Getting locked out of your car and not knowing where the key is can be a very troubling experience. It’s a very common scenario and one that people don’t want to get into. However, if you do end up in such a situation, and don’t know what to do, here are a few suggestions that can help you out.
Stay calm and don’t panic
It’s easy to get stressed out and start panicking when you’re locked out of your car and can’t find your keys. However, stressing out won’t do you any good. If anything, it’s just going to make the situation worse.
You need to stay calm in such situations. Maintaining calmness will allow you to think rationally, which in turn will help you act quickly. That way, you can find a proper solution to your problem in no time.
When you first realize that your car keys are not with you and you’ve been locked out, you need to understand that the car is still there; hence, there’s no immediate threat of it getting stolen. Now you need to get into your car, and since you can’t find the key, you should either look for it or find another way in.
Look for the key
Looking for a car key can be quite difficult. And for some reason, this task becomes even more daunting when you’re in a rush. Hence, when you set out to look for your key, you need to maintain your calmness. Rushing things won’t help; you need to be patient.
If the key isn’t inside the car, you should start by searching your pockets or bag. Afterward, you should look around the house, office, or wherever you are at that very instant.
You should also search the grounds around the car. The key might’ve been dropped on the ground by accident when you were taking something out of your pocket.
Find the spare key
If you’re at home and can’t find the car key anywhere, you should go look for the spare key instead. And in case you don’t have a spare key, it’s probably just not your day.
When buying a brand new car, you’ll likely receive two identical remote keys. If, however, you’re buying a used car, the previous owner might hand you just the one key (probably because they lost or damaged the other one; do ask about it). In this case, you should get a spare key made later on for situations where you can’t find the original key for your car.
Call an auto locksmith
You’ve looked everywhere, but still can’t find your key; what do you do next? The answer is pretty simple - you call an auto locksmith.
Unlike a car dealership, an auto locksmith won’t take days to deliver your key. They don’t even need to see your car’s spare key to make a new one.
Many of them have spare car keys in stock and can deliver them within short notice. Experts like Key Craft Locksmiths, an auto locksmith in Kent, have spares for many renowned car brands, including Audi, BMW, Toyota, Mercedes, and so on.
And if for some reason, they don’t have a spare key or can’t make you one anytime soon, auto locksmiths still have the tools to ensure a non-destructive entry into your car.
Break the window
Breaking your car’s window is not an ideal solution. However, if the situation calls for it, you should go ahead and break the glass.
Breaking a car window is no easy task. The glass is usually tempered and can’t be broken easily. If you don’t know how to break a car window, you should first learn to do so before you take out your hammer. Be extremely careful while breaking the glass, and follow all sorts of safety precautions. If your baby or pet is still inside the car, break the window in such a way that the impact from the shattered glass can’t hurt them badly.
Get a tow truck
Let’s assume a scenario where everything you did so far returned no results; you still can’t find the key, there’s no locksmith available at the moment, and breaking the car’s window is something you don’t want to do. Yet, you need to get the car out of its current parking spot, and you need to do it fast.
In such dire circumstances, you should call for a tow truck. For now, just move your car from its current spot and take it back home or to a locksmith or mechanic. You can decide what to do about the whole situation later on.
