Hi, i have my key in the ignition was topping up levels under bonnet and about to put battery back in after charging when wind caught door and all locks went down stupidly I closed bonnet and rushed to door but now I've a car I can't get into and can't open bonnet either to put battery back its a fabia 2002 1.4 anyhelp would be great thanks, or do I have to go down the smash a window route? 

Don't beat yourself up, we've all done that one, and if we haven't, we will one day! I've done it twice.

 

Assuming there's no spare key, breakdown cover or key cover on any of your policies?

 

A brick is the fastest way (actually, use a hammer and cover the window in tape first, makes the cleanup a bit easier. 

 

If you've got a supply of second hand glass, the little window in the back door is easiest to replace, but the most expensive to buy new. 

 

If you don't fancy that, the easiest approach is to wedge a door out a tiny bit and use some stiff fence wire with a loop on the end to wind a window down. 

Edited 14 December, 20196 yr by StevesTruck

Try jiggling a variety of keys in the door lock first.  One of my Passat keys opened my Wife's Mk3 Golf door like it was made for it.

 

Stiff fencing wire, or the hard plastic parcel wrap (like what's wrapped around a box of paper reams) works well - fold it over, bite the folded end, then slide that between the door seal and B pillar and with a bit of wiggling around you can usually get to a window winder, or better, the inner door handle.

 

As Steve says, we've all done it.  Best o'luck.

 

Gaz

Or ask a local car thief for help. You shouldn't have to look too far.

 

Thanks for your replies and comments guys managed to wedge the door open a bit and hook the door handle button popped up but door still won't open the same passenger side probably due to battery being disconnected guess break a window is only option. 

@kev17 - That sounds like a "deadlock" system doing exactly what it's meant to. Still, the other same size key trick has worked for me several times.

Yeah, internal door handle won't work. If it's been locked using the central locking, then the interior door handles won't function. You might have some luck with the boot or door lock release buttons on the drivers door if the keys are still in. I can't think if they need to be turned or not for these to work. If fitted (dad's Comfort has one, my VRS doesn't), I think the release handle down the side of the seat works regardless. 

Ask on social Media if there's a car thief local to you, slip him a tenner to break in.

 

 

Edited 14 December, 20196 yr by Auric Goldfinger

Maybe I've got this wrong, but it sounds like the OP has removed the battery while the only key was in the ignition, in doing this has sparked a battery lead on its post and this has caused the car to dead lock, the OP then completed removing the battery for charging and in the meantime closed the bonnet - as you would normally do. 

 

Key left in the ignition was the bad move as with that key the driver's door would have been able to be unlocked with no battery fitted, unless maybe not if it has been deadlocked?

 

Now even if the OP gets the bonnet open and the battery fitted, there will still be the issue of only having one key and that is inside a dead locked car, so breaking the driver's side door window seems to be the best/only option as that will give the OP the ability to retrieve the key from the ignition and get the bonnet open?

 

Next task, get a used driver's door window glass and order up a spare key!

 

Even I made sure that I opened the driver's door window when I was swopping the wheels on my daughter's Leon Cupra with DSG as I needed to leave the park in Neutral and so the ignition key can not be removed - well not as far as I know - and I'd think that her spare key would be in her flat 6 miles away - not a disaster, just an inconvenience for me!

As far as I'm aware - deadlocked won't open by turning a key in the door, only a remote key. 

 

The boot might open with the key but if you haven't used the key in there (who ever does?), the barrel is probably seized up and full of crap. 

1 hour ago, StevesTruck said:

As far as I'm aware - deadlocked won't open by turning a key in the door, only a remote key. 

 

The boot might open with the key but if you haven't used the key in there (who ever does?), the barrel is probably seized up and full of crap. 

 

Yes, on thinking more about this, locking a car when the battery has been removed will probably not activate any of the deadlocks - on using the boot lock to get in - the OP has not got an extra key, so getting into the car to get the key and open the bonnet must be the first move, after that the key should be able to unlock all the doors with deadlocks. So breaking the driver's door glass seems to be the easy way to start off and so reach in and grab the ignition key and also pull the bonnet release.

Thankyou everyone for your time and comments tomorrow I will break the window the only way now as most of you are saying. 

6 hours ago, kev17 said:

...when wind caught door and all locks went down

Sorry but I find hard to believe that, especially with no battery installed...🤨

In my experience, doors closed with no battery attached and then hook 12v back up generally leads to the locks cycling, I'm not sure what state VAGs default to as I've never locked myself out of a VAG this way. Done it twice with Fords though. 😒

 

If it were me, I'd be bagging/wedging the door and either hoping the unlock or boot release button on the doorcard wants to play. Failing that, the boot cable pull if the car has one, or winding a back window down. 

To the OP I would research if there is a non destructive way to get the bonnet open costing nothing or significantly less than replacing the door glass. I am hoping that reconnecting the battery will get you in but dont really understand how all the doors could be locked unless they were all locked, the battery went flat, you used the key to get in to open the bonnet etc but cant see how the drivers door could close and lock.

