Door locking mechanism

[lambert.john]

On the whole my Excel has been a most reliable and dependable car in thè 12 yrs I've owned it. However, the area which causes the most problems is the door locking mechanism. Over the years I've replaced the driver side latch and handle, and the passenger side latch and actuator. Even so, at the moment the passenger side can only be unlocked with the key (suspect another failed actuator) and the driver side will not lock at all, even with the key!

Should I, like Mr Bean with his Mini, resort to a padlock on each door?

[Benbay001]

Just posted almost exactly the same..
Didnt bother searching because i searched yesterday and couldnt find anything on the topic.
What are the chances? Doh!

[Hawaiis0]

My locking trouble was cured with WD40. I could unlock from either side but only lock from the passenger side. WD40 tick in the box

[Mr Locust]

Similar experience here. I have found it beneficial to occasionally flood the lock mechanism on the rear of the door with a light oil such as aerosol 3 IN 1 when the locking starts to feel a little sticky. That usually gets things back to a slick operating condition.

[John]

I had this sort of trouble with mine, but WD40 in the locks plus adjustment of the strikers sorted it. Be careful when slackening off the striker adjustment screws. If you take both off at the same time, the plate they screw into will drop off and you'll have to take trim panels out to retrieve it.

My strikers had insulation tape wrapped around them and were loose. I got rid of the tape and re-set the striker positions, tightening up the screws, and all was well again.

Prior to that the interior and key operation of the locks was a lottery.