AdamPotter

Hi there,

My RX8 has been sat in my driveway for a month or so without use. I've gone to open it today but it won't unlock. I tried changing the battery in the key but that hasn't made any difference. I suspect the car battery may have gone flat.

I would open the driver's door manually but it's parked parallel to a wall, about an inch away from it so I there isn't room to fit the key in. (I parked it and used the passenger door to get out)

I've phoned my local dealer and they can't think of any solutions.

Does anyone have any idea how I might be able to get under the bonnet to charge the battery? Or any other suggestions of how I can get into the car?!?

Thanks

Cliffjumper126

Get a floor jack under the rear and roll the car away from the wall.

If you have no other choice, you could open the trunk and kick the panel out in the middle of the back seat. Also see if the trunk light works, then you'll know if the battery is really "flat"

kevinande

Tow Truck.

Cliffjumper126

^^Or that.

I think kicking that panel out would be better than paying $40-$80 for a tow truck though

Karack

and now you know why it's not a great idea to obstruct the driver's door when it has the only keyhole to access the car.

get a floor jack and maneuver it away from the wall so you can get the driver door open.

my driver's door lock got jammed once and it took about 2 hours to get inside the car. it consisted of opening the trunk, breaking the access door lock, opening a vent window, unscrewing the vent window from the latch and using a 6 foot pole to unlock the adjacent interior door. a slim jim did nothing for me but this was one of those strange situations where it wouldn't have helped no matter what with the lock mechanism jammed up inside the door. my left shoulder will never be the same, if you have a small kid available they could probably fit through the access door but no normal size human will ever fit.

a tow truck likely won't help if you have that little of room to work with. you could drag the car but that's not a great idea either.


worst case and one you may not like is just breaking out the passenger side window. i was almost to that point once with the situation above.

i really just wish mazda would have put a key lock on BOTH doors.

kevinande

Well I'm not sure what happens when you "kick" out that panel. IE how much crap do you break in the process? If you can kick it out and do not do other damage, fine. Once you kick it out, then what? I am by no means a big boy, but I doubt very seriously if I could fit through there. Perhaps if you had a smart toddler you could send through, or you have a GF or family member built like Shelly Duvall? Or better yet you may wish to fashion some type of tool to get past the seat and unlock the door...its possible I guess. The Floor jack idea will probably earn you a spot on the Darwin Awards. It is my belief that while it could be done, can it be done safely? Again I say Tow truck. In the future perhaps he should not park so close to other structures?

CRO8TIA

Sure it can be done safely, while you pull on the jack handle, have a mate gently push the rear quarter at the same time, the front wheels will roll easily, I have done it a few times to make room in the garage during winter.You need only to have the wheels just off the ground.

Karack

one or both lock rods on the cover will likely break, but it should still pop in securely. mine worked fine after i put it back on but one side lock rod was a little mangled. it's not like anyone can really break in through that panel so i wasn't worried about it possibly not locking securely again. if someone has a few hours to burn to break in that way... more power to 'em, they must also first break into the trunk.

i'm 5'11" 180lbs, about average and there was no way i could fit through without dislocating one shoulder first. i could fit one arm through and that was about it, to pop open a vent window. the seats block direct access to the locks so you probably aren't going to be opening it through the access hatch to the trunk.

a floor jack works fine, you're not going to be pushing the car sideways from underneath.. if you jack it from a secure spot on the jack you can easily pull a car sideways by yourself.

AdamPotter

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I got a phone call from the local dealer about an hour after my original post and they've also suggested jacking up the back of the car and rolling it forwards to gain access to the drivers door. They're coming round tomorrow to do it for me and if it's a case of a flat battery I'll get them to do any reset that needs to be done too!

Fingers crossed it'll be a simple job getting it moved - and lesson learnt about leaving it sat for so long in a difficult to access place....

carrrnuttt

It's probably a good idea to store a car on one of these, especially if you're hurting for space:

The Auto Dolly: Home Page

Two of the wheels per dolly is lockable on some versions.