Tinkerbell_too

Purchased a 2003 Civic LX coupe with 37,000 miles on it. Only got one key (black) with no key fob. Drove the car home, but stopped at the store first. Tried to lock the car with the switch inside. Didn't realize that the car didn't lock, but got lucky, as when I came out and put my key in the door lock, it wouldn't turn either way. So then I tried the passenger side - it wouldn't turn either. Key would go in perfectly, just wouldn't budge. So, back to the driver's door I went and continued to attempt to turn it, and finally it did. So, I got in and drove home. When I got home, we wanted to see if it would work. Key wouldn't turn in either lock again. Got it to work one time in driver's door, but that's it.

Key works in the ignition perfect, and works in the trunk perfect. Key looks well worn. After searching here, I came across a thread that said that the key might have worn out, and that a new one is needed. Can this be possible on a car with such low miles, and would it make sense that it works fine in the ignition and trunk?? Any idea how I go about getting a new key since I don't have the metal plate with the id number on it?? And no....the owner doesn't have any other keys.

Thanks!

01_civic

what u mean u dont have the metal plate with id number on it? u mean like license plate? just take it to honda and they'll make u a key for $40

It Wasn't Me

If the lock cylinders are faulty, a new key won't help. I could be wrong, but if the problem was with the key, you would also have difficulty turning the ignition or opening the trunk.

Spray some lube in the key slots on both door locks. It may, or may not help. (not likely if the cylinder's faulty) If that does nothing, see about replacing the lock cylinders. The dealership won't require you to have that tag. They can work around it.

dubzxallxstar

the key is for the porter or the person cleaning getting ready to leave the dealership?

Tinkerbell_too

Not the license plate.. the owners manual says it comes with 3 keys (2 master, 1 valet) and a small metal plate with the id number for the key on it. It says that you will need this plate to get keys made for the car.

Tinkerbell_too

Wouldn't it be odd for BOTH lock cylinders to be faulty?

It Wasn't Me

It's not unheard of. The door lock cylinders aren't the most durable of parts. Either way you'll want to contact the dealership, either for parts or new key(s).

The cylinder on my driver's door was getting "sticky" so I lubed it, and it's been fine since then. Now, I know this may sound weird (because it is) but sometimes my key works better one way than the other. What I mean by that is; sometimes when I try to unlock my driver's door, the lock seems a bit resistant. I pull the key out, rotate it clockwise 180° to try again, and it works fine.

unevolved

Yeah, it's amazing how well shooting a bit of WD40 in a keyslot can work.

Of course, it can not work equally as well.

Tinkerbell_too

OK....tried spraying WD40 in both of the lock cylinders this morning. Didn't make a bit of difference. So...after work, we stopped by the Honda dealership and the guy at the parts counter said he would make us a new key just to see if by chance that was the problem, and if it didn't work, he wouldn't charge us. He cut it first and wanted to try it before he programmed it. Tried it in the door and it worked PERFECT. Turns out the key was extremely worn out. Not sure why it worked in the ignition and trunk, but it could have been days away from not working anything.

To shed some light on pricing for these keys, we paid $36 for the first one and $19 for the 2nd one (can't remember exactly why the 2nd one was cheaper, something to do with the programming). He said that if we didn't have an original key with the chip in it, it would have been $100 for one key....but since we had our original one with the chip, it was way cheap.

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions. Hopefully me posting the results will help someone out down the line.

It Wasn't Me

Congrats on getting it figured out, and thanks for the update. I'll keep this thread handy for future reference.

On a side note: It's odd that the key was that worn out. The car must've seen a lot of in-town traffic, which would explain the low miles, but worn key. Strange, nonetheless.

texasnick

Either that or the key has just been used to open the doors alot. Especially if the car got really dirty alot.

I think I've used the actual KEY to unlock my doors maybe 5 times total in the past 4 years. Keyfob FTW