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So first of all I am an idiot. Was doing some work on the car today (replacing egr valve) all great. As always working in and around battery I disconnected neg terminal. Forgot to tighten the pinch bolt. Locked the car and walked away smugly for a well earned pint of tea.
Went back to the car to grab something and would not open. No sign of life. I have a feeling the strain of the negative cable has popped the pinch bolt off the top of battery.
So no central locking.
This is the major problem.... I am parked tight against a wall. So tight I had to get out of the passenger door (easy in a crv).
I cannot get in the drivers door. Options are limited... Going to try see if I can hook the bonnet release open with a long stick and hook....
Any other ideas? Was thinking I could back feed power through starter motor positive terminal or try getting to bonnet release under the car (but its sealed and bloomin hard to get to without removing bumper which I can't do anyway as need to get inside wheel arch which is jammed up against a wall)
Did I mention I am an idiot.
Other option is to try and drag car forward 2 meters so I can open door fully (with a beefy landy or something with some grunt)
Ta 🙂
If you can get it to Cannock somehow...
😛
I'd try YouTube first to see if there are any tips to get in your car
Is there not a hidden keyhole on the passenger door? Maybe a piece of plastic pops off the door handle.
Or rather than trying to pop the bonnet with a long stick why don't you open the passenger door with a long stick.
ignore - I've actually read the OP now 😳
Can you open the boot & climb in?
Ha thanks guys yep cheers youtube has failed
Unfortunately the manual key entry point is on the drivers door wwpaddler but good idea about passenger door! Thing is I can only squeeze down the side of the car about half way 🙂 but could fabricate a bendy stick to see if I can grab it! May end up lying on the roof to try. My neighbours are going to think I am even more crazy
I'm led to believe that it's possible to get a windscreen out intact from many cars (I've done it to a mini ... 30 years ago)
trolley jack under the engine and drag it away from the wall ?
(or 2-3 strongish blokes to bounce it)
If all else fails, put the windscreen in and pay the small excess on your insurance?
In that case I'd go with the trolley jacks as above.
Or ring your local auto glass centre and ask which is the cheapest window to replace
Civinfo might be able to help.
Or drag it.
Ha yeah trolley jack was a thought too.... Wondering if I can drag it forward. Handbrake is on but not on-on. Not me obviously but someone with a bigger car and tow rope. Only needs to move forward a couple meters
Tried on civic forums.... However as usual for anything non bike related this place is awesome 🙂 single track honda forum 13, other Internet forums 0.
Can you get to the handbrake cable under it and release/cut it to push the car forwards?
Jack it up, two cheap skateboards under rear wheels. Then drag it push.
trolley jack under the rear, brick the OSF wheel first to stop it rolling forward, or can you get on the roof or bonnet and reach down to the lock?
If you can get the key into the lock, twist and hold it in the unlock position and see whether the windows will auto roll down.
Handbrake is only on the rear wheels. So unless you've left it in gear or its an auto box you should be able to jack up the rear and pull it along. Saying that does the CRV have full time 4WD?
I once saw 3 blokes pick up the back and of a Sierra that was blocking a gate and wheel it out of the way, and I've seen a Fiat 126 turned 90 degrees in its parking space too.
Get on the blower to your mates, just shuffle it away from the wall.
Either that or just smash a window and claim on your glass insurance. Done that.....!
As a family we once posted my younger brother through a window when we locked ourselves out of the house too. Child labour might do it!
Get creative!
All good ideas thanks chaps
It's a manual.... In neutral which is good.
Could probably get to handbrake adjuster and slacken off a bit... However don't fancy doing this under the car as on a slight hill (could chock front wheels I guess)
It's 2 wd most the time... Only switches to 4 when ecu detects slip or speed imbalance between wheels.
No power at all to open windows.
Will try fishing for bonnet release, door handle and employ the services of my 6 year old.
If all else fails I reckon dragging forward may be the next option or trolley jack!
Thanks again for taking the time to help all
we also use some wedges at work, 2 of, wooden, 6 inches long with a very gradual rise and insert them at the top-rear of the window frame to try and move it away from the frame enough to get some welding wire in far enough to pull the bonnet catch. Not ideal as there's a risk of scratching and the paint.
Have you asked over on Pistonheads?
Have you tried rocking the car whilst pressing the door open button on the fob?
If the neutral cable is within a few mm of th battery it might just touch it for a second, and hey presto - doors open
Otherwise its open the door a few inches and a coat hanger to pull the passenger door handle .Or very gently wedge the passenger door open from the top and pull the handle with a looped wire
I take it you have the key and fob, its just so close to the wall even with the key you cant open the door so its B and E
Smash the rear quarter light window. Pay windscreen claim excess. Shouldn't affect your Ncd.
carthieftrackworld.
You might have a good window to break. Like, on my mondeo, the small window in the rear doors is very cheap to buy and fits in about 5 minutes with 2 torq bolts. Couldn't be simpler, no seals or glazing tools or special skills required. I feel like this might be useful knowledge again in the future... You may have an equivalent.
