A Mercedes-Benz Mobilo Service24h technician on a roadside call. The service handles lockouts without damage to the vehicle.
Locking yourself out of your Mercedes used to mean one thing: a locksmith, a long wait, and sometimes a bill that stung more than the situation itself. Mercedes-Mobilo, the manufacturer’s own 24-hour roadside assistance service, now handles these situations differently. In many cases, the technician arriving at your car will carry a tool that looks nothing like a traditional key but works in a way that is almost elegant in its simplicity.
That tool is the Lishi HU64 2-in-1 pick and decoder. It was designed specifically for the locking system that Mercedes-Benz has used across a wide range of models for decades. Understanding what it does, and why it works so well, helps explain why modern roadside assistance has moved away from the forced-entry methods that defined the trade for so long.
The HU64 lock profile
HU64 is the key profile designation used by Mercedes-Benz on vehicles ranging from older C-Class and E-Class models to the current generation. The number refers to the specific cut dimensions and wafer arrangement inside the lock cylinder. Unlike pin tumbler locks common in household doors, the Mercedes system uses a series of flat wafers, each of which needs to align at a precise depth for the cylinder to rotate.
The original key achieves this by presenting a series of cuts at the exact depths required. The Lishi HU64 tool does something similar but approaches it from the other direction: it reads the wafers from inside the lock as they are being manipulated, giving the user real-time feedback on what each wafer needs.
The Lishi HU64 2-in-1 pick and decoder. The tool combines a tensioning mechanism with a pick tip and a graduated scale for reading wafer positions.
Pick and decode in a single tool
The “2-in-1” label on the Lishi HU64 refers to two functions that would previously have required separate steps and separate equipment. The tool picks the lock open by manipulating each wafer individually into its correct position. Once the lock is open, the same tool can read the position of every wafer through a window and a printed scale on the body of the tool. That reading corresponds directly to the key cuts of the original key.
For a Mobilo technician, this means arriving at a locked Mercedes, opening the door without damaging anything, and then being able to record the key code for the vehicle. That code can be used by a Mercedes dealer or a qualified locksmith to cut a replacement key. The car leaves the situation not only unlocked but with the information needed to solve the root problem.
The Lishi HU64 positioned near a Mercedes door lock. The tool is inserted directly into the lock cylinder and requires no drilling or force.
What the process looks like
The process is quiet and methodical. The technician inserts the tool into the lock, applies light rotational tension, and works through each wafer one at a time. A wafer that has reached its correct position will hold. One that is binding under excess tension is set aside temporarily. The feedback comes through the tool itself: a slight movement, a resistance change, a click as a wafer seats.
Once all wafers are set, the cylinder turns. At that point the technician can read off the values from the scale on the tool: each position corresponds to a numbered cut depth on the HU64 scale. A sequence like 5-4-4-2-3-3-5-2 translates directly into a key code that a dealer can look up or a key machine can cut.
From the outside, the entire procedure looks unremarkable. There is no drilling, no broken trim, no bent door frame. The car looks exactly as it did before the technician arrived.
The Lishi HU64 inserted into a Mercedes door lock cylinder. The pick tip manipulates wafers individually while the tensioning arm holds the cylinder under slight rotational pressure.
Why non-destructive entry matters
A drilled lock or a forced door seal is not just a cosmetic problem. It creates a follow-on situation where the car needs additional repair, potentially affects insurance claims, and in some cases compromises the weather sealing or security of the door for months afterward. Non-destructive entry avoids all of that.
The Lishi HU64 has become a standard piece of equipment for automotive locksmiths and roadside assistance providers working with Mercedes vehicles precisely because it causes no collateral damage. It also works consistently across the HU64 platform, which covers a large portion of the Mercedes fleet sold in Europe over the past 20 years.
For a Mobilo callout, the difference is straightforward: the vehicle is opened, the key code is recorded, and the customer drives away or waits for a dealer appointment to sort out the lost key. The car itself is unchanged. That outcome is the whole point.
The tool itself
The Lishi HU64 is manufactured to work specifically with the Mercedes HU64 lock profile. It is not a universal pick. The wafer positions are calibrated to HU64 tolerances, the scale is printed to match HU64 cut depths, and the tensioning geometry fits the HU64 cylinder entrance. Using it on a different lock profile would not work.
This specificity is part of what makes it effective. A tool designed for one lock family can be optimized in ways that a general-purpose pick cannot. The Lishi range covers dozens of different vehicle and lock profiles across most major manufacturers. Each one is a purpose-built instrument for a specific application.
If you have lost your Mercedes keys or are locked out and a Mobilo technician arrives with one of these tools, the procedure is faster than most people expect and leaves nothing behind to remind you it happened.
