Arrrghhh! Key snapped off in frozen lock! How to remove it?
Discussion
My lock was evidently slightly frozen, not enough to stop me getting the key in but enough to snap the f
king key in two when I tried to unlock it! I didn't use a huge amount of pressure, and i partially blame the poor quality metal of the copy non-OEM key!
Anyway, does anyone have any top tips on how to get the broken part out, if this is at all possible? I'd rather avoid drilling the whole thing out to replace the barrel and having different keys for the drivers door and ignition.
king key in two when I tried to unlock it! I didn't use a huge amount of pressure, and i partially blame the poor quality metal of the copy non-OEM key!Anyway, does anyone have any top tips on how to get the broken part out, if this is at all possible? I'd rather avoid drilling the whole thing out to replace the barrel and having different keys for the drivers door and ignition.
cocktail stick is the best with a little bit of glue ,not too much!
yellowbentines said:
bert11 said:
something thin and pokey inserted into the lock with a blob of superglue on the end. Wait a couple of mins and pull it out
Thanks for the ideas, but I like the sound of this superglue one, wouldn't have thought of that!Got any barbed fishing hooks? Straighten one out and you may be able to pull the piece of key out by holding the straightened hook with pliers.
Two precision screwdrivers, the very thin ones, can sometimes be slid along the blade of the key enough to clamp the key and pull it out.
Depending how much of the key you can get at, needle nosed pliers with the ends milled may work.
Obviously make sure the lock is thawed and that the key is not turned in the cylinder before you try to remove it.
Two precision screwdrivers, the very thin ones, can sometimes be slid along the blade of the key enough to clamp the key and pull it out.
Depending how much of the key you can get at, needle nosed pliers with the ends milled may work.
Obviously make sure the lock is thawed and that the key is not turned in the cylinder before you try to remove it.
Thanks again guys, the car is currently stranded at the other side of Glasgow (under a watchful eye) due to the horrific weather up here, so I haven't had a chance to try the suggestions, but I've managed to get hold of a tool kit from my old man (Aldi special) that has 3 different pairs of thin nosed pliers and some heavy duty tweezers so I don't need to nick my good lady's, I think I'll try them before going crazy with glue and the like.
I'm not in the AA, I drive a reliable Japanese sports car, why on earth would I need an AA membership?
In terms of lifting it up and shaking it, I've been driving it through salted roads for a few weeks now, I'd be worried about bits falling off
I'm not in the AA, I drive a reliable Japanese sports car, why on earth would I need an AA membership?
In terms of lifting it up and shaking it, I've been driving it through salted roads for a few weeks now, I'd be worried about bits falling off
Happened to my father many years ago. He put a blob of superglue on the tip of the free section of the key, popped it in the lock, married it up with the stuck section, then withdraw the whole key.
Superglue is useless for sticking a key together in the long term, but it should offer enough adhesion for you to remove the piece that's stuck in the lock. You can then get a new key cut and throw the broken one away.
Superglue is useless for sticking a key together in the long term, but it should offer enough adhesion for you to remove the piece that's stuck in the lock. You can then get a new key cut and throw the broken one away.
Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 8th December 11:59
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