Lock Change On A Car.

[Ankhadia]

i know we are not supposed to talk about car locks but i am not trying to pick it. my cars locks are not working so well. the trunk works. the drivers side works most of the time but the passengers side most of the time will not open. so the question is is there some way to replace the locks in my car?

[freakparade3]

Buy new locks at an auto parts store and switch them out. It can be easy or very difficult, depending on the make of car.

[CompFX]

Depending on the issues you are having with your locks, you may not need to replace them.

Basically there are 3 common things that can go bad reguarding auto locks. The key can be to warn to fully lift the wafers to the correct hights. The wafers can be to warn and do not sit at the shearline any more. Or your internal door parts (linkages, actuators, etc) are messed up.

Can you insert the key all the way into the lock? Or does it try to stop before it is suppose to? Does rocking the key help it to be fully inserted?

If you can insert the key all the way, is it stiff to turn, or does it all the sudden pop when you turn it?

If you rock the bow of the key up and down while applying a light turning pressure dose the lock function more often?

Or is the lock itself functioning fine, but nothing is happening on the inside of the door to actually lock/unlock the door?

CompFX

[Ankhadia]

when i jiggle the key up and down it i have a better chance of opening it. but it still does not work all the time. its a 99 ford taurus i bought it used and it did not come with the original key. but i dont think it would be the key cus it works better in the other locks. i just dont want to one day not be able to get in my car.

[mitch.capper]

Something that can happen with a good number of locks is even ware. Where if a key is repeatedly used in one lock in an entire system it is possible the lock to get worn at the same time as the cylinder will become more tolerant / worn itself. Better cylinders generally will only result in possible key damage and the cylinder itself will not, however it certainly is possible for both to have this effect and then the key used on a less used cylinder to work less well.

[CompFX]

Well beings that the car is 9 years old, it could really be either the lock or the key.

The trunk is one of the least accessed locks on your car. So the wafers in there may be very good. If your key is worn, but the wafers are good, the lock could function fine.

However, the doors are used almost on a daily basis (if you lock your car). So they will wear out quicker than a trunk lock. If your door locks wafers are warn, and your key is warn, there may be enough material missing between the two that is causing the problems. So if you were to get a new code cut key, it may solve the problem for a while. How long? Who knows. It could be months or decades. It really depends on which has the most wear, the wafers or the key.

So if the key looks warn it may be worth a shot of having a new one cut to code, it may be a cheap quick fix, or it may do no good. If the lock itself is shot, your out ~ $10 bucks

The short answer being yes, you can replace the locks on your car. But there are some things to think about.

You can go to a salvage yard and pull all the locks off the same make and model car and install them on your car, though who knows how long they will last.

If you live in a big enough area, a locksmith may be able to repin your current locks, though that can be pricey and not all locksmiths carry the wafers you may need. It would probably be alot cheaper if you brought the locks to them instead of making them remove the locks. A 'Haynes' or 'Chilton' book will be able to walk you though the process. It is not as hard as one may think.

You could go to a dealer and get all your locks replaced so that you can still carry just 1 key. But this is probably going to cost a pretty penny as well.

Or you can do it yourself, go to a parts store and get the locks. See if they have "kits" that would include the doors, trunk, and ignition. If not, you may have to carry two or more keys.

Or if you are a eBay fan, that is an option as well.

[Ankhadia]

thanks. that has given me some options.

[adamd]

I've had 3 VW Golf's and on all 3 the Boot/trunk locks got clogged up with salt and grime from the road.

[globallockytoo]

Spray your locks with a silicone or teflon based lubricant. Insert key to make sure all wafers are coated. To stop (or reduce) road grime, put a dab of vaseline over the keyhole on the outside, will disappear over time but grime will stick to the vas instead of getting into the lock.

[DaWolfMan]

I had to replace a lock on my old car once, it was a mustang so it may be similar to yours. what i had to do was remove the inside door panel first, this was done by removing some screws from the door panel then popping the panel loose from the little clips that hold it to the door (usually about 8 - 10 of these clips), once this was done pull the bottom of the door panel away from the door and lift up on the whole panel so that you can remove the seal area from the door panel around the window. BE CAREFUL at this point if you have electric windows or locks. you will need to unplug the electronics from the door panel or remove the switches as a whole unit. once this is done you should see some plastic covering the door (be careful around the black glue stuff holding the plastic in place, it is hard to get off your skin and WILL remove hair, dont ask how i know), pull it from the door around where the lock is and you should be able to see the back of the lock through this opening, normally there is a clip that holds the lock in place, and a bar that goes from the lock to the locking mechanism, the bar will be held in with a plastic clip that rotates, rotate the clip 90 degrees and pull the bar up out of the clip, then remove the clip from the lock body. at this point you should be able to remove the lock from the car door. it should be the same for both doors. then do the same thing in reverse to put the new locks in. i hope this helps, it will save you a lot of money if you do it yourself, and you will feel better having done it yourself. as said earlier you can check ebay, a salvage yard, or a parts store to get the replacement locks and they should be keyed alike so you dont have to carry different keys for each door.

DaWolfMan

[Ankhadia]

ok sweet. im sure it will not be hard to find locks from another car. i see like 2,000 Tauruses every time i drive somewhere.

[CompFX]

You may find it easier if you pull the retaining clip and from the back side of the lock and gently push the lock out of the door and then remove the linkage.

In either case, just be very careful not to bend the linkage. It can be unbent, but it never seems to work the same after that.

[maxxed]

The first thing to do is get a key cut to factory specifications. any reasonably competent locksmith can decode the key and cut one for you. It is true that wear occurs in both the lock and key but often if the key is accurate the lock will work fine. Most locksmiths here will charge between $12.00 - $15.00 for that

[linty]

either way if you are going to get your lock re-pinned / replaced if the key is worn either the wafers are going to have to be filed to compensate for key wear, or the key will have to be in decent shape.

A key by code is always my preferred way to start because even if it doesn't solve the problem, it's probably going to be better to have it unless your key really isn't in bad shape.

[Ankhadia]

yeah 15 bucks is not bad and that will tell me if its the key or the lock