I lost the keys for my 1985 Jaguar XJ6.
I have a spare ignition key that was stupidly left inside the car
Is there any way to open the door? My locksmith said that he has to order a tool to read the codes of the door lock in order to make me a key.
He wants $250.00 to do the job when he gets his special tool. 2-3 weeks.
Has anyone been able to open the locked door from the outside?
Give me some ideas please.
Thanks.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem, Sanchez. I have no solution but for others I have a suggestion. When ever I buy a car I go to the lock shop and have two more sets of keys made. Both sets are clearly labeled and one set goes in the safe deposite box and the other where I keep my important papers in the house. Then if anything happens to me someone will find the keys.

 

The lock mechanism behind the external key-hole is all mechanical, watch "GONE in 60 SECONDS" a couple of times and make/buy a "slim jim". Can't hurt.

Dave

 

I did that once, learned better too.
Now, (well after the fact) I have a full set of keys stashed where no one but me can find them: IN THE TRUNK WHICH I CAN'T LOCK UNLESS I HAVE THE KEYS IN MY HAND!!
(';')

 

When I lost my Keys I went to the dealership with my Registration, they gave me a Key code, I went to a locksmith and they made me new keys. this was for my 86.

 

thanks. I will try the dealer

 

Aye, I have an emergency set of keys to the two cars and the house and garage. in a safe place. there is an issue, but, I have a plan to deal with it.

decades ago, when cars had glass wind wings, they were busted to gain entry and retieve keys in the ca.r Most insurors blikned and paid for the fix.

Teh auto comprehenasive policy covers the cost of a lock out on a car. or is it the road service. possibly both!!!

I busted the back window in my 85 Fq50. Tried to slip the slider. Keys locked insie on a very hot day in NoprCall.

Lost a kwey in jag aout garage sailing. Hot day, so window was down a bit used a wire to fish out the key!!! wow was i lucky.

There is a tool that by air pressure deforms a door jsut enough to spriong the latch Two truck guys have them. or at least soe. road servioce.

And the jag might be susceptible to the old slim jim. or the genric coat hanger with a hook bent on the endl
Some time ago, i saw a lock smith in action. got the boot ope soa s to enter the car. might have been an SUV...

Ugh


Carl

 

Hi,
hopefully the dealer can help, or maybe ask a different locksmith ( maybe AAA ? ) if they can try a "slim jim" or have a way to "pick" the lock. The way the doors & window tracks are made, I don't think any of the coat hanger or pry the door slightly tricks will work without causing serious damage. The LAST resort option I thought of would be to use small screwdrivers and a dremel tool to destroy / remove the guts of the pax door lock to allow grabbing the locking lever with needle nose pliers etc. You would have to remove the door cards etc to replace the lock so it would be alot more trouble.

Hope it works out for you !
If you need to get keys made for new lock cylinders etc, I have a local smith who has made keys to fit my junkyard finds / spare ignition switches & door cylinders.

Cheers,
Brian

 

Sanchez
On an XJS, you can unscrew the wing mirrors and then get long nosed pliers in the hole to pull the rod between the lock and the inside door handle that activates the lock. No idea if the system is the same on your saloon.

 

Back to Square 1. Went to the Jaguar dealer which was 57 miles away and was rudely told "WE DONT DEAL WITH CARS THAT OLD" without even trying to help. I was in and out in less than a minute.
I was going to contact EverydayXJ for a lock and key but that will not help me much as the door key is the same one that unlocks my fuel doors.
I will take a look at removing the door mirror as recommended by Greg and see what happens. I believe I have some extra chrome fuel doors if that works.

 

Hi,
That's pretty crappy with the dealership, I would have went to the sales manager on the way out and told him how you were treated poorly, so now you are going to go buy a new Benz instead of the new Jag you had planned !
Did the lost door key still work for the glove box, trunk & fuel caps ? If you can get the car opened somehow, you can remove the glove box lock or a door lock and have a locksmith cut a new key to match it ( which should then work in the trunk, doors and fuel caps ). If you can't find a smith in your area, mail it to me and I can get my local guy to do it it. I'll try to go look a parts car door tomorrow after work to see if there's away to "slim jim" the locks or access the rods from the mirror hole ( I don't think that will work on a Sedan but might be wrong ).

Hang in there !
Brian

 

The guys who opened mine didn't trip the latch, they tripped the lock using a standard slim jim.

