Key will not manually open door or trunk

[rhymobot]

Hi.

 

Got an '06 SE. I've been having problems with I think the battery for a few weeks now. Have had the car dead a few times these past few weeks when I went to start it in the morning. Brutal winter this year but that's only part of it because I also had a dead battery after an overnight low of about 32F.

 

Anyway, battery is only one year old it might be a bad battery or I might have a parasitic drain. I would like to test things myself but this it's just too damn cold and I live in a condo and don't have the tools with me. My friend half an hour away does.

 

2 weeks ago I discovered that my trunk won't open with the key. I had to get my booster cables from there because the battery was completely dead and the fob wouldn't do anything. So I had to use my wife's cables. I WD40'd the trunk lock but that didn't work. I said to myself I'll try fixing it in the spring and keep my cables in the backseat. And when the car is dead the trunk button does not pop open the trunk.

 

This morning it was brutally cold and car was totally dead. I opened the door manually like I had about 3 times in the past couple of weeks. Tried the boost and it was close but just wouldn't turn over and I left the other car running and giving it juice for over 5 minutes.

 

Just now I went back to boost again and the key won't open the front door!!!!! And of course, there is no keyhole on the passenger side. I'm totally screwed. Tried both keys and they turn both ways but it just will not unlock. Same with the trunk except it doesn't turn whatsoever either way.

 

And I was scheduled to take my car to the mech for an AVR test on Monday. I've been too busy this week studying, working, and preparing for a big interview. Just my luck.

 

Any suggestions?

[akirby]

Are you sure the door isn't just frozen shut?

 

Get a battery booster - they're not super expensive and you don't need another car.

 

Even if it won't start you should have enough juice from the other car to use the fobs.

[rhymobot]

Definitely not frozen shut. Opened fine in the morning and pulled on it hard tonight.

 

I literally can't get into my car right now.

 

And I can't pop the hood either. I can reach under the hood and feel the latch with my fingers but I can't get it to disengage.

[akirby]

Well that's a mechanical link so it sounds like they're definitely frozen. Just because they worked a few hours ago doesn't mean they didn't freeze later.

[rhymobot]

So a couple of days after my car locked me out, I tried again and this time when turning the key to the right, I could feel that slight resistance and then "click", which is the feeling/sound when a door unlocks. Except it still didn't. The previous day I used WD and de-icer for the hell of it and I don't know if they did anything.

 

Anyway, so later on I joined CAA and they came over and propped open the door a bit and unlocked the passenger side. I reached across and opened the driver's side. Then I went around the car and opened the driver's door and then locked it and closed the door. And then tried the key and it worked perfectly. Did this three times. And remember, my car battery was still dead at this point. I have no idea why for that one stretch of time my lock just wouldn't open.

 

After that, they boosted the car and I went to the mechanic for an AVR test and they said the battery is crap. Got a new one and was on my way.