Many people believe that if they just have the right lock on their car, then it will be completely secure and no one will be able to break into it. Unfortunately, in many cases, this isn’t true. Even with the right lock on your car, anyone can still break into it if they know how to pick that specific lock. Knowing how to pick car locks will allow you to get inside of a locked car as quickly as possible, giving you the upper hand in many different situations where breaking and entering may be necessary or useful.
How to Pick a Car Lock? Step by Step Guide
Step 1: Choose Your Favorite Tool
There are many tools that can pick car locks, but it really depends on what you’re comfortable with and what kind of vehicle you’re targeting. A universal torsion wrench is probably your best bet for starting out since it can be used for almost any car lock. However, there are some more specialized tools designed just for certain types of locks (see above). If you’re just getting started picking locks, I would recommend sticking with something simple and universal before you get into anything fancy.
Step 2: Identify The Vehicle’s Model
One of your best sources for identifying your vehicle model is its VIN (vehicle identification number). Your VIN is 17 characters long, although only 16 are required. The first six characters (two sets of three) designate where and when your car was manufactured; they’re known as World Manufacturer Identifier numbers. A letter placed between these two sets indicates what country it came from. Most cars built after 1981 have an alphanumeric VIN, meaning that spaces and letters are used in addition to numbers.
Step 3: Learn About The New Security Features Of That Model
Older car locks are actually easy to pick—if you know what you’re doing. Newer cars have all sorts of new security features that make picking them more difficult, but with some research, you can gain enough knowledge about these locks so that it is possible for you to successfully open them. If your goal is just to gain knowledge about how newer cars’ locks work, then go ahead and skip steps 4-6.
Step 4: Remove The Door Panel
Using your flathead screwdriver, pry open and remove all of the plastic door trim pieces around your door panel. Be sure you remember which ones came from where you go so that you can replace them later. Then using your panel tool, gently push up on each of your door handles securing clips until they pop off. Finally, using an 8mm socket, remove all 8 screws located under and around each door handle ensuring that none are left behind when reinstalling it later.
Step 5: Use The Right Tool
For car thieves, there are two main types of lock picking tools: Tension Tools and Rake Tools. The tension tool is used in 90% of lock-picking situations. A tensioning tool looks like a thin piece of metal with small cuts (gaps) on it, usually resembling something like scissors.
Step 6: Choose The Correct Location And Angle For Insertion
Depending on your lock type, you should insert your tension wrench at an angle of either 25 or 35 degrees. This will determine how deep or shallow you can push it into your lock. Use a tension gauge that’s designed for car locks to measure these angles (check out our guide for picking car locks for more info).
Step 7: Practice!
Being able to pick locks is a learned skill, and like any new skill, it will take practice. Keep trying until you feel comfortable with your lock-picking skills, but don’t get too frustrated if you can’t pick a lock on your first try—it could take time for you to get used to it. If you’re still having trouble after some practice sessions (or if someone catches you picking their lock), start practicing on cheap or broken locks that you don’t mind ruining.
Step 8: Review And Adjust Tactics
Once you have some content written, review it. This is where you’ll adjust tactics as needed based on feedback from your first launch attempt. For example, if your content isn’t generating enough links and shares, find new topics or angles that people are sharing and link to those instead. If you aren’t getting much traffic at all, consider other types of content that would be more suitable for your industry or niche.
Conclusion
If you’re using your spare car key for any reason other than your primary vehicle, it is absolutely essential that you have a backup set of keys. Otherwise, if you lose that key – or worse yet, if it gets stolen – you could end up with some major issues. As long as you are aware of what precautions to take, it’s not difficult to ensure that your second set of keys will always be handy. Simply follow these tips and before long, you’ll be able to unlock (or lock) your door on the go with ease!
