Automotive lock mechanisms are much the same as other lock mechanisms. However, the servicing needs of the auto lock are unique. For example, in the average car, the driver’s side door lock and the ignition lock are used every day. Since these locks are used so often, they tend to wear excessively.
Typical problems include pin wear (which causes the key to work poorly or not at all), broken parts, “freezing” due to lack of lubrication, and even broken keys.
The most common reason a locksmith is called to assist with an automobile is the lockout. The second most common occurrence is lost car keys. Another typical service locksmiths perform is rekeying. Locksmiths are often called upon to in-stall security systems in vehicles. Finally, a locksmith may be needed to repair or replace a defective or inoperative lock.
Because there are so many different car models available today, it’s impossible for the locksmith to know everything about every type of vehicle. For this reason, most profes-sional locksmiths rely on reference manuals to supplement their locksmithing knowledge. Most car locks operate on the same basic principles. If you understand these basic princi-ples, you can look up the other details you may need to know in a reference manual.
A typical automobile has locks to secure the car doors, trunk, glove compartment, and of course, the ignition switch. Each of these systems will contain a lock cylinder as well as a latching mechanism. Automobiles use basically the same type of lock cylinders as do residential door locks, padlocks, and so on. In most vehicles produced today, only three types of lock cylinders are used. These are
1. The disk tumbler lock
2. The side bar wafer lock (a variation of the disk tumbler lock) 3. The pin tumbler lock
The side bar wafer lock is a variation of the disk tumbler lock that’s widely used by General Motors Corporation. Side bar wafer locks provide a greater degree of security than simple disk tumbler locks since they’re extremely difficult to pick.
A side bar cylinder has four main parts: the plug, the shell, the wafers, and the side bar cover. The disks in a side bar wafer lock are much like those in a standard disk tumbler lock, but with one change: each disk (or wafer) has a V--shaped notch on one side. When the side bar wafer mechanism is locked, the side bar mechanism extends into a special slot in-side the shell; as a result, the plug is held securely in place.
When the disks are aligned by the key, the disks release the side bar mechanism from a slot in the shell. Once the side bar is released, the plug can turn, opening the lock.
The side bar wafer lock can be easily distinguished by look-ing at the key slot, which is slightly off-center. Also, the key is inserted into a side bar wafer lock with the flat side up. This is exactly the opposite of most other types of locks.
In most vehicle keying systems, two keys are used to operate the vehicle’s locks. The primary key operates the ignition and doors, and the secondary key operates the trunk and glove compartment. Still another system used in automobiles is the master key system. In an automotive master key system, the owner has one key that will operate only the door and igni-tion, and a master key that operates all of the vehicle’s locks.
If the original key isn’t available for duplication, the most common method used to make a new key is to cut the key by code. Using a key-cutting machine capable of cutting by code and a proper automotive code reference book, most
automobile keys can be duplicated without having the origi-nal key or disassembling the lock.
The key code number corresponds to the cuts of the key for a particular lock. It reflects a set number of cuts for the lock. You can obtain key code information for a vehicle from a number of sources, including the car dealer, the car owner, the car it-self, the lock cylinder, or in the owner’s manual for the vehicle.
The easiest and most reliable place to look is the original sales invoice supplied with the vehicle by the manufacturer.
During construction, a lock cylinder is usually inserted from the outside through a hole in the car door. Once the lock is in-serted into the door, it’s retained by a special retainer clip that’s clipped onto the lock from inside the door. This retainer clip holds the lock in the door and prevents it from being pulled out of the hole.
If a problem occurs with an auto lock, it will be necessary to remove the lock to service it. It’s important to note that
modern practice is to replace lock cylinders in cars rather than attempt to repair them. This is because the cylinders them-selves are relatively inexpensive and it takes less time to re-place a cylinder than remove it, repair it, and reinstall it.
Most automobile locks can be opened without keys, using the same basic methods as with regular locks. Three possible methods you can use to open a car lock without keys are the following:
1. Using special tools 2. Picking
3. Impressioning
In most situations, the locksmith will use an opening tool to gain access to a locked car. Since the window is the most vulnerable area of many cars, most locksmiths will attempt to gain entry there. Most auto-opening tools are inserted between the window glass and the surrounding weather stripping. Once inside, the tool is manipulated to open the door-locking mechanism from the inside.
The most commonly used opening tools are the rubber wedge, the krypton light, the Slim Jim, the MCOT tool, the Spring-L tool, and the Slide Lock tool.
In a recent year, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report,
$7 billion was lost nationwide to motor vehicle theft. The av-erage value per stolen vehicle was estimated at $5,117. Only a small percentage of these thefts are cleared by an arrest. Even fewer cases result in the return of the stolen vehicle.
These grim statistics show that motor vehicle theft is a big business for the criminal population. Because of this, locks and security systems are becoming more and more important on automobiles.
This rise in vehicle crimes has also helped create a new mar-ket for companies selling automotive anti-theft devices. These devices range anywhere from clamp-on steel bars to prevent the steering wheel from being turned to sophisticated anti-theft systems equipped with motion detectors.
