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Roadside Help
It happens to everyone eventually. You step out of your car at the Vons on 30th Street, the door closes behind you, and you hear the locks engage with your keys sitting on the center console. Or maybe you're at Ocean Beach, you stashed your keys under the seat before walking to the water, and now the smart key has locked itself. Whatever the scenario, you're standing outside your car in San Diego, and your keys are inside.
Take a breath. This is fixable.
I'm Robert, the owner of RJ Towing. My team and I handle lockouts across San Diego County every single day, parking lots, driveways, freeway shoulders, beach parking, downtown garages. After fifteen years of unlocking cars, I can tell you that the biggest mistakes people make happen in the first five minutes after they realize they're locked out.
This guide covers exactly what to do, what NOT to do, and when a lockout becomes a genuine emergency.
Before anything else, check.
If a child or pet is locked inside your car, this is a medical emergency. San Diego temperatures can push a car's interior past 120 degrees in under 20 minutes, even on a mild 75-degree day. A parked car in Hillcrest or Mission Valley with the windows up becomes an oven fast.
Here is what to do if a child or pet is locked inside:
This is the one scenario where speed matters more than anything else. Everything below assumes nobody is trapped inside the vehicle.
I know it's tempting to try a DIY approach. I've pulled up to lockout calls and found the customer halfway through bending a coat hanger into the door frame. Let me save you the trouble and the repair bill.
On cars built before roughly 2000, slim jims, those flat metal strips, could sometimes manipulate the lock rod inside the door panel. On modern cars, this does not work. Here is why:
I've seen people wedge screwdrivers, butter knives, and even credit cards into door frames. This bends the frame, damages the weatherstripping seal (which then leaks water into the door panel), and can crack the window. A professional uses calibrated air wedges that apply even pressure without bending metal. A screwdriver applies all its force at one point.
Unless someone is trapped inside (see above), breaking your own window is the most expensive lockout solution possible. Tempered glass replacement in San Diego runs $200-$500 depending on the vehicle. Plus you'll need to clean glass shards out of the interior, and you'll be driving without a window until the replacement is installed. For a $75 lockout call, breaking a window makes no sense.
If you're locked out on a freeway shoulder, an unlit parking lot, or anywhere that feels unsafe, stay with your vehicle but call for help immediately. If you're on I-5, I-8, or I-805, the Freeway Service Patrol may also be able to assist during operating hours. But for a lockout specifically, a tow company with lockout tools is your fastest resolution. Call us at (619) 872-5285, we cover every freeway and neighborhood in San Diego County.
This sounds obvious, but check every door. Check the trunk. On SUVs and hatchbacks, check the rear hatch. I've responded to calls where the passenger door was unlocked the whole time. Check your pockets twice, people often have the key fob on them without realizing it, especially with smart keys that don't require physical insertion.
Do you have a spare key at home? Can someone bring it to you? If a family member, roommate, or friend has your spare, and they can get to you within a reasonable time, that's the simplest fix. Many San Diego drivers keep a spare with a trusted person specifically for this reason.
Several modern vehicles offer phone-based unlocking:
If your phone is also locked in the car, use a bystander's phone to call the manufacturer's roadside line or log into your account.
If no spare key is accessible and phone-based unlock isn't an option, call a professional. This is what we do, our technicians carry professional-grade air wedges and long-reach tools designed for every make and model on the road. No damage. No scratches. Typical unlock time is under five minutes once we arrive.
When you call (619) 872-5285, here's what happens:
The whole thing usually takes less than 30 minutes from phone call to resolution.
The type of key your car uses affects how lockouts happen and how they're resolved.
If your car uses a physical key that you turn in the ignition, lockouts happen the old-fashioned way, you leave the key inside and close the door. These are generally the simplest lockouts to resolve with professional tools.
Most cars from 2000-2015 use a metal key with an embedded RFID chip. The car won't start without the chip signal. You can still lock these inside the car. Resolution is the same as a traditional key lockout, we open the door and your key is waiting for you.
Modern push-button-start vehicles use proximity-sensing key fobs. The car detects when the fob is nearby and unlocks accordingly. These create a unique lockout scenario:
This is the single best prevention. A basic metal key copy costs $5-$15 at a San Diego hardware store. A transponder key copy runs $50-$150 at a locksmith. A smart key fob replacement from the dealer costs $200-$400. All of these are worth it. Keep the spare somewhere separate from your primary key, with a family member, in a magnetic key box under the car, or in a secure location at home.
If your car has a connected app with remote unlock capability, set it up today. Don't wait until you're locked out. Download the app, create the account, pair the vehicle. Test it once to confirm it works. This takes five minutes and could save you from a lockout entirely.
The simplest prevention is a consistent habit. Keys go in your pocket or purse before you open the car door. Not on the seat. Not in the cupholder. Not on the roof. Before your feet touch the pavement, keys are on your person. After fifteen years of responding to lockouts, I can tell you that the single most common phrase I hear is “I just set them down for one second.”
Smart key fob batteries (usually CR2032 coin cells) cost about $3 and take two minutes to replace. A dead fob battery is one of the most common triggers for modern lockouts. Replace it every year, or when you notice the key range getting shorter.
A standard lockout service call in San Diego typically ranges from $50-$100. At RJ Towing, our lockout service is a flat $75, no hidden fees, no mileage charges, no time-of-day surcharges. We charge the same rate at 2 PM as we do at 2 AM.
Be cautious of extremely low online quotes. Some operators advertise “$15 car unlock” and then add trip fees, tool fees, after-hours fees, and diagnostic fees that push the final bill past $200. Ask for the total out-the-door price before agreeing to service.
Also be cautious of “locksmith” companies that show up in a plain white van with out-of-state plates. San Diego has a legitimate locksmith community, but there are also fly-by-night operators who do substandard work. A licensed towing company with a physical San Diego address and Google reviews is a safer bet.
Getting locked out of your car is frustrating, but it's a solved problem. Don't damage your vehicle trying to fix it yourself. Don't break a $300 window to avoid a $75 service call. And if a child or pet is trapped inside, call 911 first and us second, we'll come at no charge.
RJ Towing responds to lockouts across San Diego County, downtown, the beaches, East County, South Bay, and everywhere in between. Bilingual dispatch. 24/7/365. One flat rate.
Save our number: (619) 872-5285. You might not need it today, but the day you do, you'll be glad you have it.
RJ Towing Service is a family-owned towing and roadside assistance company based at 2881 G St, San Diego, CA 92102. We provide 24/7 lockout service, jumpstart service,tire service, fuel delivery, and full emergency towing across San Diego County and the Tijuana border corridor. Fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Written by
15+ years responding to San Diego roadside calls
Real roadside experience from RJ Towing, San Diego's family-owned bilingual tow operation. 15+ years, 5+ trucks, covering every freeway in the county and the Tijuana border corridor.
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(619) 872-5285
Hablamos español. Llama al (619) 872-5285 o línea Tijuana (664) 801-9382.
Servicio en Tijuana: (664) 801-9382