There used to be a horse-racing track in town. (No longer, they were losing too much money.) Supposedly, a young and attractive woman locked her keys in her new car. She asked some of the workers if she could borrow the phone and call for help. One of the guys decided to show off his masculinity, and insisted on grabbing a coat hanger and opening the door for her. He bent the coat hanger, slid it between the car window and the door panel, yanked, and tore out every single wire controlling her power windows. Needless to say, he did not get a date with her.

However, if a child is locked in the car, I might use a brick.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Uncle Bubba:
Yes. Our local PD won't unlock cars with power locks due to the potential liability involved. I won't either.

---

The wiring for the power windows and door locks shouldn't be in the upper half of the door on the outside of the glass. Unless you stick that coathanger or slim-jim over halfway down inside the door you shouldn't even encounter any wiring.

On another note, ABC's 20-20 show had an episode on car theft. They had a Camaro equipped with an alarm/disabler system, a steering wheel lock, and a metal bracket in the door to stop slim-jims, etc. The show paid a couple of admitted car thieves to break into it and start it up. They discovered they couldn't use the slim-jim pretty darn quick, as anybody experienced with a slim-jim would.

So to finish the story, out comes the screw-driver, poked a hole right through the sheet metal, next to the door lock and had the door and hood open in less than 30 seconds. They spent the next 45 minutes trying to get the car started to no avail. The ignition interrupter worked and they couldn't find it.

Regarding your comment on the thieves poking a hole in the car. My wife is of the opinion that a fiberglass-bodied car offers no driver protection. I showed her how thin the sheet metal was, and I think it disturbed her.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Koshka:
He bent the coat hanger, slid it between the car window and the door panel, yanked, and tore out every single wire controlling her power windows. Needless to say, he did not get a date with her.

Does this sound plausible to the automotive experts around here?

---

I admit I am no automotive expert, but being a locksmith for the last 16 years probably qualifies me to comment.

Absolutely true. I myself have disconnected a wire or two and I know what I'm doing. The current car opening tool kit contains approximately 40 different items and a 300-page, two-volume manual to gain access to the multitude of vehicles out there. The tool to use depends on the year, manufacturer, and model -- to include two- or four-doors -- of the vehicle in question. And there are certain cars that CANNOT be opened without a key (BMW, Mercedes and Volvo are notorious for this).

quote:

---

Originally posted by davepawson:

I admit I am no automotive expert, but being a locksmith for the last 16 years probably qualifies me to comment.

*SNIP*
The best advice is to call a professional, a LOCKSMITH. Not a wrecker driver, not the police, not the fire department. Most auto manufacturers today have a toll-free emergency assistance number. They will gladly send a properly qualified individual to open your car, often at no cost to you.

---

Good advice. A couple of years ago I had a weird incident where I couldn't fit the key into the ignition of my '88 Escort. Turns out the brass (?) strip that completes the connection for the buzzer that warns you that you left your keys in the car had been worn down enough by the key to fall into the mechanism. I asked a local Ford dealer and a local auto shop, but no one could help me or figure out what the problem was until I called a locksmith. Took him 5 minutes to fish out the piece so I could start my car.

In a related story. I had the police break the inside driver's door mechanism with a slimjim on my '75 Maverick in the mid '80s. After that, you could only open that door from the INSIDE. Quite a pain in the but going in through the passenger door all the time.