The RAC once broke into my car for me. I'd left my key fob on the driver seat and my dog had jumped on it.
RAC chap didn't damage vehicle - are you covered?
Why not just bounce it out from the wall?
Someone broke into an old Golf I had by cutting the rubber surround with a stanley knife and then lifting window out.
Bonnet releases usually designed with a certain amount of anti-theft
As above bounce it away from the wall
I'd be phoning some mates to bounce the car or drag it forward.
If you are in the aa or rac they will have inflatable bags to open the door frames up and gain access
Beware of northwinds advice, because on a Rover 200 that is the most expensive window to replace.
Can you get a few trolley jacks, jack it up and move it away from the wall?
Put a blanket and a sheet of board on the roof, climb on and reach down...
Coat hanger through the grill and manually trigger the catch for the bonnet ? Or does that only work because my cars are ancient 🙂
Are you totally sure there isn't a bit if trim on the door handle you can pop tonreveal a hidden lock barrel on the passenger side?
Above ideas re moving the car seem good if you can.
One option if you're confident to figure stuff out is to use jump leads to another car or battery,and working from the underside (prob have to remove plastic undertray) feed power in via suitable points.attach the positve to somewhere like the alternator +ve (do some research on this first I'm making this up whilst sitting in a kiddie soft play.....) and the negative to a suitable chassis ground. Connect to the battery / other car LAST - you don't want to be under the car if you accidentally engage the starter motor for example!
Or very gently wedge the passenger door open from the top and pull the handle with a looped wire
I watched and RAC guy do this to a friend's brand new Sharan when the key was left in the car and it self locked.
Quite scary how easy it was to do and how much of a gap could be made without breaking anything.
also done this a few times at work. made me think of trying to cobble together something a bit easier to use than a coathanger.
such a tool may well exist already, if anyone knows of something please feel free to linky 🙂
ta
You know that thin semi-rigid nylon tape on some cardboard boxes? Get some of that.
Put your knee just below the passenger door window, put your fingers (both hands) at the top of the door, pull outwards to expand the gap, ask a.n.other person to push the tape (which is folded in half, so person holds both ends, loop goes inside the car) into the car. Wiggle and jiggle it to grab the door catch.
If that isn't possible or doesn't work, pull the door away from the car far enough to get your arm in.
Once open, bend it back, touch up the paint.
zanelad - Member
Or very gently wedge the passenger door open from the top and pull the handle with a looped wire
I watched and RAC guy do this to a friend's brand new Sharan when the key was left in the car and it self locked.Quite scary how easy it was to do and how much of a gap could be made without breaking anything.
Got a little Snap-On airbag for this and a master lock out kit 🙂 Fat use to the OP though, sorry!
OP whilst I am sympathetic with your plight what I'd really like to see is a video of the break in / manhandling of the car with a suitably dramatic sound track 🙂
Saccades - MemberBeware of northwinds advice, because on a Rover 200 that is the most expensive window to replace.
I didn't say break that window, I said find out if one of them is cheaper/easier to replace.
Wrong thread. Ignore this.
Just the handbrake? Just drag drag it with any old car...you don't need a 4x4. The only issue is if you need to screw in the tow point, which will be with the spare wheels stuff.
I've had the AA break into a Transit a couple of times, very easy to wedge out the door. Might be more difficult if its deadlocked, as they can't pull the interior door handle.
Another option, if its got towing electrics for a caravan, the S socket has a permanent live, so if you carefully work out the correct pin, you can connect 12v and the negative pin and it may liven up the car enough to operate the locking. (my old campervan had the S socket connected to the leisure system, and I used to trickle charge it via that socket)
Right hello all again thanks for the great advice...
So to close the loop on this... Fabricated a bent stick out of two pieces of steel joint with duct tape. The end of a metal coat hanger doubled up and with some plier work made a tool to fit over and catch door handle.
Attached a shaving mirror to the straight part I was looking down bent at 45 degrees (think periscope)
Could not go straight in due to wall but with about 10 mins of fishing, passenger door was open. Phew.
Once in, bonnet open, terminal shoved back on (yes it had slipped out) and off for Sunday lunch.
Happy ending
Congratulations! Glad you managed to get the door open,we all love a happy ending 😀
2016 might not be so shit after all - well done.
Hang on. The OP's name is Don Corleoni, and you all just uncritically gave him advice on breaking into a car? 😯
Haaaa 🙂
On my way to Europe in a transporter as we speak with all my spoils. Thanks all.
I have had better happy endings I must admit 🙂
Thing is though.... I put the same ish post on 3 Honda crv specific forums (one in USA and 2 here in UK). I got one reply basically saying to unlock the door manually (obviously did not read the op like you lot). The fountain of all knowledge is here.
You cant get me a Range Rover can you?
Excellent work, that man! Always good to see Heath Robinson bodging get the job done!

