Important Tips On What to Do If You Lose or Damage Your Car Key

Losing your car keys is a stressful situation. You’re awkwardly stuck outside your vehicle with no way to get in. Since you tried to get in, you’re probably in a rush at that very moment. This means you have to think fast of a way to resolve the issue. While it may seem like a lost cause, there are ways to get inside your car if you really need to. Here’s how you should approach the situation right from the start.

 

Do a thorough search

Before you get into any drastic measures, it’s important that you look through all the possible locations that your key could be in. In most cases, people lose their car keys in the banalest of places. If it’s not in your pocket, it could be that you left it in the pantry as you were taking the chicken out of the freezer. It’s only rarely that the keys are well and truly lost, so it’s worth going over where you could have dropped them.

The most obvious spot to check would be on your person. If you have any extra pockets or bags, you might have absent-mindedly put the keys away there. If not, it’s time to search for your home. Check the floors below chairs and tables where you normally leave your keys. It’s likely that they might have slid underneath or behind something while you were leaving them. There’s always a chance that you don’t find them there either, so it might be time to switch to the drastic measures.

 

Call in professional help

Completely losing your car keys might sound bad, but it’s still a solvable problem. Depending on where it occurs, you could have the extra need to resolve the issue quickly. If you’re stranded on the side of the road after losing your car keys at work, you need your car to get back home.

In these situations, it pays to have the right contacts. While you may not be able to get inside your car without your keys, professional locksmiths definitely can. You can call one in and get back in your car in no time. Most car locksmiths can even make you a new key on the spot, allowing you to use your car as you normally would. Getting quick replacements for lost car keys is an invaluable service that many of us will require when we find ourselves in tight spots. This is why it’s helpful to have a professional’s number on hand whenever you’re driving.

 

Break the glass right

Sometimes, waiting for professional services might not be an option. If your pet or child is stuck in the car and you’ve lost your keys, there’s no time to wait. You need to get inside that vehicle at all costs. A window repair won’t be too much of a problem as long as you’re able to enter the car immediately.

Breaking car windows isn’t as easy as it’s portrayed in movies. There’s a lot of force required to smash through a normal side window, much less a windshield. Unless you have a crowbar on your person at all times, you’re unlikely to break it on your own. Finding some scrap metal or a big rock could be useful. Make sure you try to smash the edges of the window, as the centre is the toughest spot. Choose the furthest window from a vulnerable person inside the vehicle, to prevent shattered glass damage and keep them safe inside the car.

 

Get ahold of a magnet

If your key broke in the car door, you haven’t exactly “lost” it, per se. However, it’s still unavailable to you and getting it out is just as hard as conjuring up a new key out of thin air. At least, it would be if you didn’t get creative about removing it. 

This is one situation where you can apply some basic middle-school physics. Many car keys contain lots of iron and steel, with varying amounts of either. Iron is attracted to magnets, so why not use a magnet to get it out of the car door? It seems like a dumb solution until it actually works. 

If you happen to have a fridge magnet or gag gift magnet anywhere near you or in your house, it could end up being useful. You could be able to draw the key out or get it un-stuck in a short amount of time. This way, you might not need professional help, but there’s no guarantee that it will work.

 

When you lose your car keys, you’re in a very uncomfortable position. You need to get inside the vehicle even though it’s not going to be an easy task. The above solutions can help you get ahold of the situation and make it a lot easier for you to deal with the problem. Consider utilizing them and you’ll be back in your car in no time.

Mianna Korben

Mianna Korben

Mianna is a passionate writer currently living and dreaming in Europe. She is a strong believer that both mental and physical fitness go hand in hand, you can't have one without the other. Her aim is to inspire people to reach their potential, feel confident and to lead a happy life. And like any other girl, she is guilty of falling in love, over and over again, with premium makeup, fashion and champagne.
Mianna Korben

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