Hi,

I am posting an issue I have currently with my Ford Focus Titanium 1.6 2011 model, my wife wanted to use the car today but the keyless fob would not open the car door so she changed the battery in the fob thinking this was the problem but unfortunately it wasn't I've looked at it and also tried to open the car using the key blade in the fob itself but with no joy I can only assume that the car battery is flat, central locking mechanism is faulty or it could also be an ECU fault. I'm posting on here as I'm at my wits end trying to resolve this and wondered if anyone on here as had a simular issue.

Thanks 

Swaddie74

Using the metal key in the lock does not require any power. It even works if you take the battery out of the car.

On a 2011 car where the door lock was very possibly last used when the car was made it is likely to be seized up which is extremely common.

Get a spray can of WD40 and put the little straw in the door lock and give it a very good spray. Leave it for an hour before doing it again and this time turn the key left and right a bit at a time. It will eventually free up and then turn to unlock the door.

 

1 hour ago, unofix said:

Get a spray can of WD40 and put the little straw in the door lock and give it a very good spray. Leave it for an hour before doing it again and this time turn the key left and right a bit at a time. It will eventually free up and then turn to unlock the door.

 

I can absolutely confirm this method. My lock 'seized' 2 years ago, and it took me quite a few hours of spraying oil and fettling the key in the lock.  also alternated between WD40 and 3in1 oil spray. Once I got it to work, every couple of months, I use the key in the lock just to keep it nice & supple...

I would just like to exercise a small note of caution with WD40. While it might solve this particular problem, it does leave behind a residue which is basically a muck magnet. It can also penetrate and swell soldered joints, so you don't want to be getting it anywhere near the places where any electronics live.

Electrical switch cleaner is a better option as it designed to be safe around electronics and doesn't leave anything behind which dirt is going to stick to.

Confusingly, WD40 now make a purpose-made electrical switch cleaner, though personally I've always used Servisol brand so I don't know how good the WD40 one is.

I'd not worry too much about the door lock. Swaddie1974 can't be in much of a hurry to unlock the car, he's never been back to the forum since 5:34PM exactly 15 minutes after he asked help.

On 8/30/2022 at 5:19 PM, Swaddie1974 said:

my wife wanted to use the car today

His poor wife is having to use the bus 🤣