Locksmith Vestavia Hills

Key Stuck in the Ignition?

Locksmith Vestavia HillsIf you are a motorist, this might or might not be something that you have ever experienced. We can tell you with certainty that it can be rather frustrating. Your natural instinct might be to yank it out of the ignition, not realizing that this will only make the problem worse. We know that in some cases, when you are unable to turn your key in the ignition, it can serve to protect you. However, when you are trying to get on with your day, it doesn you absolutely no good when your key is stuck in the igntion. When a motorist in Vestavia Hills calls us at Locksmith Vestavia Hills we tell them to pause and do not do anything. We have seen the worst things happen when someone was so impatient that they went ahead and snatched the key out of the ignition. We wouldn’t want to see this happen to you.  Since we, along with most other professional locksmith services, offer 24-hour servicing, you don’t have to worry about being stuck in this predicament for too long before we arrive to assist.

Ok, so you have never been in this position before. Does this mean that you never will? Absolutely not! As long as you drive a vehicle, there is always this possibilty. If you want to get back on the road as quickly as possible, heed our warning, pause and wait for help to arrive. Whenever your key is stuck in the ignition, you will not be able to move it. It will be completely inoperable. When a key is stuck in the ignition and it is running, the driver will not be able to turn the car off until the key has been released.

We understand just how frustrating this situation can be for anyone and that is why we want to save you the headache. We have taken the time to put together some information that we believe will be most helpful to you if you should ever find yourself in this situation. You might be surprised to find out that there are some things you can do on your own to try to get the key to come out without damaging the ignition. We don’t often recommend this because sometimes, people don’t know their own strength and they still end up jerking the key out. However, if you are convinced that you are capable of being gentle, by all means, you have nothing to lose.

Do this before reaching out to a locksmith service and save a buck or two:

Ok, so as we mentioned earlier, you might get your key stuck while the car is actually turned on or off. There are specific things that you can attempt to do in both instances.

Let us start by guiding you through what to do if the car is turned ‘on’.

  • Look at the dashboard to see if it matches where the gear lever is located. If it is not, try to manuveur it so that it is in the right one. This might enable you to extrac the key.
  • Make sure your gear is not in drive. It should actually be in ‘park’. If it is not, you will be unable to remove the key frm the ignition.
  • If you can get the car in the ‘park’ position without too much force, do so. If you were successful, try to remove the key.

Now let us go help you if your car is turned to the ‘off’ position.

  • You can use a lubricant to loosen the key from the ignition. Be careful not too ably too much though. You’ll have a mess on your hands. After applying some, try to remove the key.
  • If your cylinders have aged, this might cause your key to stick. Check the position of your key.
  • You can gently try to wiggle your key back and forth to see if it begins loosening up. Don’t force it though.
  • Check to make sure you do not have a dead battery. This should actually be at the top of our list. Oh, well, better late than never. If your battery is dead, it will not allow you to remove your key from the ignition. If your not sure even after looking at your dashboard, see if any of the electronic features of your car work. If they do not, you have a dead battery. Your chip isn’t able to recognize your key and therefore, you will not be able to remove the key.

Once you have tried all of these steps or even some of these steps, to no avail; call a locksmith.

While you are waiting for the locksmith to arrive, there are some things we would suggest that you do.

  • Don’t leave your car unattended if the key is in the ignition
  • Use a spare key to lock it, if you have one handy
  • Keep the key in the lock position so that you don’t completely drain the battery

While you’re waiting for help to arrive, you are probably trying to figure out exactly what it is that they will do when they arrive. Not every locksmith will do the same things. This really depends on your specific situation. You can count on them to make a thorough evaluation of the situation before they do anything. Ask questions too, in case you ever find yourself in this situation again. Please do not get upset with the locksmith if he comes and it takes him a few seconds to get the key out. This is what they are trained to do and they do this practically everyday. It may seem like a waste of your resources but just think how much longer you would be waiting if you hadn’t contacted a locksmith. Besides, it might not be that easy, we just want you to be prepared in case it is. You can expect a professional locksmith to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

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