WOke up this morning just to find out that someone tried to steal my car. Looks like someone used a screw driver, stuck it in the key hole and tried to pry it open. It now has a crack mid-way in the handle(inside part) and the key hole is pretty badly damaged. I can still oopen the door with the handle...but the key hole can't turn to lock or unlock it.

I'm prolly gonng try to see the inside of the door.

Does anyone have any advice?

If I can't be able to fix it, I'm probably gonna try to replace it...but wondered is Honda/Acura can make an exact copy of it so that I won't need 2 keys just to get into my car.

 

You can replace just the key cylinder and have the new one "coded" to your key, if the handle itself is damaged you will have to replace it, [a trip to the bone yard will get you one of them] and most locksmiths can "recode" the key cylinder thats in the used handle to fit your key, the mobile locksmith we use charges $25 to come to our shop and "recode" one, [if we have it out] and $10 if we drop it of at his shop, [it takes him about 5 min.]. 94

 

Unfortunately...my co-worker just told me that I can probably re-order the key cylinder...with the key code. But...I bought this car 2nd hand, so I'm not the original owner. And the key he gave me isn't even a factory issued key. SO I don't have the code.

You mentioned about a locksmith being able to recode the key cylinder. Oh also forgot to mention. Yes the door handle is cracked...real badly too. Anyways back to the topic. So I'll go to a junk yard this weekend to find a complete handle with cylinder. And then have it recoded...did I say this correctly?

Where can I find a locksmith recoder...or practically any local locksmith at the yellow pages can do that? Would you recommend any?(If local...i mean I'm in So.Cal.)

Thanks a lot...this totally ruined my day at work...

 

Yea "coding" is probably not the right word, re-keying may be better, but I guess any locksmith that does cars can do it, our guy does any kind of locks, all we do is give him the cylinder assembly, removable from handle and the key we want to work in it, in 5 - 10 min. it is done. 94

 

another thing that you may be able to do is to swap the cylinder with the passenger side.

get a new door handle and just swap the cylinders around. that gives you time to figure out where to rekey it.

oh and to remove the thing you have to take off the inner door panel, its got 3 screws and then pry it off

 

Cool info. I will actually try to see if it's repairable it seems to turn one way...but not the other. I just realized that at a junk yard I'll have to actually pry one out as well..so I'm going to try to find places that actually have them removed already. Thanks for all your input.

 

They are not that hard to remove, once the door panel is removed all you have to do is disconnect the linkage, remove a couple bolts, [probably 10mm] and then "fold" the handle out, there is no prying. 94

 

I got it removed...but it seems like not only is the cylinder damaged...the door "latch" thingy that when you close the door, the thing that actually keeps the door closed. That thing is damaged for the door mechanism's end. It looked like one of the hinges was loosened(since it was plastic). So now it looks pretty bad now. Unless there are any quick fix-it...I may have to resort to a body/mechanic shop and have it replaced.

This really sucks.

 

If you are talking about the latch mechanism it is also easily removable, 3 Philips screws, [2 above and 1 below the latch] is all that holds it in place. 94

 

Now i tried to remove it...but those metal attachments seem to be on really tight...I really don't like to force things...but are there pinch spots that'll allow it to enable it to slide off?

 

What "metal attachments" are you talking about? 94

 

what I call metal attachments are those skinny metal bars that attaches to the certain levers...Like the door hand of the inside along with the locking plastic thing is attached to a skinny metal rod that attaches to the latching mechanism.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by djdc2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what I call metal attachments are those skinny metal bars that attaches to the certain levers...Like the door hand of the inside along with the locking plastic thing is attached to a skinny metal rod that attaches to the latching mechanism. </TD></TR></TABLE>OK, linkage rods, they are held in place, [at both ends] by a plastic "clip", that you have to unclip off the rod itself and swivel out of the way, the rod then has to be pulled out of the "clip" and the lever it is connected to, the plastic clips can be hard to unclip off the rod. 94

 

ok...I'll try this over the weekend...or I prolly should buy a unit first then do this.

 

Good info. I have to replace a cylinder in the hatch. I didn't realize a locksmith could take a cylinder and match it to a key.