Modern electronic locks make it easier than ever to keep your car secured, with remote locking and unlocking eliminating the need to fumble with keys and locks. It's especially nice to be able to keep your hands in your pockets if the weather's not at its best. Like anything electronic, however, problems can arise, and when they do, they're not always as easy to diagnose as they are with a traditional mechanical lock.
If one of your car doors is refusing to lock or unlock but the others are, you can eliminate problems with your remote key fob and assume it's an issue with the door itself. Here's how to tell if you have a problem with your door lock actuator.
What's an actuator? Put simply, the door lock actuator is a device inside a car door that triggers the locking and unlocking mechanism once the button is pressed or the remote activated. It consists of a small motor and gears that move the locking parts into position and was developed as a replacement for older locking systems. Needless to say, actuators get heavy use, so there's a significant risk of them developing faults over time, leaving you unable to lock or unlock your car. Luckily, faults can often be noticed before they reach an extreme, so you can fix them before it's too late.
How do I tell if it's faulty? An early warning sign of a faulty door lock actuator is often a strange noise while it's being operated. As you use it regularly, it should be easy to hear a change, and if you do notice any odd noises, get it checked without delay. It can quickly become worse, leaving you stuck with a car that isn't secure. Another symptom is erratic, unpredictable operation, so it might lock fine sometimes but not others. You may also experience your alarm going off without explanation. If it gets to the point where the door locks completely stop working, it's particularly likely to be an actuator fault if it isn't all doors at once. If you have the knowledge to do so, check the fuses to eliminate this as a possible cause.
How can I fix it? It's likely that the actuator will need replacing completely, which is not an easy task unless you know what you're doing. It might also be repairable, but again, this is not a job to take on if you're inexperienced. This is your car's security at stake if it's not done correctly, so it's best to get an expert.
Share21 February 2017
I run a busy cafe and we turn over a lot of money each hour. It's important to limit how much cash I keep in the register as it can be easily lost or stolen from a register that is being opened all the time. That's why I make sure that we have a safe below each register that the supervisor fills each hour with excess takings. Space is at a premium in the cafe, but I have found a great slimline safe with a fingerprint lock that blends right in with the register. This blog has hints for finding safes that suit cafes, bar and restaurants.
