Key Problems

Howdy folks, The other day someone tried to break into my car, a 1990 Nissan Maxima. Nice old car with 154000 miles on it;works well and hasn't given me any serious problems. Well,nothing major happened when he/she tried to break in. I think the security alarm must have gone off or something. So everything inside was fine. No body damage. But in the attempt,both the driver and passenger side keyholes got screwed. So I am not able to open my car by plugging in the key. I did however manage to find a way to get into the car. The trunk keyhole's fine and so I open the trunk push forward the rear seat handrest and use a long pole to open the backdoor lock. I know. I know. Very clumsy. No wonder, I 've been staying up at work till 11 PM! Now, trying to think of a solution, here's what i considered. I wouldnt want to replace the keyholes with the risk of it being a victim of a prank again. I also had a look at some keyless entry systems available online. Some from AudioVox,Bulldog. I also dont wanna spend too much on the car right now since I am looking at buying a new car some months from now. Plus the Bulldog (KE100 I think) is avaialble at buy.com for $30. To make it easier for the gurus here,I have listed some questions which I would love to have some insight on. 1. Is installing a keyless alarm the right choice in my current condition? Or rather, is it even viable .I am especially curious about this since I wonder if while installing the keyless kit,the security alarm will go off. It has happened before when I needed a jump start, but then I just locked and unlocked the car with my door key. Now with my door lock disfunctional, I am not too sure. I read somewhere that inserting the ignition key(the ignition and door keys are separate for my Maxima) into the ignition keyhole works. Also, an interesting point is today morning while I was doing the creeping-into-trunk-opening-door routine the alarm did go off. What I then did was shut the trunk and unlock it again with the door key. It worked! 2. I would be the first to say that I dont know much about cars. Considering that is self-installing a kit like the KE100 doable for someone like me? 3. Should I be considering some other options which I obviously am not aware of?

I apologize for the long email. Thanks for your time and patience.

Help! Shravan

Hi Dave, Nah..Havent been to a locksmith yet..I'm still kinda sold on the keyless alarm bit. Always wanted to work on my car and this incident has posed an opportunity for me to start. I'm thinking of installing one of those keyless kits from Bulldog/Audiovox. Any experience there?.. I will probably take ur advice though atleast to determine how much it costs to replace the lock. Thanks. Shravan

Hi Dave, I did go to a locksmith this weekend. The quote for changing one door lock is $130. Most of it is labor and I think the lock itself costs $30-$40. Thanks again!

-Shravan

Call 10 locksmiths and you will get 10 different prices, the one who knows what they are doing will be reasonable. Those who are afraid of or not equipped to do the job will quote high.

I have seen countless situations that you describe, depending on how much force was used will determine whether the locks can be repaired or need replacing.

If you want to work on your Nissan then pull the door panel and the lock, take it to a knowledgeable locksmith who does a lot of automotive and see if they can easily repair it. I have repaired many just by removing the face cap and dust shutter and replacing them. On some, the first and or second tumbler has been damaged and those also can be replaced.

Something you could try since your locks are already damaged is to use a screwdriver and pry the chrome cap off, do it gently so you do not damage the body of the vehicle. After the cap has been removed, take out the dust shutter and any loose parts that may be restricting the keyway. Then lubricate the lock with either a teflon or silicone based lubricant, spray can preferred. This may get you going so that you do not have to crawl through the rear and may allow you to shut the alarm down more easily.

When prying the cap off, go from the center outward and be very careful as the metal will be sharp. Once the metal has been torn clamp a small vicegrip on it and peel in a circular motion. If your locks are badly damaged the above will not help but the odds are in your favor that it will. Nissan locks are substantial and well made, they will take a lot of abuse and keep on working.

If you are a female, wear a short skirt if you go the locksmith route.

Rod