ARHHH Car Theives! - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

XR6VCT · 06-26-2002, 18:52

I have just found out that last night a few (well more like 6 or 7) cars got broken into, in my street. Naturally my first reaction was to go and check the XR and they have tried to break into the XR as well. It was parked at the bottom of the driveway right next to the house!

It looks like they have jammed something into the key lock and pushed it down - although it hasn't moved that much, but it has certainly been fiddled with. The keyless still works and as far as I can tell they didn't get into the car as nothing was missing or moved (including cds etc).
Pic below

Whats the next step from here? Take it into Ford and see what they can do with it? Will they be able to fix it or will it require a new lock? If so is it costly?

Arhh Not happy!

Xyphoid · 06-26-2002, 19:00

If the Lock still works, then things may not be too bad.

Unfortunately though, The door skin (Metal) may be bent.
(Is the Lock glued on to the Handle, or is there still some metal behind the Handle ????

Basically, what I would try and do is Remove the door trims, and try and Bend the Lock cylinder back in to place, and if neccessary Glue the assy back together.

Also the Damage, in terms of broken plastics, and paint chipping seems to be minimal, which is some good news !

Bloody car theives are the scum of the earth, and it looks like this was an amature job, otherwise they would have got inside !

(Probably some doped up teens, looking for money, sunglasses, decks, and anything worth $$$$ that is not tied down !

XR_Strider_GuY · 06-26-2002, 19:00

Sorry to hear the news mate, seems scum has appeared once again.

Does the key unlock the door when you manually unlock the car. If so perhaps they'll just take the door trim off and pull apart the door handle assy and push the key barrel back into place. Doesn't look too serious from the pic.

Best way to go about it for future precautions (if the barrel is stuffed) is to buy a rear door handle without the key hole and all will work fine and Thieves can't vandle or try to break the barrel.

Having said that the trade off is if you have a flat battery you might not be able to lock/unlock the car.

XR8 Couple · 06-26-2002, 19:01

Quote:

Originally posted by XR6VCT
I have just found out that last night a few (well more like 6 or 7) cars got broken into, in my street. Naturally my first reaction was to go and check the XR and they have tried to break into the XR as well. It was parked at the bottom of the driveway right next to the house!

It looks like they have jammed something into the key lock and pushed it down - although it hasn't moved that much, but it has certainly been fiddled with. The keyless still works and as far as I can tell they didn't get into the car as nothing was missing or moved (including cds etc).
Pic below

Whats the next step from here? Take it into Ford and see what they can do with it? Will they be able to fix it or will it require a new lock? If so is it costly?

Arhh Not happy!

A suggestion might be to get a rod and stick something sticky at the end of it so that it can stick to the bit inside the lock and try and draw it out that way...

Maybe rubber glue, a low strength contact glue?

Just an idea...

XR6VCT · 06-26-2002, 19:07

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. There is a slight chip on the handle thats all. I haven't tried the key yet will do in just a minute. I just took some more photos which have a bit more detail and show it more clearly. I will just resize and upload them up.

XR6VCT · 06-26-2002, 19:16

Some More Pics

XR6VCT · 06-26-2002, 19:20

Ok just went out and tried the key in the lock... and it doesn't work. The key fits in (at a new angle) however it won't move at all once its in there.

Jase_ELXR8 · 06-26-2002, 19:59

Does the key go all the way in??? I would've thought to kill the lock it would've done more damage. Those locks just clip into the plastic handle from behind. Generally they fall out when too much force is applied and drop down. They can just be glued back in place (some ford dealers do this.) A mate had his done after someone tried to break in and he took it to ford, they fixed it for free...

XWJG34 · 06-26-2002, 20:03

Sorry to hear mate...The family EF got broken into in the same manner as yours.... i pulled the door trim off and noticed that the lock is pretty tough, I can't say much about the metal its mounted on though... it was buggered. I pulled the door handle off and straightened the tabs on the doorskin replaced barrell, handle and door trim.... it worked as new after that. So all is not lost... I got a feeling yours has had the same fate as our EF (not sure if AU's have identical setups tho). Hope this helps :beerchuge

XR6VCT · 06-26-2002, 20:06

Jase_ELXR8 - Yeah the key goes all the way in. Once its in though it won't move left or right. Yeah I too would have expected the lock to have droped down. As Xyphoid said it sounds like real amatures that were just looking for anything they could get their hands on.