Car lockouts in Vancouver
With your keys still inside the car.
You can see the keys. That is the maddening part, and also the easy part. Tell us the year, make, model and where the car is, and you will have the price before any work begins.
A child or pet locked in the car? Call 911 first.
If a child or an animal is shut in a vehicle, call 911 first. Do that before you call us, and before you read the rest of this page.
Emergency services can act at once and break a window without a quote or proof of ownership. A car heats up dangerously fast in sun, and a locksmith is the wrong tool for that.
Call us as well if you like. But 911 goes first, and nobody will think you overreacted.
How a licensed locksmith opens the car and protects the paint and glass.
Inflatable wedge and long-reach tool through the door gap
A soft wedge opens a few millimetres at the top corner of the door, and a long tool reaches the interior handle or unlock button. The wedge spreads the load to protect the door and paint.
Picking the door cylinder with a Lishi-style tool
Where the car still has a key cylinder, it can often be picked and decoded directly. That is the cleanest method, and it also reads the key cuts if you need a replacement.
Reaching keys locked in the trunk through the cabin or rear seat
Most cars have a route from the cabin: a folding rear seat, a ski hatch or an interior trunk release. Opening the cabin first and going through is nearly always better than working at the trunk lock.
Why we never use a slim jim on a modern door panel
A slim jim works blind inside the door skin, among side-impact airbag wiring, lock rods and window cables. Catching any of those turns a lockout into an electrical repair. It stays out of our van.
Four useful things to do while you wait on a car lockout.
Stay near the car and away from moving traffic
Particularly on a street, a ramp or a parkade aisle. Stand on the sidewalk side, and if the car is in a live lane, that is a call to the non-emergency police line as well as to us.
Have your registration and photo ID ready
We will ask before the door opens. If the papers are locked inside, say so when you call, and we will agree how to confirm ownership.
Check every door, the hatch and the trunk release
It takes thirty seconds and it ends a surprising number of lockouts. Rear doors and the tailgate get overlooked, and on some cars a door left slightly ajar will not have locked at all.
Don't try a coat hanger on a modern door
The same reasoning as the slim jim, plus a hanger can scratch the paint and bend the window frame. A deformed weatherseal can whistle at highway speed for good.
Why one car lockout in Vancouver costs more than another.
Starting figures are on the price guide.
See starting pricesTime of day, and whether it's a weekend or holiday
The usual largest variable. See after-hours.
Keys in the cabin compared with keys shut in the trunk
Cabin is the standard job. A trunk with no interior route through the seats is a longer one.
The door lock design on your vehicle
Some doors open in a couple of minutes. Some have deep weatherseals, shielded linkages or frameless glass that needs extra care, and a few have no external cylinder at all.
Where the car is parked and how reachable it is
A curbside in Mount Pleasant and level four of a Richmond parkade are different trips. Arrange access for the van in advance where you can, and tell us the level and stall.
Keys locked in the car or lost entirely? Two different jobs.
A lockout means the keys exist and are on the wrong side of the glass. Opening the door ends it, and you drive away on the key you already had.
Lost keys are a different job with a different price: the vehicle has to be decoded and a new key cut and programmed. See car key replacement.
Tell us on the phone which situation you are in, because it decides the equipment and the price. If you are not sure whether the keys are inside or gone, say that too.
Locked keys in the car, and the questions that come with them.
Will opening my locked car set off the alarm or the immobilizer?
Sometimes the alarm sounds. It usually stops once the car is unlocked with your key or started. Opening a door does not change the immobilizer, so your key should start the car as normal.
Can you open a locked trunk without getting into the cabin?
Sometimes, where the trunk has its own cylinder. More often the sensible route is opening the cabin and using the interior release or folding the seats, which is both more reliable and safer for the car.
What if my keys are locked inside a running car?
Tell us when you call and it moves up the queue. A running unattended vehicle is a fuel, exhaust and theft problem. If a child or pet is also inside, call 911 first.
Can you open a car parked tight against a wall or another vehicle?
Usually. We work from whichever side has clearance, not only the driver's door. If both sides are blocked, tell us and we will talk through what is possible before any work begins.
Can you unlock a car with a dead battery and electric locks?
Yes. A mechanical entry works regardless of battery state, and most cars retain a key cylinder or an emergency blade inside the fob. Once open, a dead battery is a boost rather than a locksmith job.
Tell us what is going on, and we'll price it first.
Call, book online or ask for a callback. You will have the method and the number before any work begins.