum you might call 'ultrasonic', so no, I don't think so, somehow

craichoe

Could she just not overnight fedex you the keys ?

Next day with them really is next day.

Would save you smashing a window too !