The Sierra de la Ofra holds the best-kept pine wood in the municipality of Aspe, and on the old road towards Hondón there is a picnic area among the trees. It is the kind of place where you park, take the cool box out of the boot, shut the boot with the keys still in it, and only notice an hour later.
Here is what to do.
Check every door, then stop
Walk round the car and try every door, the boot and the tailgate. Some cars lock the boot separately, and a rear door is sometimes left unlocked when the others are not. If nothing opens, stop there.
Three things that make it worse
- Do not try a coat hanger or a wedge. Modern car doors have airbags, sensors and cables in them. Bending the frame or scratching the seal costs more than an opening.
- Do not break a window unless someone, a child or an animal, is in danger inside. In heat, that is a real risk: if anyone is trapped in a hot car, ring 112 first.
- Do not walk off to look for help without telling anyone where you are. Signal can be patchy in the hills; find a spot with coverage and stay there.
Is there a second key at home?
If the other key is at home and someone can bring it, that may well be quickest. If not, ring a locksmith who opens cars, and say:
- the make and model;
- where the keys are (seat, ignition, boot);
- exactly where you are, ideally with a WhatsApp location pin.
The car is opened so that you can take your own key out. That is all a locksmith can do here: this business does not make, cut or program car keys, so if the key is lost rather than locked in, call your dealer or a car key specialist instead.
Afterwards
Out in the country, the same thing happens with house keys left on a car seat outside a finca. The guide on locks for the caseta of a finca covers the outbuildings people often forget, and on hot days a wooden door may not want to close at all: see doors that will not latch in summer.