Car Door Lock Repair
Professional Car Door Lock Repair Services
The car door lock is the first line of defense between your car and the outside world of curious bystanders and conniving thieves. A properly secured car helps you feel comfortable leaving it parked while you’re at work, inside the grocery store, or shopping at the mall.
Depending on the age and condition of your car, the door lock itself can deteriorate over time, and that can require professional assistance. United Locksmith’s around-the-clock technicians are mobilized to service your needs as soon as you hang up the phone.
Car door lock repair can get a bit technical if the door panel needs to be removed for internal repairs. Calling an auto locksmith can be a good solution. United Locksmith’s trusted technicians have several years of experience with car door lock repairs, and they come straight to you.
With 15-plus years of experience, our auto locksmiths are fully capable of making car door lock repairs. Within a few minutes of assessment, they can pinpoint your issues and begin fixing the car door lock immediately, whether it’s repairing the car door lock latch, rekeying the car door, or performing other maintenance.
Rekeying Car Door Locks
Rekeying car locks refers to the process of changing the internal components (wafers, sliders, disks, etc.) of a lock cylinder to open with a new key. This process essentially functions as a car door lock replacement.
Any keyed car door lock cylinder can be rekeyed. You must be able to open the door to remove the paneling and access the cylinder. Once the cylinder is removed, the internal components can be changed or rearranged. A new key must be made to fit the new component arrangement.
Chances are, a locksmith is going to be the best service option to rekey your car locks for the following reasons:
- Removing a car door lock cylinder is often complex and time-consuming.
- Electrical systems can be damaged by improper disassembly.
- The lock cylinders and surrounding parts are at risk of being lost or broken with amateur removal tactics.
When you rekey a car, you are replacing your existing key as well. This is not the same as standard car key replacement, as this new key does not correspond to any existing vehicle information. The key will be made based on a brand new key code.
For this new key to be made, you need a key cutter that can make cuts from code because there is no key to duplicate. Getting this code will take professional tools and knowledge. But if there is any wear to the wafers, sliders, or disks, the new key might need to be customized.
If in the future you have lost your car key and have no spare, the locksmith or dealership will not be able to use your VIN (vehicle identification number) to cut a key. Anyone making a new key will need access to the current key code or will have to decode the rekeyed car lock.
Repairing Car Door Lock Latch
There is no universal car door lock fix because every car is different. Even with cars from the same manufacturer, different models and the year of those models will have procedural variation. What will stay the same are the general steps.
If your car door latch is not catching, it’s probably due to the latch jamming. Many modern car door latches are plastic, and they can distort during sudden or extreme temperature fluctuations. The latch can sometimes move freely again with lubrication and direct manipulation.
If the latch is stuck, try clearing the debris or lubricating the mechanism directly. However, the problem may be more serious and require further repairs. In this instance, there is a three-step process you can follow to figure out the issue:
These do-it-yourself steps can be helpful and cost-saving, but only if you know what you’re doing. Novice repair skills may not be enough to complete these steps, and calling an auto locksmith might be the next move.
Disassembling Car Door Locks
If lubrication or car key replacement was not the car door lock fix you needed, you are going to need more information, and that is going to come from accessing the lock assembly.
Access requires disassembly of the door to evaluate the various parts of the door lock. Disassembly begins by unlocking the door. This may require you to find a car unlock service near you if you have a car door latch stuck closed.
With the door open, it is time to remove the door panels and covers. This is likely going to be the most time-consuming aspect of how to fix a car door latch. If you are doing this work yourself, you will need a manual or video for your car.
Documentation on the disassembly process will give you your order of operations. It will also help to locate hidden screws, find the snaps on panels, and know if any special tools will be needed. While you are disassembling the car door, be very careful with the wires you encounter. These wires can trigger airbags, lights, alarms, etc., and affect remote unlocking.
Diagnosing Car Door Locks
Now that the car door is taken apart, you can assess how to fix the car door latch. If you already invested in hiring the best lockout service near you, they may have already given you an idea of what to look for. Often when a professional locksmith is opening a car door, they will get a good idea of what is broken.
Diagnosis can be relatively straightforward. Try to use whatever opening procedure is not working, and with the lock assembly fully exposed, locate any breaks or blockage. If the assembly is working fine, your car door lock fix may be to replace the car door lock cylinder.
However, even if you suspect the car door lock cylinder, you should still check the connection between the cylinder and the actuator. Door lock actuator repair means a lot of things, but in this case, we are talking about looking at how the rotation of the lock cylinder interacts with the lock assembly.
The removal of door lock assemblies and door lock cylinders can be tricky at times. A trained auto locksmith can give a proper diagnosis so that you can get access to replacement parts faster.
Repairing Car Door Locks
This is the last step in fixing the car door latch because it’s the most variable. In most cases, if you have gotten to this point, car door lock repair is going to involve full or partial replacement of the lock assembly. Depending on how replacement parts are sold for your vehicle, you may not be able to just purchase the component you need.
Even in cases where you only need car door latch repair, the latch may not be available by itself. This is another reason a locksmith or mechanic can be useful, as they might have spare parts from previously removed door lock assemblies.
Dirt accumulating inside the car door lock will create more problems in the future and impact the long-term effectiveness of the lock. Graphite and dry lubricants are more appropriate in these situations to prevent dirt buildup.
If your issue needs to be solved immediately, and WD-40 is your only lubricant readily available, apply it sparingly. It’s unlikely to fix your car door lock permanently, but it can serve as an acceptable temporary solution. However, clean your lock after using this lube.
In the event a complete lock cylinder replacement is in order, you may also want to look into rekeying your car lock as well, so each lock functions with the same key. Any repair that decreases convenience and ease is not ideal.
Seeking An Auto Locksmith For Car Door Lock Repair
Car door lock repair is an extremely delicate and complex process that takes a lot of craftiness to achieve the best results. Luckily, United Locksmith has you covered with our experienced technicians who are available to assist you whenever complications arise with your car door lock.
When rekeying a car door lock or repairing the door latch seems like an insurmountable task, United Locksmith is there to help. One simple phone call and we can get you started toward repairing your car door as quickly as possible.
Sometimes the problem is severe enough to the point where the door needs to be disassembled, or maybe the entire car door lock needs to be rekeyed. Disassembling the car door will certainly add to the cost because it takes more time for the technician to complete the task.
It’s possible to lower the cost of labor by doing the work yourself, but that could lead to more issues in the future if the door isn’t repaired properly. And if disassembling is needed, leaving it to a professional is best because removing the inside panel of a car door presents more challenges with exposed parts and wires that control other functions in your car.