Ignition key barrel lock wont turn

[Rock Trol]

I was in Whyalla on the weekend when the ignition key barrel lock stuck and I couldnt start the car. They key would would move in and out but I couldn't rotate it to start the car. I called the RAA and after an hour they showed up. The RAA guys sprayed some lubricant in first but it wouldnt turn. He than tapped the end of the barrel with a hammer but it was still stuck. He then took the plastic cowling off and started tapping the barrel with the hammer until it freed up.

He said that it was just a pin that was stuck, maybe from some dirt or lint on the key. He looked at my key and said it didnt look too worn and that maybe the barrel was a little worn. He suggested I get it replaced or disassembled and cleaned. The car has started without a problem since then but I now have this feeling that it will happen again.

In an older thread from 2014 mudski wrote: O.k I recently went through all this with my GU. I went and saw my locksmith, and he said the barrels on these cars don't wear out. The keys do...I got the code for the key and the locksmith cut new keys to the code and all's good.

(http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?27594-ignition-barrel-won-t-turn)

Before I call some lock smiths to get a quote I wanted to find out if this is a common problem or if its simply the keys. The door locks also feel a little notchy when I open and close them (DX so not remote locking). This is an ex Telstra car so I assume it was locked/unlocked many times each day.

[Rock Trol]

UPDATE: I called a couple of lock smiths this morning to get an idea of how much it would cost. The first one gave me a quote on new barrel or reconditioning old one etc. The second I called suggested that the keys where at fault, just like in Mudski's case.

I took it down to Glanville and they cut a new key to test and it was as smooth as butter when opening the doors or the ignition. Even the rear door which I could not open with the old keys was as smooth as silk. They then made a new key with new transponder for $99. He also cut the transponder out of the Nissan key (the one most worn) and put it into a second key for $20 so now I have 3 keys with transponders.

Pretty happy with their price and service. I dont know if I can mention them by name but if you are in Adelaide and want to know, just message me. If I hadn't of stumbled upon Mudski's post about his experience I might have just gone with the first quote and not looked for a different cause.

[mudski]

Haha! Glad to have helped. I spent a few dollars on getting keys cut from those Mr Minit people and they assured me it would be ok. Even with a worn key. So finding a, real, locksmith and getting new keys cut using the barrel code from Nissan is the only and best option in my opinion.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

[Rock Trol]

Haha! Glad to have helped. I spent a few dollars on getting keys cut from those Mr Minit people and they assured me it would be ok. Even with a worn key. So finding a, real, locksmith and getting new keys cut using the barrel code from Nissan is the only and best option in my opinion.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

Thats right. When they cut my keys they cut them from code, not from the old worn out keys. Thats a very important point to keep in mind if you plan on replacing the keys.