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Learning About Locksmith Tools and Services


Two Popular Car Unlocking "Tricks" And Why They Just Don't Work

It's a situation that almost everyone has found themselves in at some point. You stepped away from your car a little too quickly, and locked your keys inside. While the tried and true method for years was something along the lines of using a coat hanger, a few "tricks" have popped up in recent years. Thanks to the Internet and social media, these tricks spread like wildfire, without a lot of real-world testing being done. Here's a look at two of the biggest car-unlocking myths, and why they just won't work.

Myth #1: A Cell Phone Can Unlock Your Car

This myth supposedly applies only to cars that can be unlocked with a wireless key fob. The story is that if you lock your keys in your car, you can unlock your car if someone at home has a spare remote. You just hold your phone to your car door, have the person at home hold the key fob to their phone, press unlock, and you're in. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. The signals that a key fob uses to unlock your car aren't sound based, and that's the only thing your cell phone will transmit. Your key fobs works on radio frequency.

Myth #2: A Tennis Ball Can Unlock Your Car

Another "trick" to unlocking your car door is to take a tennis ball with a hole in it, hold it up to your car's lock, and press sharply. The air pressure is supposed to unlock your door. There are a couple of problems with this story, though. One, are you supposed to carry around a tennis ball with you at all times? And not just in your car (which would be locked), but in your pocket? Two, a car's lock just doesn't work like that. There's not a reasonable amount of pressure that could "pop" your lock from the inside. In fact, a popular television show delved into this myth and found that 100 PSI of air (over 10 times what the tennis ball could produce) with a perfect seal (that the tennis ball wouldn't have) still wouldn't be enough to open a car door's lock.

In this sort of situation, your best bet is likely going to be to trust a professional. Calling a reputable locksmith at ARC Locksmith Service will make sure you're on your way in the quickest time possible. Instead of fighting with a coat hanger, abusing your trusty tennis ball or dialing up your spouse at home, just let the pros handle it!

About Me

Learning About Locksmith Tools and Services

Hi, my name is Yonni Pluthers. Several months after my daughter was born, the fire alarm in our new apartment started going off. Since it was a building alarm, we all had to immediately evacuate and wait for the fire department to clear the structure. I rushed out of the apartment with my daughter in my arms and closed the door behind me. Unfortunately, the knob lock was activated and I did not have my keys. Upon returning to my home, I found my door firmly locked. I called a locksmith and waited for her outside. I watched in awe as she wriggled the lock open using an incredible set of tools. From that point on, I developed an interest in locksmith services. I would like to share the tools and techniques used by locksmiths to open doors. I will also talk about locksmith services for vehicles on this site.