I came across this link today...it's interesting.
http://algebraoflife.blogspot.com/20...nnis-ball.html

 

Can't see the video.

 

Let me sum up the video in a few short sentences. That way you don't have to listen to the annoying music. Take a tennis ball, drill a small hole in it in one side. Now take that tennis ball and hold the hole in the ball up against your lock. Push hard. Theoretically the air pressure from the tennis ball will unlock the door.

I don't see how this would work. I'll have to go try it. It should be pointed out that the girl in the video is a blonde. She has electric locks. The remote is ON the key. She has locked herself out and has the remote in her hand. She is smart enough to conveniently have a tennis ball with a hole in it in her purse for just such an occassion yet she isn't smart enough to just insert the key in the lock to open the door. Enough said.

 

This tennis ball stuff or smashing doors is pretty ridiculous. The guy who arrives in a tow truck will unlock your car in 15-30 seconds.

The lock mechanism is not affected by a puff of air, tennis ball won't form an air seal around the keyhole anyway, cannot be compressed quick enough with human hands, and doesn't generate enough air pressure even if it could. Why not wrap your lips around the door handle and blow hard?

 

The Mazda 3 has had some very real problems with their locks. They are retrofitting some older cars to take care of this issue and the new ones don't have it. On some 3's, you can hit the door hard enough near the lock to get it to just pop open. I don't know exactly where to hit or how hard but it is hard enough to leave a dent.

 

From what I understand this is a problem with both the Mazda 6 and the 8 as well.

 

some one on here was claiming they had it done to thier rx-8 too though

 

Theoretically, you might be able to pick the lock using air pressure, but you would have to use more than just a tennis ball. A tension wrench would have to be in place to turn the lock as the pins moved. Also, the area above the pins would have to be vented to allow the small amount of pressure to lift the pins. Most locks are not vented this way. A solid cap is placed over the springs that hold pressure on the pins. Maybe it would leak enough air past the cap. Maybe not.

Will it work on the RX-8? I may have to find a tennis ball and test it. It may end up working better than a pick or pick gun. Probably not though.

 

Okay then that video was a crock of um, nevermind.

 

JA sure you betcha

 

If you can't turn the lock then who cares if the compressed air pushes the lock tumblers up? Just inserting a key into the cylinder doesn't unlock the door latch......it's the turning of the key in the cylinder that causes the door latch to unlock.

Myth busted!!

 

If the tennis ball thing actually worked, it would have nothing to do with the lock tumblers or cylinders. It would involve the puff of air pushing the latching mechanism up, the way a slim jim works.

Maybe on that particular car there are boots around the lock mechanism that catch enough air and move the latch. Or maybe there is another blond off camera pushing the remote at the same time as the ball is crushed.

Ken

 

PLEASE DON'T try this when the temperature is below freezing.
Would give a new meaning to the words "Lip Lock"

 

Worked on a random 91 accord in my apartment parking lot.....also worked on my gf's sebring 05

 

Your lips, or a tennis ball?

 

There's a dent around her lock. Methinks she just pushes the panel hard enough to agitate the locking mechanism upward - I don't think it has anything to do with the actual lock. The ball doesn't look like it gives at all, anyway.

 

Definitely did not work on my mom's mazda6, my mom's neon, and my dad's ranger. Didn't do it on the 8 because I figured that would have been my fourth failure.

I totally agree that this myth is BUSTED.

 

Or rather, I want to see this in person.

 

Off topic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Try a the car wash, spray water into the coin hole, find the right angle and add minutes.
This worked for me, but now I just goto a auto car wash.

 

dtorre is probably not lying.. i doubt the validity of doing this with even remotely newer cars, but i have seen it done multiple times by a friend of mine on an early 80 something subaru, as we used to steal his keys a lot.

 

this cracks me up ... whether it works or not, who the hell is going to carry a tennis ball around?

if i ever did AND i locked my keys in my car, i'd probably be looking through the window at my keys lying next to the tennis ball. and both would be smirking ... i know they would!

 

A hardcore tennis player might carry one with in their pocket.