If you ever get locked out of your house or car, you know how annoying it can be waiting for someone to show up with a spare key or for a professional locksmith. Having a spare key sometimes doesn’t appear to be a priority until you get locked out or lose yours. Some people will attempt to get in their car using a coat hanger or magnets to manipulate the lock. These methods may not work on modern cars and will probably cause some damage to the windows, doors, locking mechanism and/or the paint job as well. Professional locksmiths use several methods to unlock cars. The tools used will depend on the type of car and its locking system.
How Locks Work
When we talk about picking a lock it means that the lock is opened with an instrument other that the proper key. Most of the time a pin tumbler lock is used for the doors on your house. It’s a lock mechanism that uses pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without the correct key.
Tools & Equipment Used By an Emergency Locksmith
The locksmith needs to have access to the locking mechanism from the outside of the car. This requires creating a gap between the door and window and the car’s interior. This is done using wedges so that another tool can then be inserted to release the lock. There are various plastic, vinyl or metal wedges. More than one may need to be used with a smaller one inserted first so that a larger one can then be used. Metal wedges are the strongest but can cause damage. There are also inflatable wedges that are first inserted flat and then gently pumped up to create the gap. Once the gap is created and the locksmith can access the interior of the car he will use a long tool that is inserted to manually pull open locks, tabs, or press buttons to unlock the door. Some of these tools have angle tips or loops at the end to assist the locksmith to move around in tight or awkward spaces. Professional locksmiths can also use lock pick sets to release the locks without having to manipulate the doors or windows. They are available for domestic and foreign cars. These work with a special wrench that places tension on the lock cylinder while the locksmith picks the lock. Another tool sometimes used is an electric pick gun. This gun basically consists of one or more vibrating, pick shaped pieces of metal. These long pieces of metal are inserted into the lock. When the metal pieces vibrate they can push the pins of the lock.
Residential Home Emergency Lockouts
You will need proof of ownership for the locksmith to pick your lock. Let’s hope you have your driver’s license or some form of ID that proves it is your house. Before helping you gain entry into your home, the locksmith should verify with some form of ID that it is in fact your place. This can be a major point of liability for locksmiths. This is why most states require locksmiths to be licensed and bonded.
Locksmith Services in Racine, Oak Creek, Burlington & Kenosha Wisconsin
Your car is a big investment and your home an even bigger one. If you’re locked out, the safest and most reliable way to unlock it is to call a professional like Best Locksmiths.
