What to Do When Your Car Key is Stuck in the Ignition

It’s an unfortunate, frustrating event that takes you by surprise because you never thought it possible: your car key is hopelessly stuck in your ignition lock. You tug and pull, but the key is not budging. That leaves you stranded somewhere in Highland Park, Illinois, unable to start your vehicle. You may have thought the only way to get stranded was to lose your keys and you’ve been careful about always preventing that from happening. Yet here you are, maybe in the grocery store parking lot while your milk gets warm in the back seat or maybe in your driveway, already late for work. Don’t let panic stop you from keeping a level head. This article aims to show you the best way to handle a situation where your key is stuck in your ignition lock cylinder.   

Risk Factors for Car Keys Getting Stuck  

Before showing you what to do if you find yourself in a situation where your key is stuck in your ignition lock, here are the risk factors for this situation happening in the first place. If you’re lucky enough to be reading this before such a thing happens, take preventative steps now to stop it before it occurs.  

Old and worn out keys that have seen a lot of use can begin to warp and bend on the teeth that are used to fit against the pins inside the ignition lock. This can cause the grooves that are supposed to fit together to catch in the wrong way, thereby getting the key stuck. You may notice an issue with your ignition lock and key before the key gets completely stuck, including having to wiggle the key to remove it.  

If your key has been damaged, it may be a hassle to have to get a new key made, but it’s a necessary task to prevent the key from breaking or sticking in your ignition lock. Any key with damage puts the lock it is used on at risk for issues.   

Ignition cylinders themselves can develop problems, especially in older vehicles. An ignition cylinder is comprised of a mechanical cylinder that houses the lock and is attached to certain electrical components of your engine. When your key is inserted, this system works by sending a code to your engine, allowing it to start. The proper matching key has to be inserted in the lock in order to fire up the car. This is a theft-prevention measure that can protect your car against lockpicking or other means of theft.   

What to Do If Your Key is Stuck   

First off, don’t try yanking or pulling on the key too hard or to force it out of the lock. This could end up causing more damage to the lock itself and require a replacement ignition cylinder. If your key is stick intact, attempting to use force puts you at the risk of snapping the key in half and having to have the broken pieces taken out, adding even more services that will be required to restore your lock and key. So, take a deep breath and resist the urge to use all of your strength to try to stronghold the key out of the lock.   

Second, make sure that your vehicle is entirely off. The ignition cylinder literally locks your key into place when you insert it and won’t release it until the vehicle is entirely set to the “off” position. Sometimes it’s possible that you haven’t completely rotated the ignition cylinder to the off position. 

If this is not the case and your vehicle is indeed entirely shut off, your steering wheel may be the culprit. Your steering wheel is set up to only operate if the correct key is inserted in the ignition, and to not function if no key is present or the wrong key is attempted. So, the steering wheel essentially locks itself into place until you insert your ignition key into the keyhole. It’s possible that your steering wheel might still be locked up, which is holding the key in place. Try gently maneuvering the steering wheel to see if that unlocks the mechanism which is gripping the key.   

On the other hand, if your vehicle is still on and you can’t get the key to turn to the “off” position at all, it’s important to act relatively quickly because leaving the car on risks running out of gas or being vulnerable to theft if you step away. This is a case when it’s important to call a locksmith. 

  

There could also be an obstruction of dirt or debris in the keyhole that is keeping the key hostage and not allowing it to slide properly. Closely inspect what you can see of the key in the keyhole and if you see any type of obstruction, try to remove it with a small tool such as a toothpick or whatever similar-sized item you have available.   

Call a Locksmith   

If the above measures do not work, it’s probably time to hire a locksmith. A locksmith can extract a stuck key from an ignition cylinder, as well as perform a full ignition cylinder replacement if that is necessary in your case. An experienced locksmith will know the best and most cost-effective means of fixing the situation. While you can sometimes fix these problems yourself, don’t feel bad if that is not the case in your particular situation. Many cases of keys getting stuck in the ignition cylinder are nearly impossible for amateurs to fix, which is why most locksmith companies operate at all hours to assist with these and other types of automotive lockouts.   

If this situation or other problems with your ignition cylinder have happened before or frequently, you can consider having your ignition cylinder replaced. On a more advanced level, you could talk to your locksmith about outfitting your vehicle with a modern keyless entry system. These systems while have push button starter systems and keyless remotes to start the vehicle as well can be a major benefit for car owners and can be retrofitted by an experienced locksmith on most makes and models of vehicles. Get ahold of a professional locksmith such as Quality Locksmith Highland Park for more information about these services. 

