Cant Open The Car

[Lex]

Hi im looking for help. Bought a delta second hand a couple of months ago and had no problems. Parked the car in the garage five weeks ago and today tried to go for a drive but using the fob i cant open the car. Presumed either the car battery had died or the fob battery had died. Tried opening the car with the ignition key but it doesnt fit the door lock. Found the spare fob and that didnt open the car either so have concluded it is the car battery that has died. Tried using the ignition key from the second fob to open the car door but this also failed to fit the lock. Have i been sold a car with a broken lock or am supposed to have another key? Is it normal for the car battery to die after five weeks not used? Any help greatly appreciated.

[Rossocorsa]

Are you sure that the key doesn't fit the lock? Because the locks are hardly ever used they can be stiff.

[MikeyRules]

Yeah Rosso's right they can be stiff as they're never used. Try some WD40 in the lock or similar and have another go.

 

As for the battery I guess it could be on it's way out if your car is now 3 years old? Batteries don't like the cold, and this is the time of year they generally fail if they are going to.

[Rossocorsa]

Try to avoid WD 40 as it attracts dust and dirt into the lock however in an emergency owt's better than nowt! Better to use graphite or a ptfe loaded product that leaves just ptfe behind (ie a dry lubricant) Edited December 14, 2014 by Rossocorsa

[Lex]

Thanks a ton for the quick responses will get some wd40 in the morning and have a crack. Again thanks all, very much apreciate the rapid responses.

[Rossocorsa]

Thanks a ton for the quick responses will get some wd40 in the morning and have a crack. Again thanks all, very much apreciate the rapid responses.

If you have a tool station nearby they do a nice cheap ptfe spray, infact all their sprays are a good price. Before you lubricate Slide the key in the door and try it carefully just a fraction difference in the depth it goes in can make all the difference to whether it turns or not. The cold weather will not help as it will make the barrel tight

[Nello]

My experience of battery failures is they tend to go all of a sudden with no warning overnight. As per the other guys comments - with Winter setting in as well that will probably exacerbate the problem. An average battery life for a car is five years but with one sitting idle for so long won't help either.

 

My Stop/Start has 'stopped' kicking in now so suspect the battery is waining - The Stop-Start system is sensitive to battery output and use. I did disconnect the battery a while ago in an attempt to recharge but that started so many alerts/messages on the dash and I had to reset the door-locks/power windows to Auto-close etc. I left as is - I can live without Stop-Start until I really need a new battery!

[MikeyRules]

I hate start/stop and think it's just another European misguided pain in the ass! I don't think I have it either as there isn't an on/off switch under the head unit?

[Rossocorsa]

It's just a means to achieve co2 targets under test conditions it's very little use under real world conditions unless you drive in a constant traffic jam