Detroit Towing opens a locked car with an inflatable wedge and a long-reach tool worked past the weatherstripping — no drilled locks, no scratched trim. The crew holds a 5.0 rating across 15 Google reviews. If it's a fob, not a spare key, the door still opens, but a locksmith or dealer has to cut a new one.
Older cars with a physical key cylinder are the easiest lockout call. The wedge creates enough of a gap for the tool to reach the lock rod or button, and the door pops without ever touching the glass. Push-button and keyless-entry cars change the job: there's no cylinder to fish for, so entry depends on finding the mechanical override hidden behind the door handle or trim panel, which varies by make.
A coat hanger jammed into the door seam is the fastest way to turn a five-minute call into a bent panel and a body-shop bill — leave the door alone and call instead.
What if my key fob is locked inside, not just the door?
The door and the engine are two separate problems once a transponder or proximity fob is involved. Detroit Towing's entry tools open the door regardless of what kind of key the car uses, but if the fob itself is missing — locked inside, lost, or dead — starting the engine still needs a new chip key cut and programmed, a dealer or locksmith job that a lockout call doesn't include.
Is it worth trying to get in myself first?
A car with a simple mechanical lock and the button visible through the window glass is sometimes a job a patient person can do themselves — that's not a reason to avoid the call, just an honest one. Where it stops being worth the risk is anything with power locks, a keyless system, or a window that doesn't roll down enough to see the mechanism; forcing a gap there tends to crack interior trim that costs more than the service call would have.
What should you tell the dispatcher when you call?
The make, model, and approximate year matter more for a lockout than for most other calls, since they determine which tool and technique the tech brings out first — a vehicle with visible manual lock buttons is a different job than one with flush, capacitive door handles.
Whether the engine is running matters too — if the keys are inside with it idling, that call gets prioritized over one where the car is simply locked and off.
Will you have to break a window to get in?
No — non-destructive entry is the default for this call, using an inflatable wedge and a long-reach tool rather than glass. A broken window only comes up if the vehicle's design leaves no other way in, which is rare on a standard passenger car.
Can you get into my car without any key at all?
Yes — the door opens without a key present. If there's no working key or fob anywhere, getting the engine running is a separate repair job, not something the lockout call includes.
Is a lockout call handled any differently at night or on a Sunday?
Detroit Towing runs Mon–Sat Open 24 hours, Sun 12:30 – 5:30 PM, and a lockout is dispatched the same way any other call is, day or night. The tools and the approach don't change with the time on the clock.
Can you unlock a car with power locks and no visible manual override?
In most cases yes — the wedge-and-tool method works through the door frame regardless of whether the lock itself is manual or electric, since the tool triggers the same interior mechanism a hand would. The rare exception is a fully sealed keyless system with no mechanical backup, uncommon on the vehicles Detroit Towing typically sees.