Perhaps there is no greater heartbreaker than when your key breaks and only one half of it remains in your hand while the rest is lodged inside the lock. This common issue affects even the most experienced drivers and, despite its intimidating nature, it is fixable most of the time, provided that you won't rush and make it worse in the very first minute after the event.
While there are certain reasons for the key to fail and crack, there is a high possibility that its age and usage played the main role in this scenario. As a general rule, a key gets thinner during usage due to friction and eventually cracks under pressure. This process is exacerbated by a poorly functioning ignition or a door lock mechanism, since in order to operate them you will need more effort and exert more force on the key itself.
Other factors that contribute to the problem include cold weather that might affect your lock, any debris inside the keyhole, as well as using your key to poke inside various objects.
If you've been feeling some resistance while inserting the key and had to jiggle it to get access, the breakage was something inevitable.
Don't do anything that would worsen the condition and increase your chances of ruining your ignition or lock even further. The first thought that pops in your mind is to push the other half of the key inside to force the remaining part out. While this action may seem reasonable at first glance, it will make extracting the broken fragment more difficult, because it would wedge the piece further into the keyhole. Any attempts of using screwdrivers or knives to scrape the fragment out would also cause scratches and damages, not to mention that these methods may drive the piece inside even deeper, in most cases, the fragment will be extracted easily without any additional interventions from your side.
In some cases, the fragment which has been lodged in the lock from inside might have become visible; therefore, it would be possible to try pulling it out. Should you discover the fragment sticking out a bit from the hole, it would be advisable to employ needle-nose pliers for the job of extracting the fragment, however in order to prevent any further problems, we recommend you proceed slowly and without any unnecessary pressure.
Do not try extracting the fragment if it's flush with or beneath the surface of the keyhole, as it means that there is nothing to grip and you will inevitably damage the lock trying to extract the fragment.
Professional locksmiths have appropriate tools to safely pull out the piece and examine your lock, as sometimes the problem indicates certain internal malfunctions that should be detected at an early stage, this problem can be solved yourself at home, but that can turn out to be much more costly, as damage to the cylinder will only add to your expenses.
As soon as the broken fragment is out of the way, you will need to create a replacement for the old key, because half of it now became two separate parts. With the help of a locksmith, this job will be completed in no time, although it would take longer if you have a transponder key.
If a key breaks inside the ignition switch of your car, you'll have to show maximum caution in dealing with the issue, because your ignition lock system is far more sensitive than a door lock. Once again, we recommend you not to force the other half of the key into the lock nor to poke inside to get the piece out. Besides, a broken key in the ignition lock is usually indicative of some mechanical problems with the lock cylinder, so it's best to consult with a professional to determine whether you need a key replacement or repair.
Since age is one of the factors contributing to key breakages, you will need to keep in mind the following tips.
As you see, breaking a key in the lock is indeed a frightening experience, however, you don't have to worry if you have approached the problem correctly and contacted a locksmith who can safely pull out the piece and create a copy of the key, so if you rush and force the key inside, you risk damaging your lock and paying a higher service fee than necessary.
This article focuses on the importance of not doing anything hasty when dealing with a broken key in the lock, because your actions can dramatically change the course of events. If you leave everything as is, the professional locksmith will quickly extract the fragment and replace your key. However, if you try to do it yourself, you may face a number of complications.
A calm, step-by-step playbook for handling a car lockout without making it worse.
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