Is your car door lock cylinder working in a good condition? Ensuring that any problems relating to the cylinder are promptly resolved can save you from plenty of pain, as it is a crucial part that controls the locking operation of your car door! If your lock cylinder fails badly, you can get locked out of the car and be unable to find your way in, which can greatly disrupt your day-to-day life. Or you can end up getting confined into your car, which is certainly not a comfortable scenario. By repairing or replacing the cylinder before the problems fester, you can save yourself from these situations.
Alternatively, there are various other scenarios that can make choosing to replace the door lock cylinder advantageous. For example, it can ensure the safety of your vehicle or enhance your convenience depending on the circumstances. Replacing the cylinder can also incorporate rekeying the lock. Which means that the new cylinder would come with a new key and hence void the previous key. This can best fit the aforementioned reasons for replacing the cylinder.
We will go over the scenarios that can benefit from cylinder replacement and repair in this article. If you find that any of the scenarios fit your situation, then you can give a call to an automotive locksmith to replace the car door lock cylinder or repair the car door lock cylinder!
Key Not Fitting Properly
Is your car key sticking in the lock? You might find that when you insert your vehicle key in the lock, it does not go in properly or it won’t turn easily when rotating the key. You need to wiggle the key in order and wrestle with the lock to do either. In an even worse case, you might find that the key does not fit in at all despite your struggles. Either way, make sure to not exert too much force while attempting to operate the lock with the key. Otherwise, you can risk breaking the key, which is even more troublesome situation.
If you are having to wrestle with your car lock in that manner, then this is a strong indicator that your cylinder is malfunctioning. However, before reaching that conclusion, you need to rule out that your key is not the culprit of the issue. You might not suspect your key to be the problem, but it is very much possible for keys to wear down over time and usage, which can impede them fitting in the lock. For example, they can get bent, lose their shape, etc.
Ruling out your key for the root of issue is very simple! You simply need to test your key by trying to open car locks like the ones located on the other doors, ignition, trunk, etc. If the key does not fit properly in the other locks either, then the key is likely the issue. If all locks besides one lock work fine with the key, then you indeed likely have a cylinder functioning improperly for the door in question.
But what could be the issue with the cylinder? It can vary. The cylinder could have accumulated excessive build-up of ice, dust, grime, rust, etc. Alternatively, the cylinder could have worn down. In either case, you should promptly have it inspected by an automotive locksmith before the conditions worsen further and cause you even more problems. The locksmith can repair the car door lock cylinder or replace the car door lock cylinder if it is beyond the repair solution.
Cylinder Keeps Spinning
But what if you are facing a kind opposite problem; that is, the cylinder does not stop turning once you rotate the key, and the key does not unlock the door nor lock it either. This is a strong indication of a component in the cylinder mechanism either being damaged or having a weakened or severed linkage. In either case, the problematic component needs to be repaired or replaced for the cylinder to function properly.
Lost or Stolen Keys
If you lost your keys or were unfortunate to have them stolen from you, then you might think that your spare key is enough of a solution to the issue. Unfortunately, that might not be quite the case, especially if your keys were stolen. You definitely need to consider taking cautions if you have lost access to your original keys to prevent any vehicle security issues. Changing the cylinder resolves this security concern, since a new cylinder can come with a new key which would no longer allow the previous key to operate it.
This needs to be considered because you can not be sure if the key has not ended up in someone’s hands who knows it belongs to your car and is ready to exploit the situation. It is definitely smart to be safe in such scenario.
If your key was stolen, then the depth of this concern is skyrocketed. In this case, you should absolutely have the cylinder changed promptly. There is a big likelihood that the thief of key would find the opportunity to do exactly what they aimed for when stealing the key, which is to gain access to your vehicle.
Change of Ignition Cylinder
Perhaps your ignition was causing issues like being sticky, and hence you had to have its cylinder replaced by a technician. However, in this case, it is best to get a lock cylinder replacement as well. Otherwise, you will have to manage separate keys for the door and ignition. By replacing the cylinder to match the ignition cylinder, you get to have the convenience of using the same key for all the cylinders.
Call Our Locksmiths for Your Car Door Lock Cylinder Replacement and Repair
If your lock is being sticky or too loose, and disrupting the locking operation, then this is an issue that needs to be promptly resolved through either a cylinder replacement or repair. Additionally, if your keys are suspected to have potentially fallen into malicious hands, then this is another scenario that requires a new door lock cylinder with new keys as soon as possible. Lastly, if your ignition cylinder was replaced, but the door cylinder was not, causing you to have to manage separate keys for both cylinders, then this is another scenario that can benefit you with a new cylinder!
If you have decided that you can benefit from a cylinder replacement or repair, or if you suspect that might be the case, then your next stop should certainly be our Brampton locksmiths who can provide you stellar services. We can inspect your lock and assess the situation, and replace the car door lock cylinder or repair the car door lock cylinder accordingly.