They worked on the front passenger door, near the back of the door where the lock engages the latch. They concentrated on pushing the lock rod Back, which is what moving the paddle forward does.

Obviously they were working in unfamiliar territory, blind and by feel, but they did have a book with line drawings where stuff was in the door so they could guess about where the lock rod should be.

When he hit finally pay dirt there was an Obvious CLUNK, just like the sound of unlocking the front door.
(';')

 

Sorry, we've all been there. If you try removing one of the wing mirrors, I'd recommend trying to get some kroil or pb blaster down the threads of each screw first if possible. They screw into sort of captive nuts on the inside of the door panel. The screws tend to rust and bind with the nut and then the nut breaks loose from the door panel when trying to remove the screws. At that point the screws will just turn with no way to get them out unless you have the door open and the inner door panel off. I removed one of mine recently and I would say the design of the door is probably similar to the XJS and the hole would be large enough to try and poke around with long pliers as Greg suggested or if not maybe a coat hanger to see if you could trip the mechanism.

In any scenario it sounds like you will need a new door key made since the key inside the car is only for the ignition. I'd consider calling additional locksmiths or other Jaguar dealers to see about other options. I'd lean towards having a new key made if it's possible, even if it takes a while and is pricey, versus replacing the locks in the door and both fuel caps.

 

Hi Sanchez,
I just figured out how to use a slim jim to unlock the door !
The mirror trick might work but you could have the problem Noah mentioned above ( had it happen to me on 2 parts cars ) plus the rod is on the inside of the plastic liner ( have to cut it ) and slightly blocked by the window.

I'm uploading pics and the directions in my next post !

Cheers,
Brian

Once open, I can get my locksmith to make a key to fit a removed door lock or maybe a glove box lock ( haven't had him try using one of those yet ) if you can't find anyone near you. He only charged about $10 too !

 

How to get inside a locked Series 3 XJ6 using a slim jim tool instead of the brick from "Gone in Sixty Seconds" !
Tool shown is Dorman # 75491 "Unlocking Tool" available at most parts stores for aprox $20.

First pictures show the inside of the mirror area where you MIGHT be able to grab the door lock flapper rod. Problems could be removing the mirror screws without breaking the lock-nuts loose, then having to cut the plastic liner and get past / under the bottom of the window glass. Major note -- this rod goes forward to lock, to the rear to unlock ! Shown later == The rod to the electric unit is opposite, it goes to the rear to lock, and forward to unlock.




Mark the tool at 10" from the "V" end, this will give you the correct starting depth, you might also want to use masking tape on the window or tool to prevent scratching the glass. Not an issue with the parts car !



Mark tool at 10" to get correct depth

Notice slight bow

Insert the tool with the bend facing out just forward of the door handle to the 10" depth mark then slowly slide to the rear until the tool hits the window hardware / track bits as shown in the picture.
Now pivot the tool around that point, the top going forward while the bottom goes to the rear inside the door until it hits the rear wall.
Now slowly push down letting the tool ride down the rear wall until it contacts the rod & lever going from the lock to the door latch guts.
When it makes contact and stops, shove gently down until you hear a click and the door handle opens the door.



Overall pic of interior of door











Hopefully it works the first time but might take several attempts to get the end of the tool in the right position.
I cheated, I could see what it was doing ! I included pictures showing the slight curve I placed on the tool to get it in the sweet spot. The angled / bent end is factory.

Like I mentioned earlier, I've had a local locksmith make keys to fit spare door locks and he only charged around $10. He might also be able to do it from a glove box lock as well since it is easier to remove ( he did several ignition switches too, so I know those can be done as well ! )

Hope this helps !
Cheers !
Brian

 

This is Brilliant, Brian, just Brilliant!
Thank you so much!
(';')

 

Kudzu, that is the clearest, best documented tutorial I've ever seen.

 

I have asked Graham to add Brian's post to the 'How-To' / DIY Repair section.
It's there now under Locks, line 11.
(';')

 

Thanks for the compliments everyone, just trying to help.
Speaking of which, have you seen the post / been able to unlock your car yet Sanchez ?

Cheers everyone !
Brian

 

@Kudzu: Thank you so much for the very detailed instructions. I showed it to the locksmith and within a minute he was able to open the door. He said that he would not charge me for opening the door but I now have to remove the door lock for him to take to his shop to make the key.
We still got no codes from the Jaguar dealership so he will pick up the lock tomorrow to make a pair of keys for me.
Thank you all for helping in this effort.