Article Source: What to Do When Your Car Key is Stuck in the Ignition

Why Have Panic Bars Installed

Chances are that you’ve been in a school, office building, hospital and shopping mall and used a panic bar. This is the door that is used to safely move large groups of people in and out. It’s usually an exit door that you just press a bar on to open. You may also hear panic bars referred to as crash bars. They are very important in safety during an emergency evaluation situation. In many cases, they have helped to save lives. Prior to panic bars being designed many tragic incidents occurred where people were trapped and couldn’t get out. The panic bar has a spring-loaded bar that is horizontally installed across the inside of your door. Once someone pushes the bar, it unlatches the lock. This makes it easy to quickly move out of the building without everyone stomping on each other to get out.

There is a reason why they have been installed in larger buildings. When you consider the amount of people that are in a larger facility, such as a hospital, it would be very important to make sure people move quickly without panicking. If people feel trapped they will panic. If they see a panic door that easily opens, they are less likely prone to panic. If you don’t have the right type of doors loss of life can occur during an emergency. If you have a lot of people running for the door at the same time and then you have people on the other side trying to run back in to get their friends or family out, this could be dangerous. With a panic bar the crowd can only move in one direction, out. In addition to this, imagine how terrible it might be if people were to be killed because they couldn’t get out.

The panic bar came into existence due to a tragedy back in the 1800’s when 180 children died because they were not able to safely get out of the building they were in. Also, in the early 1900’s, a Chicago fire killed 600 people in a theater. The loss of life prompted someone to address this problem. As a result the panic bar was created.

There are benefits to having this type of door than what is mentioned above, consider the following.

Various Options – Commercial business owners can choose from different types of panic bars. Some have alarms that will sound to let someone know that unauthorized exiting is occurring. There is also a cross bar panic bar and vertical. You can also find them at different prices and sizes. You’ll have to make sure you have the right type of panic bar placed on your door based on its size and the size of your facility. 

Affordable - After considering some of the other things that we install at Quality Locksmith Highland Park in Highland Park, IL, you have to admit that a $100 panic door isn’t a bad deal. Even the most expensive model will only cost a person approximately $300. When you have more than one panic bar installed in your commercial business, a locksmith may offer you an even better price. Don’t hesitate to inquire about pricing prior to installation.

Safety – The major benefit of panic bars is for safety purposes. It helps to effectively evacuate people without anyone being harmed. Since panic bars are installed on the interior of the door, no one from the outside can get inside. This helps to keep out people who may want to get inside to do harm to someone, including you. Again, there are some that will alert you to someone attempting to enter the building from the wrong side of the door. To be certain that your panic bar is working properly, you should only have it installed by a professional locksmith who has experience.

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To Prevent Car Thefts, Take Your Damn Keys With You

By Tom McParland

Image Source: www.jalopnik.com

Modern cars come with an array of anti-theft devices to help prevent thieves from taking your ride. But the criminals are coming up with new ways to steal cars, such as waiting for lazy owners to leave their keys in the ignition while they get coffee.

According to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, thefts of cars with keys in the ignition, or “freebies” as thieves call them, are up 31 percent over the past three years. In 2015, 57,096 thefts were reported, though the NICB suggests that these numbers are artificially low because many people don’t admit that their car was stolen with the keys inside. As many as one in eight car thefts may happen because the keys are in the car.

Many car thieves looking for an easy target are scoping out coffee shops, convenience stores, and residences, just waiting for people who leave their car running for a short time or to warm up on a cold day.

NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle, says the increase in thefts comes down to complacency and laziness: “Anti-theft technology has had a tremendous impact on reducing thefts over the past 25 years, but if you don’t lock it up, it’s not going to help.”

Even more concerning is what happens once the thief has access to your car.

“Complacency can lead to a huge financial loss and inconvenience for the vehicle owner. Leaving a vehicle unlocked or with the key or FOB inside gives a thief the opportunity to take not only the car, but also any possessions inside. It can also provide access to your personal information if the registration is left in the glove compartment....“We have reports from our law enforcement partners that car thieves have stolen the car, driven it to the residence and burglarized the home before the owner even knew the vehicle was missing.”

The NICB offers common sense precautions to prevent theft, while these should be obvious over 147,000 people from 2013-2015 didn’t follow them.

So the next time you are just going to run in for a quick caffeine fix and think your car will be just fine if you leave it running, remember these tips:

• Lock the vehicle, set the alarm and take all keys or FOBS.
• Do not leave the garage door opener in the vehicle.
• Take a picture of your registration on your cell phone and do not leave the registration or other papers with personal information in the vehicle.

No matter how sophisticated your anti-theft technology is, if a professional thief wants your car they will probably get it. But there’s no excuse for your car being stolen simply because you left your keys behind.

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Article Source: To Prevent Car Thefts, Take Your Damn Keys With You

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