Can You Really Open A Car Window With A Roll Of Tape?

Ever want to see the calmest driver in the world lose their mind in an instant? Lock their keys in the car and you'll get that and then some. If you've ever been in this frustrating predicament before, you know just how much of an inconvenience it can be. The time lost as you await a locksmith and the hefty price tag you'll have to pay them is nothing short of nightmarish. However, a viral trend claiming that tape can effectively open a locked car window has garnered attention as a cheap and fast solution to this dilemma. But is it really all it's cracked up to be?

The general process is largely the same with some minor variations from video to video. One example from Instagram user @auto_clara that currently has nearly 10,000 likes on Instagram Threads shows her putting several strips of packing tape onto the car window in the shape of a rectangle with an X shape in the middle. Running down vertically in the middle is a strip of tape with its bottom section left hanging. She gets a grip of the loosened section and pulls it like a handle which, with a bit of force, manages to open the window. 

With duct tape being among the household items originally invented for military use, it's easy to envision it opening your car window with ease. But you may want to think twice before stocking up on extra tape rolls.

While a seemingly mind-blowing life hack, there's another side the tape window opening trend. It's easy for many of these videos to be faked, such as one uploaded by YouTuber Paul And Friends that currently sports 1.2 million views. In it, not only is painter's tape being used in lieu of stronger options, but a hand coming from the back seat can clearly be seen controlling the window switch. 

Other than being an easier way of getting views, why would creators falsify such information? Much of it can be attributed to the hit-or-miss nature of this particular technique. The problem is that most modern car windows contain electric mechanisms to function, which you may have seen in another viral TikTok video. This makes them far harder to open, with most experts stating that this method is more effective on manual crank-type windows. This has also been attested by many who reported their results on video comment sections and Reddit threads, with others also expressing concerns that the technique may encourage criminal acts. 

The results of this practice can also prove to be far more costly than any locksmith bill. Forcing a window to open in such a manner can lead to its internal mechanisms to either weaken or fail completely according to experts. Getting this fixed by a mechanic will be pricey on top of the time wasted to get it fixed. So, unless you genuinely have no other choice, it's best to leave tape away from your car, except for smaller-scaled temporary solutions such as keeping cracked windshields from spreading.