How to Use Slim Jims

Using a slim jim can damage your vehicle if you aren't careful, but it might be the only way to unlock your car door if you're alone and don't know how to pick the locking system. The slim jim is a long, flat bar with a hook on one end that allows you to unlock your vehicle's door from the outside by hooking onto its locking mechanism. Here's how to use one.

Things You'll Need

• Slim jim

Instructions

1. Always use the slim jim on the passenger side because there will be fewer electrical components inside the door. Slide the slim jim behind the weatherstripping so the hook end sits between the weatherstripping and the window glass. Make sure you are sliding the slim jim down behind the weatherstripping as close to the door handle as possible. If your vehicle was made after 1992, you might need to negotiate around various electrical components like electric mirrors and door lock mechanisms. This might leave you a quarter inch of total space to work around.

2. Carefully slide the slim jim back and forth along the inside of the door. Feel for the locking mechanism called a "lock rod." Grab the end of the lock rod closest to the door handle.

3. Pull up on the slim jim. When you hear a "click," the lock has been flipped and your door is unlocked.

References

• Using Slim Jims