Why Should I Avoid Breaking Into My Own Car?

You’ve just spent hours at the grocery store and want more than anything to just go home and relax. You dump all of your groceries into the back of your SUV and close the hatch. That’s when your heart sinks. You had set your keys down beside the grocery bags to get them organized, and now they’re still there, locked securely inside your vehicle. Great. What now?



When you lock your keys in your car, your first thought may be to try to get into the vehicle by yourself. We understand that this is a tempting thing to try, and with all of the videos featuring amateurs with metal coat hangers floating around the internet, it may even seem as if it’s not that difficult to pull off, but allow us to explain why breaking into your own car is not a good idea. Have you locked your keys in your vehicle in the Provo, UT, area? Contact a car locksmith at ARCO Lock & Security.

Four Reasons NOT To Break Into Your Own Car

Avoid Dangerous Situations

Sometimes, people are lucky enough to lock themselves out of their vehicles when they are already parked in their driveways or personal garages, but many of us lock our keys in our cars when we’re in places that are not quite so safe. If you lock your keys in your car while parked in a large, dark parking lot, a parking garage, an alleyway, or even on the street in front of your home, you could put yourself in unnecessary danger by trying to break in yourself. While you are distracted with the unfamiliar and difficult task of breaking into your own car, you put yourself in danger of becoming a target for criminals who may want to steal from you or even physically hurt you. Instead, stay safe, and find a well-lit and populated area to wait for your local locksmith.

Avoid Law Enforcement Involvement

While you will probably not be arrested for breaking into your own vehicle, law enforcement may still be called while you’re trying to get into your car. Other concerned citizens may not realize that you are the vehicle’s owner and alert the police to your activity. You can spend your time explaining to the police that the locked vehicle does, in fact, belong to you, or you can call a car locksmith and avoid the trouble altogether. Your local locksmith will probably be driving a truck or van marked “locksmith,” so no one is likely to call the police while the professional is doing his or her job.

Avoid Damaging Your Vehicle

Although it may seem more cost-efficient to break into your vehicle yourself, the chances are high that you will also accidentally damage something in the process because you lack the knowledge a car locksmith has regarding the locking mechanisms in your vehicle. There is no point in saving some money in the short term if you’ll end up needing to pay for damages caused by your attempts to break into your car. The most typical damages we see from DIY unlock methods include scratched or chipped paint, damaged window seals, damaged windows, broken door handles, and broken lock mechanisms. Paying for the locksmith in the first place will likely end up being cheaper than the cost of repairing the damage you can cause yourself.

It’s Not So Easy

Unless you own a vehicle that wasn’t built in the past 10 to 20 years, it is very likely you won’t be successful in your attempts. Sure, breaking into a ‘90s era pickup with a metal coat hanger is possible, some would say easy, but you won’t have the same luck with any late model Toyota. Motor vehicle manufacturers have become much more sophisticated with their anti-theft technologies, making it increasingly difficult to break into later model vehicles. Just because the coat hanger technique worked on the vehicle in the DIY video you just watched doesn’t mean it will work on yours. Lock mechanisms can change not only from manufacturer to manufacturer but also from year to year on the same make and model vehicle. Instead of trying to break into your car yourself using a method that may not even work, contact a professional who has the knowledge necessary to get you into your vehicle no matter how new it is.

Contact A Professional For Car Locksmith Services

The next time you lock your keys in your car, consider these four reasons not to try to break into it yourself. Remember that the possible dangers, damages, and costs of trying to break into your own car are simply not worth it in the long run. If you need a vehicle unlock service in the Provo, UT, area, please contact the expert locksmiths at ACRO Lock & Security.