Door lock longevity.....

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My Accord is currently programmed to lock the doors when you put it in drive, and to unlock them when you put it in park. My previous Accord did no such thing, which I am fine with. Knowing that Honda's have mediocre door lock actuators, is it better to use the locks often to keep them moving, or better to only use them when needed? Thanks!
 
good question. But I can't see opening the door skin on a 10 year old car when the actuator fails to be a BAD thing. You can check inside for rust, spray oil, lube stuff, etc.

Its one of those things that I think need not be used excessively, but should be USED.
 
A lot of times these mechanisms fail from not being used. The grease gets hard, plastic becomes brittle. I always set mine for all unlock on the first press - partly because I hate grabbing for the back door handle to toss something in and it's locked.
 
I don't know about Hondas but on my BMW they also lock automatically and are still going after 10 years.

Maybe Honda also beefed up the design since they are used all the time?
 
are you not worried about your throttle position sensor wearing unevenly? that is a much bigger concern. I know that you drive your car gently, so only first 10% to 20% is being used when you drive. That puts lot of wear on that rheostat in that area compared to the rest of the TPS.
 
One of your honda actuators will go bad at some point. When I did one on an 05 it was the passenger rear, which was probably the least often used. However it was the drivers door check that wore out a few years later???

My suggestion would be to unlock all doors and enter/exit the vehicle through a different door each each time you drive it. Or leave the doors locked and the windows down a la the duke boys.
 
Originally Posted By: JamesBond
One of your honda actuators will go bad at some point. When I did one on an 05 it was the passenger rear, which was probably the least often used. However it was the drivers door check that wore out a few years later???


LOL. Yes, this. Happened to my 94 Accord with just 128k on it.
The plastic gets brittle and breaks. I would definitely say that time is more of the enemy than miles and usage.
 
Originally Posted By: JamesBond
My suggestion would be to unlock all doors and enter/exit the vehicle through a different door each each time you drive it. Or leave the doors locked and the windows down a la the duke boys.
It is easy for you to say that, 007!
 
I never had any problem with door lock, but I did have to replace few window regulators. Not often, more like one window after 10-15 years, another window of the same car few years later.
 
I can not comment on Honda lock actuators, but my Impala has that feature and I deleted it through the radio. My power locks work fine with the switch when I want them locked, but usually I prefer to leave them unlocked. My old Grand Prix had that feature too, but I had to pull the fuse in order to get past that. My Silverado has manual locks/windows and I LOVE it!

Use it however you want and fix what needs fixing when it becomes time.
 
I don't know. I have two cars that are known for bad door lock actuators. Each of them is 10 years old and I have 280k miles between them on the original parts. I think it is luck of the draw. I like having the doors lock automatically, but I usually have a couple kids in the back seat. In some cases tying to break off the handles.

Is the concern the price of the repair? Or the possibility of damage being done during the repair?
 
Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
I don't know. I have two cars that are known for bad door lock actuators. Each of them is 10 years old and I have 280k miles between them on the original parts. I think it is luck of the draw. I like having the doors lock automatically, but I usually have a couple kids in the back seat. In some cases tying to break off the handles.

Is the concern the price of the repair? Or the possibility of damage being done during the repair?


Well, price for sure. I would not be doing the work so I would have to pay someone. They would probably end up doing damage so that would be a concern as well. I just want them to last as long as possible. I was able to shut off the "auto lock/unlock" feature last night. So now they only lock/unlock by using the button on the door and key fob.
 
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