the locks on my max have always been a little screwy, the passenger side one has never turned since i got it in early summer, and the driver side usually has to turn left before right to unlock. just recently in the cold, the key won't even go into the drivers side door, so i've had to leave my car unlocked, the one time i couldnt get it opened, i had someone slim jim it, and was able to pop start it, cause the alarm was on. any ideas on what to do about this, other than just not leaving valuables in my car until it warms up enough to lock them again........thanks

ps. if i give the locks some heat, like a few cups of hot water, it works, but not well. any help would be appreciated.

 

Hot water is bad . Residues of water will freeze and your case wil get worse. Use lock antifreeze, and keep your fingers crossed. If they do unlock, then lubricate locks with some heavy manual tran oil ( 80W grade or the like ). The heavier the oil (higher viscosity), less likely it will get dispersed by water or condensation that will eventually freeze. You may also use white lithium grease (spray can with a tiny straw to reach small orifices). Dont use WD40: bad de-icer and is not a lubricant.

 

I would not recommend any oily lubricant in locks at all. The best thing to use in locks is graphite. It's a dry lube. Oily lubes will attract dirt and gum up the pins and springs in the tumbler. Just my 2 cents.

 

I had an old car which was like that, until I removed the door panels and disassembled the entire door lock assembly, cleaning it and regreasing it with lithium grease. Worked like a charm, and the locks became much easier to operate, especially in the winter. Seems that a lot of carbon builds up over time, and especially in the winter it makes it sticky.

 

thanks for the input, i'll use some lock de-icer and then try to lube it with some graphite.

 

Carbon build up in the door lock mechanism? Maybe you mean dirty lube. Something has to be burned to form carbon doesn't it?