So it was a chilly winter afternoon and i put my key in the door to unlock it and **SNAP**... it broke off in the key hole, luckily enough i did have spare. I have tried to pry it out with needle nose pliers and a paper clip with sadly no success. Does anybody know of a way I can get the key out of there myself without having to take it to a locksmith and spend $50 for a 3 second job? Thanks!

 

Tough one!! if you cant get it with a broken key extractor (wire) try a locksmith. I had this once and it is very hard to get out..I used a thin piece of wire with hook bent on end,I threaded it along side broke stub till end and rotated wire so hook caught the end of key and I pulled it out..have to use small screwdriver if broke off past vertical to get it straight up and down again.

 

make sure you spray in the locks with liquid graphite, your car is friggin 14 years old and that gunk will build up quick. i would spray down the antenna if i were you too with some de-icer lubricant as well. do all the locks. i swear by this stuff, becuase i couldnt get in my doors open and i broke a key, luckily not in it. now my locks open like new after spraying some liquid graphite. the powder graphite isnt much help with car door locks. fyi for anyone with old locks.

good luck getting that out. try a magnet and a wire type deally might work...

 

I didn't know it got that cold in Georgia...

If you have some spare time, but not much money, maybe you can take the lock apart and get the piece out. You might have to go at it from inside the door panel. Not sure, though as I have never done this before.

 

Thats the way if the good advices given above do not work out. (Trying them, flood, soak the lock liberally.) Then its easy to drill a angled hole with dremel in the end bit of the key, fit a needle in for extraction.

 

shave the locks!

 

The magnet deal was suggested before on a similar post here a couple months ago. Keys are brass, not steel. This will not work. Everyone who thinks their keys are steel--try to pick one up with a magnet.
Try using a dental pick to get the broken key out. You can usually buy one at a locksmith's --gee I wonder why?

 

I just had to do this on my 200sx. I ended up just taking the door apart and taking the lock off the door, it's much easier when it's off the car and you can push the key from the other side of the lock. It took me less than an hour to do the whole thing, maybe only 30 minutes. So hey, if you want to drive to Illinois then I'd gladly charge you $49.95 and do it for you, that is cheaper than a locksmith

 

I agree. Take door apart on the weekend. It shouldn't take long.

If I remember correctly, it took me 2h to take everything apart AND to rebuild power locks actuator. Just be carefull with plastic clips.

 

My bad, i didnt realize that.

brass monkeys.

 

Beastie BOOYYZZZ

 

that funky monkey!