Call any time
Keys Locked in Car Oxford Opened Without Damage From £85
Keys on the seat, in the ignition or shut in the boot? We get you back into your car or van without broken glass or bent door frames, day or night, and check it is yours before we open it.
Get into your car
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
Child or pet inside? 999
Call 999 first if anyone or any animal is trapped. Then call us.
No broken windows
Trade opening tools that leave glass, paint and door seals intact.
Keys in the boot too
We plan the route in when the key is shut in the boot or load area.
From £85 by day
Nights, weekends and bank holidays from £130, fixed before we set off.
If you have keys locked in your car in Oxford, we come to the car and open it without damage, usually reaching addresses in OX1 to OX4 within 10 to 30 minutes. The price is from £85 during the day and from £130 at night, at weekends and on bank holidays, agreed before we leave.
If a child, a vulnerable adult or a pet is shut inside, call 999 first, especially on a warm day. Then call us on 07520 644 595.
Child or pet locked in the car? Call 999 before anyone else
Do not wait for a locksmith
A parked car heats up far faster than people expect, even with a window slightly open, and young children and dogs are at most risk. Dial 999, say a child or animal is locked in a vehicle, and give the exact location. Police and fire crews are allowed to break a window, and they will if it is needed.
While you wait, stay with the car, keep the child or animal calm and in sight, and try to shade the windscreen. If the person or animal shows signs of distress and help is still on the way, follow the 999 operator’s advice. Once they are safe, we can deal with the car itself and any glass that had to be broken.
Locked out of your car? Five checks while you wait
- Walk round every door and the boot. One handle is sometimes still open, especially when only the driver’s door was locked from inside.
- Think about a spare. A partner, housemate or relative with the second key may be nearer than any locksmith. If there is no spare, it is worth getting one: see spare car keys made from your working key.
- Check your breakdown cover. Some policies include lockouts. Compare their wait with our arrival time.
- Stay safe. On a main road, wait behind the barrier or on the pavement, not in the road next to the car.
- Call with the make, model and exact spot. A postcode, a car park name and a row number, or a nearby shop sign, is enough for a fixed price and a time.
How we open a locked car without damage
We use specialist car opening tools of the kind made for the motor trade. They allow us to operate the interior handle or the door lock without forcing the door, cutting anything or breaking glass. We do not use slim jims or wedges that can tear weather seals or scratch paintwork, and the method is chosen to suit the particular car.
On most cars the opening takes a few minutes once we are set up. Some models with deadlocks or double locking take longer, because the inside handle is disabled when the car is double locked. We tell you on the phone if your model is likely to be one of those.
We do not describe the method in detail here, for the obvious reason that this page is public. What matters to you is that the car is opened, nothing is broken, and the alarm and central locking work normally afterwards.
Keys locked in the boot
This is a common one: shopping goes in, the keys go down with it, and the boot lid closes. On many hatchbacks and estates, once a door is open we can reach the boot release or fold a rear seat to get to the load area. On saloons with a separate boot, and on some cars that deadlock the boot when the doors lock, the route takes more thought.
Give us the model and year when you call so we can plan before arriving. If a key is stuck or broken in the boot lock itself, that is a repair job rather than a lockout, and our auto locksmith handles extraction and lock repair.
Keyless car locked with the key inside: how does that happen?
Keyless cars are designed to refuse to lock with the fob inside, so drivers are often surprised when it happens. These are the usual causes:
Weak fob battery
The car cannot detect a fading key in the cabin and treats it as outside.
Key in the boot or a bag
Many cars do not search the boot, or the signal is shielded by a phone case, foil or other keys.
Automatic relock
Many cars lock again if no door is opened within a short time after the doors are released.
Second key used outside
Someone else locked the car with the spare while yours was inside.
Once we are in, it is worth fitting a new fob battery. Our smart key page covers keyless fobs in more depth.
Car lockouts we attend around Oxford
Lockouts happen wherever people are busy: school runs in Summertown, hospital visits at the John Radcliffe and Churchill, a supermarket shop on the way home, the Kassam on match days or the station car park before a train. We come out to all of them, plus lay-bys on the A34 and A40 and driveways across the county.
Further out, places such as Witney and Didcot are usually reached in 20 to 45 minutes. For a lockout at home rather than at the car, our house lockout service covers that.
How to avoid the next car lockout
Most car lockouts follow the same few patterns, and each has a simple habit that prevents it.
- Keep the key on you while loading. Put it in a pocket, not on the seat or in a shopping bag, before you open the boot.
- Replace the fob battery every couple of years. A weak cell is behind many keyless lockouts and dead remotes.
- Never leave the engine running to defrost and walk away. Some cars lock automatically, and an unattended running car is also an easy theft.
- Keep a spare somewhere you can reach. At home, with a partner or at work, but not hidden on the car itself.
Proving the car is yours when the papers are inside
We will not open a vehicle without being satisfied it belongs to you. Usually that means the V5C, insurance documents or a hire agreement, plus photo ID that matches. When those are locked in the car, we check them the moment the door is open and before you drive away, and we may also check the registered keeper details with you.
If the key is lost rather than locked inside, opening the car does not get you home. In that case you need a new key made at the car, from £170, which is explained on our car key replacement page.
Car lockout prices in Oxford
Price agreed on the phone before we travel, including VAT and labour.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Car lockout daytime | From £85 | Opened without damage |
| Nights weekends and bank holidays | From £130 | Same non-destructive methods |
| Key lost not locked in | From £170 | New key made and coded at the car |
| Spare key once you are back in | From £90 | Copied from your working key |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