Many of today’s manufacturers are developing high-technology systems that are more resistant to criminals. One such system is the General Motors Vehicle Anti-Theft System (VATS). The GM VATS system uses specially designed key blanks. If the in-correct key blank is inserted into the lock, the vehicle won’t start and the engine will be automatically disabled for a period of time.
Auto security systems help deter the theft or vandalism of a ve-hicle and its contents. The systems do this by making it very difficult for a thief to get into the car without being detected.
Older alarm systems were difficult to install and required hard-wiring in many cases. This kept some locksmiths out of the alarm business. However, modern alarm systems are very advanced and easy to install.
Many different car alarms are available that can perform a variety of functions. However, most of these systems operate on a simple relay principle. A relay is an electric switch that changes the direction of electrical flow. An alarm circuit consists of sim-ple wiring connecting the various parts of the car to the alarm bell. Under normal circumstances, the alarm remains quiet.
However, when any part of the alarm circuit is disturbed (glass broken, engine turned on without turning off the alarm system first, etc.) the alarm system’s “brain” realizes that someone is tampering with the vehicle, and the alarm bell sounds.
A hidden switch alarm contains a simple switch that’s thrown by hand to turn the system on. Once the alarm system is on,
it must be turned off again before you can start the engine, or else the alarm will sound. The switch to the system is hidden in the car so that only the owner will know where it is.
With a key pad alarm, the car’s owner has to enter a code number into a key pad in order to turn the alarm system on or off. A passive alarm is connected directly to the car’s igni-tion switch. When the owner inserts the key into the igniigni-tion, the alarm system turns itself off. When the engine is turned off and the key removed, the alarm turns itself on.
The key-operated switch is installed in the driver’s side door of a car. The owner inserts and turns a special key to turn on the alarm system. The advantage of this model is that the owner doesn’t have to be inside the vehicle to turn the system on.
In a remote-control alarm system, the alarm system is in-stalled in the car in much the same way we’ve already de-scribed. A radio signal generated by a small transmitter device is used to activate the system. The receiver device in this type of system is a small box mounted on the car’s dash-board that’s called an LED (light emitting diode). The LED has a small button that flashes when the system is armed, warn-ing any would-be intruders that the system is on. To turn on the alarm system, the owner simply closes the car door, points the transmitter at the car, and presses a button.
These systems can be passively connected to the car’s igni-tion, so the customer can get all insurance advantages from this model. One additional feature of this type of alarm is that if you see someone suspicious near your car or if you’re accosted in a parking area near your car, you can use the remote-control device to sound an alarm and summon help.
The car’s alarm can be triggered from anywhere within the transmitter’s range, which is usually between 20 and 150 feet.
The remote transmitter can be programmed to perform a va-riety of functions in the car. For example, it can start your car automatically to allow it to warm up on cold mornings. The transmitter can also be programmed to operate your garage door opener.
The main disadvantage of this type of system is that the transmitter device is small and can be lost or misplaced. In such a situation, the owner has to “break in” to his or her
own car (setting off the alarm in the process) and find a hid-den switch to manually deactivate the alarm system.
Most security systems are designed to sound an alarm when any one of the car doors is opened. The easiest way to do this is to run a wire from the alarm system to the dome light of the car. The dome light is the light on the ceiling of the car that goes on when any door is opened. Any time a door is
opened, the dome light goes on, and unless the alarm has been disarmed, the alarm will sound.
Motion detectors are alarm components that are designed to sense movement in any part of the vehicle. If an intruder at-tempts to do anything to the car—break the window glass, open the door, open the hood—the alarm system will detect the motion and set off the alarm.
A glass-break detector is a “listening” device that’s designed to listen for the sound of breaking glass. The device is tuned to listen for the exact sound frequency that occurs when glass breaks. When an intruder attempts to enter a vehicle by breaking a window, the alarm will instantly sound.
The siren is the most familiar alarm-sounding device. Sirens are designed to be very loud, and sound at a frequency that’s very annoying to human ears at close range. This is a deliber-ate feature; if the sound is loud enough and disturbing
enough, it will chase the intruder away from the vehicle.
A pager is an electronic device that sends a signal to the car’s owner when someone breaks into the vehicle. When the de-vice is activated, it raises the car’s antenna and transmits a signal through the antenna. This feature is designed to give the owner time to alert the police.
Do You Know Now . . .
Below are the answers to the questions asked at the beginning of this study unit.
What is a primary key?
In most cases, two keys are used to operate the locks in a vehicle. The primary key operates the ignition and doors. The secondary key operates the trunk and glove compartment.
What is a krypton light?
A krypton light is a tool used in car opening. It has a handle containing a battery, a flexible shaft that’s small enough to be inserted into a car door, and a tiny light bulb at the end of the shaft.
What does VATS stand for?
VATS stands for Vehicle Anti-Theft System.
NOTES
1
1. False 2. True 3. False 4. False 5. False 6. True 7. True
2
1. primary
2. cutting by code
3. master key and valet key 4. secondary
5. spacer or guide key
6. a car dealer, the car owner, the car itself, the lock cylinder, the own-er’s manual
3
1. vertical 2. cam or pawl 3. lock rod 4. horizontal 5. replace, repair 6. glove compartment
4
1. False 2. False 3. True 4. False 5. True 6. False