Mexstan

Flea taxis??? ??? ???

PumpDaddy

I agree with the slim jim, almost all of the police carry one, they are not very hard to make out of a good stiff piece of banding material and tin snips, but DON'T get caught with it, more head ache than you want. Best to either hide a key or carry 2, I have one of those things moutain climbers us on their ropes, with 2 keys on different rings, if I need to get out and want to leave the truck running, I put the other key in my pocket, lock the doors and do what I gotta do, but now I can set my cool down timer to 6 minutes, get out, do it, get back in, put the key in and just turn the switch back on and go. Works pretty good.

DPG

Flea Taxis. You know: four paws, fur, barks a lot. Actually, I didn't say much to the dog. It wasn't really his fault. What I did have a hard time with, though, was when he scratched the tinting on the inside of the windows. Looked terrible. Sold truck. Well, not because of the tinting. That happened about the same time as the third tranny rebuild. >

docmic

Just got back home from a trip, so this is a little late, but...a slim jim won't open much of anything since about 1985 or 1986. If this is a Dodge Ram, we open it with a very strong chrome steel tool that goes into the passenger door outside the push-down button. It goes under the rod connecting to the button and lifts it. It sounds simple, but the tool, about a 1/16" diameter has to reach up exactly under the button. You must use wedges to separate the window from the door to keep from scarring the paint and damaging the gaskets. A locksmith can do it "in seconds" as one writer said, but a police officer can't...and shouldn't even try. Locksmiths are insured and bonded (or should be); police officers are usually forbad from even trying emergency openings because of their city's liablility if they screw it up or damage the vehicle. By the way, you can't make a key from the VIN, you need the "codes", which have nothing whatever to do with the VIN except as identifying the vehicle and then you have to go back to the original new vehicle dealer. A locksmith can sometimes get the road service people to cough up the codes, but usually they insist on denying they have the information available to them.
Lockouts are the most common call for a locksmith and they're always an emergency for the caller. But there's never been a caller who didn't declare that this is the very first time it ever happened!
Last thing, the writer who said he should have tried the driver door...wrong. A locksmith will use the passenger door because there is much less paraphernalia (electrical wiring and controls) than on the driver side. If the locksmith screws up the power windows or power locks or air bags, without a signed release from the vehicle owner it's his fault.
Doc

richard

You should buy a slim jim. bought one for 8 bucks at the local body shop supply store. Why, because I usually leave my keys in my truck. And yes I have locked them in it on more than one occasion. Also comes in handy when your wife, mother, neighbor, sister, father hits the door lock button when they get out of the truck. Not that this happened to me, but i'm just saying it's a handy tool that has more than paid for itself.
Rich

greatwhite

Remember that depending on local laws, having a slimjim type device may be (as it is in Canada) a criminal offence. To wit "Possession of Burglary Tools". At NAPA in Canada, we quit selling lock out kits for just this reason.

Just hide a key. Or be perfect, and only associate with perfect people, pets etc.

NWDave

I have this unusual outline/impression in my wallet, where I carry the spare key to my truck. There has been several occasions over the many years where this has paid for itself because I'm seldom without my wallet (unless, of course, SWMBO is raiding it for some "loose change" : )

~Dave

Mikey4X4

My last four trucks have been Dodges sense coming over from Fords and I have been lock out of everyone of them at some time or another. Once I was headed from Houston to New Orleans and pulled off the interstate between Baton Rouge and N.O. to take a leak. If you've been through there you know theres nothing for miles. I had pulled off an offramp and got out of the truck with keys in ignition and running. Well, while closing the door my arm hit the lock button and there I was, In a nine line bind. In that position I was forced to find a way in and did not intend to break any windows. If your truck has the sliding back glass you are in luck if you have a credit card. Thats all I'm going to say about that. I'm not 100% sure but I think you can enable a feature that will not let it lock if keys are in the ignition. I know my wifes Honda has it and she likes to lock here keys in the trunk. Fortunally my son is able to crawl through the back seat cubby door and retrive them. Good Luck.

redramnc

[quote author=docmic link=board=13;threadid=21667;start=15#msg204456 date=1067738324]
By the way, you can't make a key from the VIN, you need the "codes", which have nothing whatever to do with the VIN except as identifying the vehicle and then you have to go back to the original new vehicle dealer.

Last thing, the writer who said he should have tried the driver door...wrong. A locksmith will use the passenger door because there is much less paraphernalia (electrical wiring and controls) than on the driver side. If the locksmith screws up the power windows or power locks or air bags, without a signed release from the vehicle owner it's his fault.
Doc
[/quote]

Doc - you are correct. When I asked the local dealer (not original dealer for truck) counter help how they get the codes for the key they said all they do is punch in the VIN in a computerized key machine hooked to the dealer network and it goes out, looks up the key code, and then cuts the key automatically. I get the feeling this is to keep unscrupulous individuals from being able to look up key codes at will. Let the machine do it so there is some accountability and traceability involved. However, this only works on non-transponder keys. Some (alot?, most?) keys these days have the anti-theft circuitry transponder in them so I imagine that adds another level of frustration to the process of getting a new key.

As for the trying the driver door, I reckon somewhere in the back of my addled brain a couple of neurons connected and led me to try the passenger door instead of the driver door. All of my other vehicles (excluding wife's Jaguar and Porsche) are manual windows and door locks. Not much to screw up inside them so a coat hanger or slim jim ain't a problem.

Now I have a spare key or two, one stays with my little brother on other side of town (closer to work by 20 miles) and one stays down the street at older brother's. This won't happen again (maybe). :

TomW

I've locked the keys in my truck more times than I care to admit. I've been able to pop the sliding door on the back without breaking the lock on it. Have gotten quite good at it, too. **chuckle**