How to Drill Out Lock Core on Thule Rooftop Cargo Box

Updated 02/24/2023 | Published 02/23/2023

Question:

How do you drill out a broken key on a Thule car top carrier. Got a video somewhere? Key is broken in the cylinder.

asked by: George B

Expert Reply:

To drill out any lock core you want to start off with a small drill bit (tungsten carbide-tipped or cobalt drill bits work best) and then work your way up in drill bit size until the lock core is released. We don't have any videos of this but it's fairly straight-forward.

Prior to drilling out the core though you might try using some small tools to try to get enough of the key worked back out so you can grab it with some needle nose pliers. One of the experts here at etrailer has mentioned that dental picks that you can find at a hardware store will be best for this task.

Once the lock core is removed you can use the Thule One-Key System Lock Cylinder Kit # TH450200 to replace the lock core on your rooftop carrier. I've attached a video showing how to accomplish this.

expert reply by: Jon G