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Accessing locked car with disconnected battery

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dsantos747

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Accord Tourer 2007
Hi all,
First time posting, and I'm very embarrassed to be kicking it off with such a stupid mistake I made. As the shortest bit of backstory, I had to leave my brake pedal depressed overnight, so thought it would be a good idea to disconnect the battery so the lights wouldn't be on all night. So, what did I do? Open the car, pull the hood release cable, close and lock the car, open the hood and disconnect the battery, then close the hood...

I am now unable to get in to the car, as even the manual key entry does not seem to work if the battery is disconnected. So, does anyone have any tips on how to get out of this pickle? Does the coat hanger window trick actually work? Is there any way to get power to the lock circuit without having access to the engine bay to connect the battery? How many times should I punch myself in the face for being such an idiot?

Thanks, Danny
Accord Tourer 2007 2.2 i-cdti
 
I don't have a 7th gen or any real world experience but I know when a friend did similar on a different model car the way he did it was to smash out the front plastic grille between the headlights which gave access to the underside of the bonnet latch. Some fiddling around with screwdriver got bonnet open so he could access the battery. I'm guessing a second hand replacement wouldn't be too costly but hopefully someone with a 7th gen can advise if this would work in this case?
 
Try this maybe

AMLGG Car Tool Kit, 21PCS Professional Car Emergency Kit with Long Reach Grabber, Non-marring Air Wedge Pump, Trim Removal Tools for Car Truck https://amzn.eu/d/55lHPZy
 
I trust like mine that has had the local scrotes damage the drivers door lock your key won't open manually.


The better entry kits come with an inflateable cushion to allow some gap in the top of the door for lifting the button, but if you have deadlocked it won't work.

Whilst I've not tried, you might be lucky with a bent coat hanger under the front grill.
 
The key should still work with battery disconnected since it's purely mechanical. You did try both clockwise and anticlockwise?!

Checking the parts diagram there doesn't look to be a rod or cable that might get disconnected. Otherwise, since we've a popup lock button you could try the string method.
 
start booster or jumper cables to gnd and starter/alternator positive terminals will do the trick
 
The starter would be easier than probing the alternator connections futher up the engine bay.

But you may as well use the coat hanger to tap directly onto the battery terminal if you have got that far.
 
People commenting on there that "manually unlocking the door with the key should work" do not know anything about this car. The lock actuator is electric = battery dies you're out of lock if the bonnet is closed shut. When I had a battery drain issue the battery died twice and the bonnet was closed so I had to brake in.

Best advice is, keep your battery up to par and when in doubt, keep a battery booster in the engine bay and always leave your bonnet ajar.
 
NoSoupForYou said:
People commenting on there that "manually unlocking the door with the key should work" do not know anything about this car. The lock actuator is electric = battery dies you're out of lock if the bonnet is closed shut. When I had a battery drain issue the battery died twice and the bonnet was closed so I had to brake in.
Click to expand...

Sorry but that's just utter rubbish from my experience.

I had a dying battery for few years and between either low voltage or the battery being removed to charge, I manually locked and unlocked the car with the bonnet closed without any issues whatsoever.
 
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies, and sorry I forgot to provide an update. While the key wasn't able to unlock the car on the night I was working on it (temperatures around ~0deg), nor the next day at 7am (similarly cold), it did end up working around 10am. I figure the mechanism wasn't giving in those levels of cold, especially without electric ***istance. Once it was warmed up again it opened just fine, and I was able to immediately pop the bonnet and re-connect the battery.
Hopefully this helps someone in the future (although I also hope nobody else has to go through this loop of silliness!).

Cheers all,
Danny
 
Thanks for the update always good to have a resolution/solution to a problem so hopefully will help someone else
 
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dsantos747 said:
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies, and sorry I forgot to provide an update. While the key wasn't able to unlock the car on the night I was working on it (temperatures around ~0deg), nor the next day at 7am (similarly cold), it did end up working around 10am. I figure the mechanism wasn't giving in those levels of cold, especially without electric ***istance. Once it was warmed up again it opened just fine, and I was able to immediately pop the bonnet and re-connect the battery.
Hopefully this helps someone in the future (although I also hope nobody else has to go through this loop of silliness!).

Cheers all,
Danny
Click to expand...

Just urinate on the door next time.
 
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