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matt
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
13:44:30
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 Subject: Please help
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Message:
Dakota 89. The door handles are messed with. Someone tried to get in very discreetly. The handle itself is pulled up a little and the doors won't open. It as if the open/close peg on the inside is stuck in the up position and won't move. Tried the key, only swings to the left not right. Seems they broke the key mechanism completely. Not sure if I could even get in short of braking a window. (Really don't want to do that, but will if I have to) Any help, please!
kinda desperate.... matt
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Josh
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
13:54:56
|  RE: Please help
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It will be a lot less expensive to call AAA, if you're a member, and get them to come out and slim-jim the door. Even a local tow company can do that for a price, of course, but it's still cheaper than a new window and labor to install it.
Breaking the window should be a last resort, except in emergency.
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matt
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
14:27:43
| RE: Please help
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Josh, thats not a bad idea. However the door peg on the inside is already in the up position. Doesn't mean slim jimming it won't work; its just I think the door is 'open,' but the handle itself isn't able to unlatch the latch anymore. I may have to find a way to brake in myself. I agree though, broken window last resort. And before I do that, I might as well just bust off the door handle altogher. Any more comments or suggestion, please help.
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Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
22:02:51
| RE: Please help
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If you have a sliding rear window you can get it open with a putty knife, a pocket knife and a screw driver. Then you may be able to reach the door handle and try to open it with some sort of rigged stick/pipe/wire, etc. Or just a very skinny friend :)
If the AAA guy has been doing this a while, he can get you in without breaking the window.
- Dan M
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Well...
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
22:23:04
| RE: Please help
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Tried the other door yet?
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matt
Dodge Dakota
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10/17/2006
22:41:25
| RE: Please help
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Dude, he did both doors. Looks like he took a small pry bar and lifted the handles up out of the way. and somehow inbetween all that he opened the door lock. However, now the handles won't open the door. LOL. I can't figure it out. The door is unlocked but won't open. Thats why I think getting a AAA dude in here wouldn't solve anything, could be wrong though. Any ideas.
I'll try the sliding rear window tomorrow after work to see what happens. There is a chance.
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OBIO3
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
00:19:06
| RE: Please help
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He sprung things pretty good sounds like. If I'm reading what you wrote correct , he did get your doors open. Then again, if he sprung both doors, he must not have got in. My point is, if he got in using a pry bar so can you. Just be carefull with the door itself. that way you can disasemble it from the inside and get new guts at the bone yard. Nothing short of breaking in is going to get you in the truck.
If you go through the sliding window ( if you have one) be very carefull not to bust that window. I put a 4 wheeler through mine avoiding a deer. That window cost 1,300 bucks. OUCHY.
So many problems .... So little time
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Kowalski
GenIII
10/18/2006
17:19:16
| RE: Please help
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He may not have got in - its quite possible he disconnected the linkage to the exterior door handles while trying to get in. There's no point in reefing on your door handles til they break if that's the case, you'll just have more damge to repair. The linkage for the inside handles may still be all right though. You should be able to wedge the top of your door open with a pry bar and a couple door stop like wedges far enough to be able to trip one of those inside handles with a coat hanger - try that before causing more damage.
Lead, follow, or get out of the way
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matt
Dodge Dakota
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10/18/2006
21:06:54
| RE: Please help
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Thanks OBIO3 and Kowalski. You guys are reading it right. I tried the back window approach, well sort of. Think your guys got the right idea. I'll let you know if I make any progress. :P
matt
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choochoo
Dodge Dakota
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10/19/2006
00:31:08
| RE: Please help
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A tip from watching a tow truck driver get into a car. He used a small balloon unit like a blood pressure cuff between the door frame and the car roof. That way he did not damage the paint and he was then able to work a wire into the car and trip the electric lock.
In your case, it will take some time and patience but you may be able to bend a coat hanger to trip your inside handle, as someone already suggested.
Another trick is to use a very thin screwdriver and get it to trip the latch itself, but you will have to be sure exactly where the latch is.
My dad was in the repair business and could get into a vehicle in 30 seconds that way.
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choochoo
Dodge Dakota
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10/19/2006
00:43:34
| RE: Please help
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Just thought of three more things.
A slim jim might catch the rod and pull it the last bit to open the door.
To go in via the slider I would carefully slice the latch in half to open the window. Doubt you can jimmy it. Then all you'll need to by is another latch at the bone-yard.
Sounds like the perp knocked the clip off each latch rod, and they fell out. When you get the doors apart you may find the parts and be able to put them back together. Hope so for your sake.
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matt
Dodge Dakota
JOIN HERE
10/19/2006
21:43:45
| RE: Please help
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choochoo, my sister works at a hospital. I will try the blood pressure trick. thanks for the tip. As far as the slider goes, it slides about a 1/16 inch before the catch is set firm. Not a enough room to play around, but if I can't figure anything else let me know of any ideas. I'm open to suggestions.
matt
PS. I never really fancied braking into cars before, I feel kinda criminal minded. :-)
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