Question about door locks

[jermag24]

My wife's 98 Camry LE has a broken lock on the passenger door (messed up by someone trying to break in with a screwdriver), and I'd like to replace it. Would it be possible to find the door locks, ignition assembly, and trunk lock together so I could keep using one key? All I've seen on Ebay is locks for the front doors. Thanks!

[N35QU!K]

Originally Posted by jermag24

My wife's 98 Camry LE has a broken lock on the passenger door (messed up by someone trying to break in with a screwdriver), and I'd like to replace it. Would it be possible to find the door locks, ignition assembly, and trunk lock together so I could keep using one key? All I've seen on Ebay is locks for the front doors. Thanks!

That's probably something you would want to go to the dealer for. It's probably gonna be much more expensive, but hey, it's your car's securitiy and ability to start, after all.

I've actually got the same problem, only with the drivers side door; probably the same reason too, heh. If I remember correctly, the Gen3 & 4 were the most stolen cars of their time.

[djb2]

Which part is damaged? The door handle, the lock cylinder, or both?

It's very easy to swap lock cylinder wafers to match your current key. I did a write-up two or three weeks ago:
Rebuilding / rekeying a Toyota lock cylinder

A lock cylinder should cost about $5 at a boneyard. If your old lock cylinder still has an undamaged core, you can just insert your key, remove the circlip, and pull the core out with the wafers in position. It should take under five minutes (plus the hour it will take you to remove the door panel and handle if you have never done it before).

You'll need to take out your door handle, so it's a good time to replace it if it's damaged. You can get already-painted aftermarket ones on FleaBay for a reasonable price. Most of the cars in the boneyards already have had their exterior handles, so don't expect to get lucky there.

[jermag24]

Originally Posted by djb2

Which part is damaged? The door handle, the lock cylinder, or both?

It's very easy to swap lock cylinder wafers to match your current key. I did a write-up two or three weeks ago:
Rebuilding / rekeying a Toyota lock cylinder

A lock cylinder should cost about $5 at a boneyard. If your old lock cylinder still has an undamaged core, you can just insert your key, remove the circlip, and pull the core out with the wafers in position. It should take under five minutes (plus the hour it will take you to remove the door panel and handle if you have never done it before).

You'll need to take out your door handle, so it's a good time to replace it if it's damaged. You can get already-painted aftermarket ones on FleaBay for a reasonable price. Most of the cars in the boneyards already have had their exterior handles, so don't expect to get lucky there.

It looks like the internals are damaged too. It literally looks like someone took a screwdriver, and slammed it in with a hammer. I was just hoping to get all of the locks done for convenience, but I may just buy the two for the front doors off Ebay. Thanks for the replies!

[djb2]

You should keep the key pattern that came with the car. That way it will be easy to get replacement keys cut from the VIN.

The replacement handles don't come with lock cylinders. It's easiest to get the cylinders from a boneyard -- they aren't popular parts to take, and you'll get to practice. Swapping wafers around to re-key a lock cylinder is really easy once you know how to do it.

This is definitely a DIY. It will take less time than traveling to have the work done, and you'll be much more careful with your door panels than someone on the clock.

[jermag24]

Originally Posted by djb2

You should keep the key pattern that came with the car. That way it will be easy to get replacement keys cut from the VIN.

The replacement handles don't come with lock cylinders. It's easiest to get the cylinders from a boneyard -- they aren't popular parts to take, and you'll get to practice. Swapping wafers around to re-key a lock cylinder is really easy once you know how to do it.

This is definitely a DIY. It will take less time than traveling to have the work done, and you'll be much more careful with your door panels than someone on the clock.

Nice, I'll probably just get a used one and swap the wafers. Trouble is, the junk yards are close to a half hour away. Any good used sources online? (work fulltime and go to school fulltime). Thanks!