Temperature changes, lock issues, or structural degradation of key blades can cause keys to break off inside car’s locks – a frustrating issue that, while easily remedied by the professional automotive locksmith team here at Chicago Locksmith – can throw a major monkey wrench into your daily plans. In this blog entry, our car locksmith experts will detail some basic tips to remove broken keys from car locks.
Cylinder Alignment
If your key broke off as the lock was turning, it will be difficult to remove it while the lock is halfway turned. Try using needle nose pliers to reach inside the lock cylinder and slowly turn it back to locked position, or unlocked position. Just make sure not to further jam the key into the lock or twist / break the key. If you can get a good grip on the end of the broken key once the lock is aligned, you can try pulling it out of the slot at a straight angle.
Oil
Spray an oil based lubricant like WD-40 into the keyhol ebefore trying to remove the key from the lock. Oil based lubricants shouldnt be used regularly on locks, but they work fast so they can be an ideal solution – just wipe off any excess grease after you spray it.
Tweezers
If you can’t find needle nose pliers, you can try using tweezers to remove the key fragment from the lock. Just make sure that the tweezers can fully fit wide enough around the key, but aren’t too wide to fully fit on the sides of the lock.
Probing Method
Try using two thin pieces of metal like a hair clip, paper clip, bobby pin, or a tiny screwdriver to prove the keyway and pull the key piece out. Put the metal pieces on both lat sides of the key and insert it just far enough to get a firm grip – then try pulling the key fragment straight out to you.
Paperclip Extraction
Bend a paperclip into a straight piece and insert it above the broken key fragment. Then twist the paper clip down to grab onto the rear of the key and pull it out.
Putty
You can try using a tacky or sticky putty to remove the broken key fragment by pushing it into the key slot, letting it sit there for a few minutes, and then pulling it out.
If none of these broken key extraction methods work, don’t fret – just contact Chicago Locksmith for rapid arrival, expert broken key extraction service.