 

I was faced with the opposite sort of problem recently, my Yeti which is left in the UK for a few more weeks I wanted to disconnect the battery to save it discharging too far (have partially killed a new Bosch battery in the Octavia from leaving sidelights on). Removing battery caused the alarm to go off with its back up cell supply, only way to stop it was to have the ignition switched before removing battery on but then I could only lock the drivers door with the key. Finally had to have ignition on, drivers door and bonnet open, use the central lock button to lock the other doors then remove the battery.

 

I only have 1 key at present and I made dead sure that the door could not close while I was doing the testing.

4 hours ago, StevesTruck said:

The boot might open with the key but if you haven't used the key in there (who ever does?), the barrel is probably seized up and full of crap. 

 

But Fabia Mk1 boots don't have a key barrel.

Good point.... Was thinking of the amount of times I used to get picked out of my Ibiza with a flat battery!

Get the battery back in there.... Bonnet release can be tripped from underneath (but I haven't seen exactly how to).

 

Then figure a way of tripping the all doors unlocked button on the drivers side arm rest. Failing this, realise it's deadlocked and smash the driver's side window to recover the keys.

 

Question: Does you insurance cover you for recovery/replacement of keys?

 

J.

Just to let you all know a mate in the fire brigade wedged open the back door got a hook in with a loop on it and wound down the manual window crawled in and retrieved key, battery reconnected and all fine now 👍

Great news.

 

My work van does this all the time.

 

have to break into it constantly, i used welding wire to pull the handle.

 

that said it is french.

 

basically with the keys in the ignition (which generally you do with a work van on a site) it randomly for no reason locks now and again with no warning. 
 

so i try remember to leave the window down a little with it now 🤣

Recently had to jump start one if our connect vans with another connect van. 

Manually opened the drivers door with the keys, managed to wedge open the bonnet release even though its designed that tge passenger side door has to be open to do it, which we couldnt do as theres no lock barrel that side.

Got my jump leads in it and fired it up.

Lad whose van it was got out after starting it up, left it running obviously, ti close the bonnet. Door closed in, yup feckin wind.., and.. clunk. Doors locked, engine running, lease company hold the second keys..

Spent 45mins trying to wrangle a length of wire through the door frame to pop the door unlock button, but wire kept slipping off it.

Had to give up in the end and call the lease company breakdown number. The guy laughed said its happened dozens of times. Came out and airbag wedged the door enough to get a stiffer thin pole through and pop the button.

 

Weirdest part was... there were 3 identical vans there. We tried the other keys in the lock to see if by luck it would work. No joy, but... when i got into my van, to leave after the fiasco with the wire while my colleague got ready to wait 2hrs for the breakdown guy the ignition wouldnt start in mine! told me the battery was flat, dead as van 1 was... had to jump start my van off van 3, and then it was fine.. almost like trying the key in van 1 had knocked the immob function sideways for its use in van 2. But van 3 was fine through the same attempts.. 

To those familiar with the locking system ? Surely there's a crash sensor somewhere , in case of a smash and doors locking/deadlocking  WITH DRIVER INSIDE. ? Used to be the case years ago . I hada case of locked keys in one olde car and Breakdown energised car from below and tapped crash sensor. LO &  behold at least one door opened.

Inside the airbag control module I think (which is just beneath the heater matrix, on what would be the transmission tunnel in days of olde). Wonder how hard you have to hit the car to trigger it though?

Like your thinking, but he's already in.

 

 

On 19/12/2019 at 23:47, mac11irl said:

Recently had to jump start one if our connect vans with another connect van. 

Manually opened the drivers door with the keys, managed to wedge open the bonnet release even though its designed that tge passenger side door has to be open to do it, which we couldnt do as theres no lock barrel that side.

Got my jump leads in it and fired it up.

Lad whose van it was got out after starting it up, left it running obviously, ti close the bonnet. Door closed in, yup feckin wind.., and.. clunk. Doors locked, engine running, lease company hold the second keys..

Spent 45mins trying to wrangle a length of wire through the door frame to pop the door unlock button, but wire kept slipping off it.

Had to give up in the end and call the lease company breakdown number. The guy laughed said its happened dozens of times. Came out and airbag wedged the door enough to get a stiffer thin pole through and pop the button.

 

Weirdest part was... there were 3 identical vans there. We tried the other keys in the lock to see if by luck it would work. No joy, but... when i got into my van, to leave after the fiasco with the wire while my colleague got ready to wait 2hrs for the breakdown guy the ignition wouldnt start in mine! told me the battery was flat, dead as van 1 was... had to jump start my van off van 3, and then it was fine.. almost like trying the key in van 1 had knocked the immob function sideways for its use in van 2. But van 3 was fine through the same attempts.. 

MAC - were there any HIABs around. Common problem on a Friday with central locking on our transits using the remote. The output from the HIAB remote locked out the remote receiver in the van  .