Admission of stupidity/Proof of resourcefullness.

"Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer" (dash-doorhandle-and-bondo)
09/09/2019 at 12:47 • Filed to: None

I locked myself out of the cargo Fargo in a place not unlike this photo.

Keys in the ignition, phone in the car. (At least it wasn’t running this time) Last time this happened I had a rag and 2 bic lighters. I was on a fairly travelled highway and got half a dozen people to stop. (folks are pretty nice in Sask, break down in a classic car? Just put the hood up and it will attract farmers who WANT to fix it for you, just because.) I used the rag to pull back the door corner, inserted the bic to hold the gap open and when a highway worker stopped, I was able to borrow a stiff piece of wire from their tool box, hit the power lock button, and was on my way.

This was not a well travelled road. All buildings, powerlines, and hope was some where past the horizon (in Sask the horizon is far away, coming into R egina, there’s a sign that says “ Regina 22 KM “ you can see downtown from that sign.)

So I’m alone with my thoughts, my problem, and 30,000 acres of wheat and lentils. ( Take a stroll through a field of lentils if you like a challenge) No bic lighter, because healthy choices. I have my hat and my wallet. (and some commercial lithuim batteries, which you shoudn’t wedge a door open with even if similar to bic lighter) So I jam my hat brim in the door corner and insert my wallet in the gap to hold the corner open. I own a couple of kinds of break in kits (being a somewhat professional car person) they are 2.5 hours away. My first attempt was to use a skinny tree branch. All that did was mess up my door rubbers.

No one has driven by. With trees not being of any use I turned my attention to the only other thing there: barbed wire fence. Now the barbed wire part will, I assume, wreck your Fargo’s door rubbers even worse than cramming sticks through them. If you walk a barbed wire fence far enough there will eventually come to a corner. Corners traditionally have turnbuckles made of thicker, non barbed wire. It took half an hour but I was able to untie and break off a 3 foot section of stiff wire, and spend the mile walk back straightening it out.

Back at the F argo, I slid the piece of wire into the gap my wallet was holding open, and bumped the power lock button (whilst scratching the paint in my doorjamb) a nd was on my way. The hat, the branch and the turnbuckle are still on my passen ger seat.

Learn from my tale of woe and put a hide-a-key under your car somewhere, I probably won’t, but it would be smart.

DISCUSSION (20)

AestheticsInMotion > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 13:38

This is good oppo. I used to always keep a key tucked between the fender and coolant overflow tank of my Rangers. On the rare occasion when an employee called saying he had locked the keys inside... Well. No problem. There’s a spare.

They always looked at me like a was a wizard for the next few days

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 13:42

I use a separate keychain with JUST my car key to start, drive, unlock, etc my car. I keep all my other keys on a karabiner clip on my belt loop, including one spare car key. If I look myself out, it’s with the individual key, then I just unhook the others and use the spare to unlock the door.

Luckily I’ve only had to do it once or twice.

BJ > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 13:43

coming into Regina, there’s a sign that says “Regina 22 KM“ you can see downtown from that sign

I can confirm that this is true. You can see your destination for a half hour before you get there, which gives you plenty of time to consider whether you actually want to go there or not...

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/09/2019 at 13:47

on a job site I ALWAYS leave the window down about 4 inches, and I hit the unlock button before I get out, Being one of those archaic “manual transmissions” we all fetishize It locks itself at a certain speed, but never unlocks itself because it doesn’t go into park when you park it. Even with a certain a mount of vigilance, this has happened twice.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > BJ
09/09/2019 at 13:49

If you’ve heard of Regina, you do not want to go to there. Thankfully the Bypass will be done soon, followed by the bridge over Saskatchewan.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 14:03

A friend of mine locked himself out of his car so often, he wrapped a wire coat hangar around the roof rack so he always had a way to break in.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 14:05

I keep a door key in my wallet, since I very rarely take it out while in the vehicle.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 14:06

I kept a spare key in one of these in the back of my truck after locking myself out a few times. It always happened when I was waiting for someone/something since I’d park and shutoff the truck but wouldn’t take the keys out immediately. Then when I was done waiting I’d get out and lock the door instinctively as I got out. I always realized what I’d done as soon as the door was swinging shut, but not soon enough to catch the door.

Kinja'd!!!

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street.
09/09/2019 at 14:07

I used to have a wallet that had a slot for house and car key. I think it was a Sean-John wallet. A quality unit I had for 15 years (good job Diddy)

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > TheRealBicycleBuck
09/09/2019 at 14:08

I have considered this.

smobgirl > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 14:27

I’ve had to make a rule for my house and the cars that I only lock things from the outside. Fortunately I know how to break into the house pretty easily (please don’t rob me, there’s nothing worth taking).

BellicoseBill > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 14:30

Many years ago I worked as a hotel valet parker. It was a simpler time, so we simply dropped the keys on the floor when staging them up front to be parked. Of course, at some point keys got locked in, so we continued to drop the keys on the floor but just rolled the window down several inches in case of lockout. Eventually a car was stolen (Saab 900), and the days of leaving the keys in the car were over.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > smobgirl
09/09/2019 at 14:34

My city is in such a meth-hole right now We’re keeping bicycles in the house now. Used to be we only locked doors when we left town. (not kidding)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 15:23

If you had the bic and the rag from last time you could've used them to start a signal fire. Stick the rag into the filler neck. Light rag. Wait. Soon you will have a signal fire that can be seen for miles and will surely attract help!

BellicoseBill > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street.
09/09/2019 at 15:32

I used to do this also. I took the belt-and-suspenders approach and also had a hide-a-key. I went to a front pocket wallet, and the key was the first thing to go. I still have the hide-a-key (I think-shit, I better go check).

BJ > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/09/2019 at 16:22

I have been there a few times.

I don’t remember much but the cold (yay December) and that t he grounds of the provincial Legislature buildings are nice (yay summer).

CB > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/14/2019 at 00:09

You don’t live in Regina proper, do you?

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > CB
09/14/2019 at 10:49

just south of downtown.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > CB
09/14/2019 at 10:51

Access Communications car show “rain day” is the 15th.

CB > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
09/14/2019 at 10:54

Working, unfortunately. Such is life.