Well it's that time of year again for us w123 owners. If your little keyhole "flap" is missing or not closing properly then your door lock will freeze at the drop of a hat. I have been known to leave the doors unlocked in the winter OR keep the hatch unlocked so I can crawl through to open the doors. Despite my best efforts, the drivers door freezes. The flap is intact on the pass side but that one still freezes at times. My drivers flap does not close all the way.

Any ideas short of replacing the flap? I assume that job is a real PITA. I have sprayed the lock with PB and graphite at times, still freezes. I have yet to try white lithium grease, I do not really want a greasy key in my pocket. If I can get the moister out of the lock then I thought about a simple piece of tape over the keyhole. Seems like I would be replacing that tape a lot.

I don't mind leaving the doors unlocked but there are times where I would really rather not. Plus I usually leave the car running in the dead of winter(10* or so) when I make quick stops.

So again, any ideas?

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08 R320 CDI current

Past
95 E420
87 300D Turbo 5spd
90 300TE
83 300SD
85 300TD
92 400E
85 190D

get some of that business card magnetic backing, and use it on your lock... easier than tape.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

i had to break out the propane torch the other night, when it was still 22*F outside. i cant wait til it's 0* out....

just a tiny flame on the lock and key for a minute opened it up though...

I have a remote locking system installed so I never use the door key.

*2

Best 25$ I've ever spent. These cars should have had keyless entry at factory :p

On a side note my Benz is the first car i've ever owned with keyless entry.

Sometimes it decides that it doesn't want to work. In case of that i carry a bottle of lock deicer and a lighter in my pocket.

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

WD40 works for me. Well on previous vintage cars. WD = Water Displacement. I spray after every car was this time of year. I would also put a magnetic "coin" over the key hole when washing for extra measure for the really bad cars. But generally, just using WD40 keeps any freezing moisture out.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

Did the MAPP gas thing, heated the extra steel key red hot, put it in, followed by graphite, works ok now

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

This time of year is when I miss my 94 Bmw,if the lock was froze then holding the door handle up for 20 seconds defrosted it .

Ahhh well I feel better now, having read this thread. I had a 126 and a 116 in winter and I don't recall them being as bad as my 300td was today, after letting it sit this week through some freeze-thaw cycle days.

I got the driver and passenger doors open in the front and the pass back door open but that was it. The rear hatch is absolutely frozen in place and the driver rear door is just not cooperating.

I had forgotten the hot WD40 thing. My bad.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I can usually melt my w126s out by just putting the key in my mouth or holding a lighter to it. They rarely freeze. The flap is intact and working on my 240D but it's still able to freeze at the drop of the hat.

Best thing I ever bought was a little $3 or $4 pocket-size thing that melts locks. It's an alcohol-and-aerosol with a little lubricant, it has an applicator tip and you shoot it into your lock sort of like giving yourself an allergy shot (those epi-pen things). It seems to work better and make less of a mess than WD40, which leaves a black trace running down my door afterwards.

Of course it's the size of a kindergarten glue stick and if you aren't carrying it -- or if it's in your center console where mine always was -- it's useless. One of these days I'll get around to keyless entry but unfortunately the one car I need it the most on is the hardest to install it on; no circuitry, no electric vacuum pump, so no choice but a manual actuator and figuring out how to mount it.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL