A few days ago, after work, I faced what I call my nightmare scenario. In a hurry to unlock my car, I inserted the key into the lock, only to hear a loud “click”. The key snapped! As panic set in, I was fortunate to have a helpful co-worker nearby who saved me from my distress. She called her AAA emergency line and got a locksmith to me in under 30 minutes. Problem solved!
That day, I realized that even though events like this are very unlikely, when they do happen they are frustrating and inconvenient. Imagine being locked out of your car when you are away from home. If you try to get the broken key out, will it destroy the lock and cost you a fortune to fix it?
How do you get the key out of the lock? With an ice pick?? After much research, I collected some great tips on “How to get a broken key out of a car door lock” which have proven to work. It might save your time and money. Read on.
How to Get a Broken Key Out of a Car Door Lock with 6 Tips
There are several ways to get the broken key out of the car door. Before you try any of these methods, there are some basic things you need to check. First, look carefully at how much of the key is stuck inside and protruding from the lock, because, for each position, a different method is necessary. Let’s get into it.
01. Oil Lubricants
Before you try taking the broken piece of the key out of the door, spray out some oil-based lubricant on the keyhole.
The best one would be a dry/powdered lubricant as it does not catch any dirt inside the lock and it is straightforward to apply and has proven to be effective. Make sure you wipe off the excess lubricant from the surroundings.
02. Tweezers
To use this tool, first look at the thickness of the tweezers and how much of the key is stuck in the door lock. Carefully place the tweezers onto the fragmented key and try to pull it off. Make sure you do not pick a thicker tweezer that won’t fit as it can risk the key pushing further inside the lock.
03. Broken Key Extractor
There are many different types of extractors, and this item is available in any hardware shop. So how to get a broken key out of a car door lock with a broken key extractor?
Simply pick a thin extractor, gently insert the hook side of the extractor inside the lock hole, and jiggle a little until it does not reach any further.
After that, twist it gently and drag the tool outwards. You will see it will bring the broken key along with it. And then you can pull the rest of the broken key with your fingers.
04. Pliers
Sometimes, you’ll notice that some parts of the key will be sticking out. In that case, lubricants or tweezers won’t work. So, in that case, you will need pliers. Needle-nose pliers will come in handy to get the stuck part of the key. out of the lock cylinder.
05. Magnet
A magnet can come to the rescue if you see some portion of the broken key hanging out. Put a strong magnet on the broken key and pull it outwards. Sometimes the key does not have enough metal in it, so in that case, the magnet will not work. But it is still worth a try!
06. Hacksaw Blade
Put the hacksaw blade inside the lock, then twist it a little bit and pull. Repeating this procedure 2 to 3 times, you might find that the broken key will come out.
How to Get a Broken Key out of a Car Door Lock?
You can use any of these 6 simple and easy methods mentioned above. If it is stuck, try using oil to lubricate it, and if some part of it is sticking outside, use tweezers to plug it out, then pull it out.
How does a Key Extractor Work?
There are many tools inside a broken key extractor package. It works pretty simply. Pick a thin extractor and gently put it inside the cylinder of the lock hole. Then slowly drag the extractor out of the lock hole to pull the broken key with it.
FAQs
How to unfreeze a Lock?
Simple. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or heat the lock with a lighter to unfreeze a lock. You can also use a lock de-icer.
When to rekey a lock?
You can rekey a lock if your previous key is broken, and you no longer can use it. Also, if you are moving to a new house or shifting to a new place, you can rekey a lock.
How do you remove a cylinder lock without the key?
Take your screwdriver and insert it into the ignition lock cylinder. Turn it as far round in a clockwise direction that you can. Then pull the paperclip to the right as much as you can. You should then be able to slide the switch out easily.
How do you open a locked door with a screwdriver?
Simply push the screwdriver into the hole on the doorknob straight through for as far as you can. Then, turn or twist the screwdriver until the lock opens.
Final Words
Lots of unfortunate things can happen to us every day. One of them just might be about your key getting stuck on your car door lock.
Knowing how to get a broken key out of a car door lock might come to use someday. If it did not, consider yourself lucky that you have never been in such trouble.