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[terry paget]

2003 3.2 manual saloon
How she did it goodness knows, she is in Enfield, her bag, flat key, etc. are all in the car. She is at a friend's house. I have a spare key her in Somerset, much good that will do her. She is a member of the RAC or AA, she is not sure which, we thought RAC, but she rang them and do not have any record of her at her London address. Is there any way of getting in short of breaking a window? Which window is the best to break? What should she do?

[Doctor Gollum]

Carefully pry the rear window down and use a metal coat hanger to wind the window down...

Oh and tell her not to be so daft

If she must beak a window, best be the windscreen... It's the easiest to replace by a country mile

[powerslinky]

My suggestion would be to push  a 2" bolster or similar in between the top corner of the  front passenger door & roof . Force the door away a little bit from the roof line  & then put some sort of wedge in there at the top to hold them apart. The top corner of the door will flex & move off quite a bit . You should be able to then use a thin stick fed into the gap  to press the window button & open the window .

Done this myself once when the central locking had a fit &  locked itself while car was running 

UNLESS . . . of course it does not have electric windows 

[omega2018]

i got in once via a slightly open sunroof with an aluminium stick and lifted the door tab.  That was a 1998 omega though..

the front windscreen is laminated, all the others are toughened glass.  toughened windows will collapse to granules if hit hard with a pointy object in the corner.  laminated windows will crack and sag and you will have to punch and cut through to get a hole.

[Bigron]

If you have tried the RAC and drawn a blank, it must be the AA, unless it's neither! Worth trying the AA, surely?
Or, what about finding some of the local hoody-wearing youths - they will know how to get in!

Ron.

[terry paget]

Thank you gentlemen for your ingenious suggestions. Initially the RAC said they did not know her (all her documentation is in the car) but I now learn that they are attending. Will advise of result when I hear.

[New POD]

I have spare glass for a rear passenger door in Liverpool. If you must break a window, you can have one or other piece free. Plus postage.

[Doctor Gollum]

Windscreen was a serious suggestion, but will be absolutely unnecessary unless RAC bloke is a complete plum

[Nick W]

Locked with the engine running?
Before you listen to the oppswits suggesting you break a window, this is the world's easiest lockout:


the professional tool is a nylon wedge to pry the top of a door out enough to slip a small airbag in the gap. DIY is a brick bolster with some insulating tape for both parts.
Then you use whichever rod in the lockout kit will reach the window switch. DIY is whatever vaguely flexible rod/bar/tube(brake pipe is good) will do the same job.


Job done.


The bloke attending will spend longer doing all of the paperwork than he will opening the car.

[terry paget]

If you have tried the RAC and drawn a blank, it must be the AA, unless it's neither! Worth trying the AA, surely?
Or, what about finding some of the local hoody-wearing youths - they will know how to get in!

Ron.

Just what I told her when she rang. Later I found an e-mail from her to me dated 5 Sept 17 telling me the RAC had ripped her off for £97.50 for the renewal. Goodness knows why they told her they did not know her originally

[terry paget]

All's well that ends well. Daughter has just rung, RAC man soon got in by levering the window frame back, putting in a wire and pulling up the door locking button. RAC man made her sign he would not be responsible for any damage he caused; he caused none.

[Bigron]

Good result, but slightly worrying as all opf the hoodied youth will know this! 

Ron.

[Doctor Gollum]

Good result, but slightly worrying as all opf the hoodied youth will know this! 

Ron.

Almost impossible to do if deadlocked and hooded yoofs aren't that imaginative 

[Nick W]

Good result, but slightly worrying as all opf the hoodied youth will know this! 

Ron.

they don't give a damn about the car, so why would they put in any more effort than breaking the NSF drop glass? Not only does it take a second, but it's guaranteed to work.


Nobody will do a lockout without a damage disclaimer. I've driven away from a couple of jobs where the owner refused to sign one. I've also NEVER broken a window, as I think there are better options if I can't open the car. Over the last twenty years, manufacturers have made cars much harder to open. Which considering how easy it used to be was overdue.

[Andy B]

It took Green Flag over an hour trying to get into my daughter's Seicento by trying wedge the top of the door over (I'd  have not been pleased with all the scratched paint if it'd been my car  ). Apparently he then realised the back windows hinged open, removed a hinge & was then inside the car quite quickly. A short time later she locked herself out again but the phoned me instead. I was inside the car within a few minutes via its Webasto type roof with no damage at all.