Car lockout tools: what actually works

The wedge-and-reach-tool method we use on lockouts, how to avoid damage, and why we don't use a slim jim on modern cars.

Most lockouts on modern cars are opened the same way: make a small gap at the top of the door, slip a long reach tool through, and press the unlock button or pull the handle from inside. Done carefully, it leaves no mark on the car.

Before you start

Make sure the person is the owner or has the owner's permission. Then check every door and the trunk; it happens more often than you'd think that one is unlocked. If the keys are visible inside, note where they are, since sometimes the easiest move is to grab them with the reach tool.

Make the gap

Put a paint protector on the door frame first. Then slide a non-marring wedge into the top corner of the door to start a small opening, and follow it with an air wedge. Pump the air wedge slowly and only until the reach tool fits. Too much pressure can bend the door frame, which is the main way lockouts cause damage.

Reach in

Feed a long reach tool through the gap and press the unlock button, pull the inside handle, or hook the keys. A button master tip helps with buttons that are hard to press from an angle. If you'd rather buy it all at once, the Steck Big Easy Deluxe Kit has the reach tools and wedges together.

Why not a slim jim?

A slim jim works by hooking the lock linkage inside the door. Modern doors are full of wiring, side airbag parts and shielding, so going in blind risks damaging something or setting off an airbag. On anything newer than the 1990s, the wedge-and-reach method is safer and usually faster. We only list a slim jim for older cars.

When the key just won't work

Sometimes the call isn't a lockout at all: the remote stopped working. A dead fob battery is behind a lot of these, and a fresh CR2032 (the most common size) fixes it on the spot. Most fobs also have a hidden metal key that opens the driver's door.