Locked Out at North Hills or Southpoint: How We Get You Back In

If you need a car lockout in Raleigh, NC or Durham, call (919) 230-4498 and we will send a driver to open it without breaking a window or bending the door. Williams Towing Fleet runs car lockout service 24 hours a day, and big shopping-center lots and decks like North Hills and Southpoint are some of the most common places we get the call.

Why Lockouts Happen So Often at North Hills and Southpoint

Lockouts follow a pattern. They happen where people are distracted, carrying things, and getting in and out of the car more than once. That describes a shopping trip exactly.

At North Hills, off Six Forks Road at the I-440 Beltline, drivers load bags, set the keys on the seat or in the cargo area, and shut the door. At Southpoint, off Fayetteville Road next to I-40 in Durham, it is the same story in a bigger lot.

The usual causes:

• Keys set down in the trunk or cargo area while loading, then the lid gets closed.
• Keys left on the seat or in the cupholder and the doors lock on their own.
• A key fob with a dying battery that stops unlocking the car.
• A dead car battery, so the power locks and the fob do nothing at all.
• A key that is lost somewhere inside the mall, not inside the car.

We are based in Morrisville, between Raleigh and Durham, so both cities are home turf. In Raleigh that means North Hills, Crabtree Valley, Brier Creek, downtown decks, the NC State area, PNC Arena and the fairgrounds. In Durham it means Southpoint, the Duke campus and medical center, downtown and the American Tobacco district. We also cover office lots across RTP and the decks and lots at RDU Airport.

Businesses call us for the same thing. If you manage company vehicles, our fleet and commercial service covers lockouts along with towing, with invoicing for repeat work.

What to Check Before You Call

If a child, a pet, or anyone who cannot get themselves out is locked in the vehicle, call 911 first. Do not wait on a service truck. Heat builds inside a closed car fast, even on a mild Triangle day, and emergency crews will get there and get in by whatever means it takes.

Call us after that if you still need the car opened or moved.

If nobody is inside, a minute of checking can save you the service call entirely.

• Try every door and the rear hatch. One is unlocked more often than you would think.
• Look at your key fob. Many fobs have a small mechanical key hidden inside, released by a button or slide. Many cars also hide a key cylinder under a cap on the driver’s door handle. Your owner’s manual, or a quick search for your model, shows where.
• Check your phone. If your vehicle has a manufacturer app with remote unlock and you set it up, this is the moment it pays off.
• If you think the keys were lost inside the shopping center rather than locked in the car, check with the center’s security or guest services desk before assuming they are gone.

If none of that works, call.

What to Do When You Are Locked Out: Step by Step

1. Get yourself somewhere safe and comfortable. In a lot or deck, that means out of the drive lane.
2. Call (919) 230-4498. Tell us you are locked out and whether the engine is running.
3. Give us the exact spot. Name the center, then the nearest store entrance or the deck name and level, plus the row if it is marked. “Southpoint, surface lot outside the food court entrance” beats “I’m at the mall.”
4. Tell us the year, make and model, and where the keys are: on the seat, in the ignition, in the trunk, or missing.
5. Have your photo ID ready. Our driver will confirm the car is yours before opening it. Registration or an insurance card in the glovebox works once the door is open.
6. Once the door is open, start the car and check that your key and fob work before the driver leaves.

How Our Driver Actually Opens the Car

The driver starts by looking at the car: which door gives the best access, where the lock button or handle sits, and whether the vehicle has frameless glass or anything else that calls for extra care.

Then a small inflatable wedge goes into the top corner of the door frame. Pumped up slowly, it opens a gap of a fraction of an inch. A protective sleeve keeps tools off the paint and the weatherstrip. Through that gap goes a long-reach tool, which presses the unlock button, pulls the inside handle, or lifts the keys out, depending on the car.

The wedge comes out, the door seals back the way it was, and you are in. On most cars, SUVs, pickups and cargo vans the hands-on part is quick.

What we do not do: drill locks, pry doors, or break glass. We also do not cut or program replacement keys. If the key is gone for good, that is a locksmith or dealer job, and we can get the car to them.

When a Lockout Turns Into Something Else

Some calls start as a lockout and end as a different service.

• Dead battery. If the fob does nothing and the car is dark, the battery may be the real problem. Once the door is open we can do a jump start. We covered how to tell a jump from a failing battery in our post on a dead battery in an RTP parking lot.
• Keys locked in the trunk. On many cars, opening the door gives access to an inside trunk release. On some, the release is disabled while the car is locked. Tell us up front that the keys are in the trunk.
• Key lost or broken. We can open the car so you can get your things, but it will not drive without a key. A flatbed tow to your home, your dealer or a locksmith is the usual next step.
• A vehicle that cannot be opened safely from outside. A few models have deadlocking systems that ignore the inside handle and buttons when locked. If that is your car, we will tell you honestly and talk through the options rather than force it.

A few do-it-yourself moves make any of these worse:

• The coat hanger. Modern doors have side airbags, wiring and shielded lock rods inside them. A hanger mostly scratches glass and tears weatherstripping.
• Prying the door by hand. Bending the top of the door frame even a little can leave you with wind noise and a water leak for as long as you own the car.
• Breaking a window. Unless it is an emergency with someone inside, a window costs far more than a lockout call.
• Vague locations. North Hills has several decks and Southpoint has parking on every side. The deck name, level and nearest entrance are what get a driver to you on the first pass.

What Affects the Cost of a Lockout Call

We do not post flat prices, because the job is not the same every time. These are the things that move it:

• Where you are. A lot in Raleigh, Durham or RTP is a shorter drive for us than a spot well outside the Triangle.
• Time of day. We answer around the clock, and overnight and holiday calls can be priced differently than a weekday afternoon.
• The vehicle. A standard sedan door is simpler than a vehicle with frameless glass or a high-security locking system.
• What else is needed. A lockout that also needs a jump start, or ends in a tow, is more than a lockout alone.

Ask for the price when you call. If you have a roadside plan through your insurance or your vehicle’s warranty, check whether lockouts are covered and how reimbursement works. For how tow pricing breaks down, see our post on what drives the price of a tow.

Car Lockout FAQ

Will opening my car damage the door or the lock?

Done correctly, no. The wedge and long-reach method does not touch the lock cylinder at all, and the door frame is flexed only slightly and briefly.

Do I need to prove the car is mine?

Yes. Expect to show a photo ID, and to match it to the registration or insurance card once the door is open.

Can you get into a parking deck?

Yes. Tell us which deck and level when you call. A lockout does not need a large truck positioned at the car the way a tow does, so decks are routine. If the car ends up needing a tow, deck height and layout matter, and the driver will plan for that.

My keys are lost, not locked inside. Can you still help?

We can open the car and we can tow it, but we do not make keys. If you need the car moved to a dealer or locksmith, or home to where the spare is, we will load it on a flatbed and take it there, including longer trips if home is not close.

Locked out in Raleigh, Durham or RTP right now? Call Williams Towing Fleet any hour at (919) 230-4498.