Leaving your keys forgotten inside the car, either in the passenger compartment or in the trunk, and having to call the assistance service because the vehicle has been locked after a few seconds is much more common than we might believe. RACE, to give an example, helped nearly 8,000 drivers last year, a figure that, although it is far from the assistance it provides for battery and tire failures - the most requested - represents 22 daily services, practically one every hour. .
Having a second set of keys can avoid compromised situations, especially when the incident occurs near the place where we keep the copy provided by the car manufacturer. If, on the other hand, it happens far from home or from where the person who has the other keys is, the assistance service itself takes care of collecting them and taking them to the car to open it.
The problem worsens when the affected person does not have a copy of the keys. If the car is old and more than 20 years old, something that is not uncommon due to the high average age of the Spanish fleet (13.5 years), it will be much easier than if it does not have a latch or opens electrically. With the help of RACE, we are going to see the methods that we can use to open the car doors without having to break the glass.
Older cars have latches that go up or down on the door as you open or close the lock. This system makes it easy to open by simply using a rigid sheet. By inserting the sheet into the slot of the door we leverage it and create a gap of just a few millimeters through which to pass a rope or cable. We can see it in the following video.
Once the rope is inserted, it takes some skill to tie the tool to the latch and pull it to finally open the door. If all the utensils are available, opening the car with this method will not take more than five minutes if the person who practices it is also skilled.
To open a car with a traditional locking system without latches, the procedure is the same as in the previous case. In both situations you can use an inflatable bag, which we have to inflate until we can open that small slot through which we will insert the cable or rope. The only difference is that the cable that we insert into the opening has to hook to the door handle as it lacks a latch.
The RACE explains that as a general rule all cars can be opened using a lockpick. That is, by means of a wire bent at one end as a hook with which the lock latches can be moved. However, the sophisticated safety systems that new cars incorporate make this tool much more complicated to use to the point that technical assistance services need training courses to assist drivers.
Finally, the automobile club highlights that some cars can also be opened electrically. However, he prefers not to offer details about this technique to prevent hackers from taking note and being able to access the interior of the vehicles with this strategy.
As a general rule, dealers usually provide two identical copies of the car keys, as long as the vehicle is purchased in Spain. On the other hand, in other countries like Germany, there is an unwritten rule of providing three copies of the key. There are different types of car keys, from the traditional ones used by older cars to those that are actually a card or remote control.
All keys, however, can be copied and the prices are very diverse, since they range from 8-10 euros for the simplest ones to 300-380 euros for the most sophisticated ones, according to RACE.
Car key with blade only. They are the simplest keys that only older cars use. The copy costs between 8 and 10 euros.
Car keys with blade and transponder inside. The immobilizer system included in the car reads the code from the chip that is integrated into the key and allows the car to be opened. The price of a duplicate is about 80 euros.
Car key with remote control opening and closing. The automatic control hides inside a switch that is responsible for activating all the electromagnetic devices that lock or unlock the doors. The duplicate costs between 100 and 120 euros.
Card type car key. It is necessary to insert it into a card holder to start the vehicle. The approximate price of a copy is 150-180 euros.
Key with remote control and hands-free opening function. It is the most common and allows you to open the car by simply approaching the vehicle, without having to manipulate the key. To start the car you only need to press a button. It is the most sophisticated key of all and also the most expensive. Its price is around 300-380 euros.
