Drivers Lock Very Tight

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Hyper

Soldato
Joined
2 Jul 2005
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Location
Newcastle
Hi all,

One last thread on my girlfriends car buying experiences,

She ended up going for a low mileage 2002 nissan micra which has been well looked after, the only thing is it doesn't have remote central locking and the lock on the drivers side is very tight using both keys.

The person who she bought it off says he put some oil on the key and turned it a few times but it doesn't seem to have made much difference.

Anything else she could try, would wd40 help?

Thanks, Sam
 
The car doesn't have normal central locking though just manual locks so I don't think those kits would work as I think the car needs central locking in the first place to convert it over to remote.
 
Whilst WD40 will / should help free up the lock, ultimately, especially with a vehicle, it'll make the problem worse.
The oil will act as a magnet for dirt & dust and eventually the lock will be worse.

Use a solvent based cleaner to temove any traces of oil from the lock, then try putting a bit of graphite in it - a very small amount will free up the lock and not attract dirt & dust into the mechanism.
 
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Don't use oil / wd40 it will make crap stick in there.

Graphite powder is what you should use to help a sticking lock.
 
I'v ordered some Kasp Graphite Powder with a small nozzle, will give that a shot,

So just use that and nothing else?

Not worth cleaning it out first with wd40,

Thanks again, Sam
 
Use a solvent based cleaner (brake / carb cleaner etc) that will evaporate and leave no residue.

Oil is not what you want in the mechanism as it will eventually attract dirt, dust & gum up the mechanism.

Graphite should do the trick as far as freeing it up is concerned.
 
Scania said:
Use a solvent based cleaner (brake / carb cleaner etc) that will evaporate and leave no residue.

Oil is not what you want in the mechanism as it will eventually attract dirt, dust & gum up the mechanism.

Graphite should do the trick as far as freeing it up is concerned.
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The lock should be lightly oiled from the factory anyway?

A door lock is in quite a protected environment, so unless you regularly drag your key through mud i can't really see many issues.
 
Firestar_3x said:
The lock should be lightly oiled from the factory anyway?

A door lock is in quite a protected environment, so unless you regularly drag your key through mud i can't really see many issues.
Click to expand...

I discovered the joys of graphite after a hefty bill for a replacement door lock mechanism on my old e36, not to mention a mate of mine is a locksmith and he swears by it.

A bit of oil on a house door, fair enough, but cars pick up dirt - much more than a door on a static object - especially at this time of year,every time you put the key in the lock, a bit of dirt will get into the mechanism.
 
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