Car Door and Boot Lock Repair in Rednal, Birmingham

Door Lock Faults

A door lock fault can show itself in several ways. The key may turn but the door stays locked, the key may not turn at all, or the door may lock with the fob but not with the key. Each symptom points to a different part of the lock, and the fix depends on which part has failed.

A worn key is a common cause: the cuts on the blade no longer line up with the parts inside the lock, so the key turns part of the way and then stops. A worn lock is another cause: the parts inside the barrel have worn over years of use, and the lock no longer moves as it should. Dirt and cold can make a lock stiff, and a lock that has not been used in a while can seize up. If a door lock feels stiff, do not force the key, because a forced key can snap in the lock. Read our broken key extraction page if that has already happened.

Boot Lock Faults

A boot lock fault leaves you unable to open the boot, or unable to lock it, and both are a problem when the boot holds shopping, luggage or work tools. The boot lock can fail in the same ways as a door lock: a worn key, a worn barrel, or a fault in the release that connects the lock to the boot catch.

Some cars open the boot with a button on the fob, and some with a button on the dashboard, so a boot that will not open may be a fob fault rather than a lock fault. Try the spare fob if you have one, and try the key in the boot lock by hand, because the answer tells us where the fault sits. If the boot will not lock, keep valuables out of it and out of sight, and call 07367 634032 for help in Rednal, Birmingham.

Central Locking Faults

Central locking links every door, the boot and often the fuel flap to one command, so one fault can lock or unlock the whole car at once. When central locking stops working, the cause is often in the fob, the actuator, or the fuse, and each cause leaves a different clue.

• Fob fault: the fob battery is flat, or the fob has lost its code, so the car does not hear the lock command. Try the spare fob if you have one.
• Actuator fault: one door fails to lock or unlock while the others work, because the small motor in that door has failed.
• Fuse fault: no door responds to the fob at all, and the fault may sit in a blown fuse that feeds the locking system.
• Wiring fault: the locking works sometimes and not others, or it works on one side of the car and not the other.

What to Do When a Door Will Not Lock

A car that will not lock needs care until it is fixed, because an unlocked car is an easy target. Take valuables out of the car, or lock them in the boot out of sight, and do not leave bags, phones or laptops on the seats. Park in a well-lit place where people can see the car, and stay with it if you can until help arrives.

Try locking each door by hand from inside, because a door that locks by hand but not by fob points to the fob or the central locking, rather than to the lock itself. Try the spare fob if you have one. Then call 07367 634032, tell us which door will not lock and what you have tried, and we will come to your car in Rednal, Birmingham. To learn more about keeping a car secure, read the vehicle security guidance from Thatcham Research.

How Door Lock Repair Works

Door lock work starts by tracing which part has failed, since the fix turns on the cause. The key, the lock barrel, the central locking and the fob are looked at in turn, and what we find is set out ahead of any work. Where the key is worn, a fresh key cut to code puts it right. Where the barrel is worn, it is put right or changed, and the fresh barrel is keyed to match your key where the car allows it.

Where central locking is at fault, we trace the part that has failed: a flat fob battery, a failed actuator in one door, or a fuse that wants changing. The fix is set out for you ahead of it happening, and the locks are tried with you at the close, door by door, so you know each lock works ahead of us leaving. Where a fresh key is wanted, proof that the car is yours is wanted as well. Read our car key replacement page for more on that stage.

Proof of Ownership

We look at your V5C logbook and photo ID where door or boot lock work calls for a fresh key or a fresh lock, since the work touches the security of the car. If the papers are not to hand, ring 07367 634032 and we will name the other proof we can take. The full rules are set out on our proof of ownership page.

What Affects the Price

What you pay turns on which lock has failed, the make and model, and on whether a fresh key, a fresh barrel, or a central locking part is wanted. A fob battery runs to less than a barrel change, since fewer stages are part of it. We spell the price out in plain words before any work begins. For more on the points behind the price, read our car key replacement cost page.

Useful Guidance

Below are official sources. They cover stolen-key reporting, vehicle security, and the rights you hold when you buy a service.

• Thatcham Research — guidance and research on keeping a car secure
• Action Fraud — reporting fraud and stolen keys
• Citizens Advice — consumer guidance — your rights as a buyer of a service