French locks and keys always give us problems. Their design is poor and this leads to worn keys, and locks that will not turn. Today we’re look at a Citroen Berlingo ignition problem, which will also apply to the Peugeot Partner of the same age.
The vehicle we’re looking at is the Citroen Berlingo, built between 2008-2017. This van has been the mainstay of small business, being fairly cheap but a great workhorse. Unfortunately the locks and keys are terrible, so lets look at why.
Todays story involves a company that had a problem where the key no longer turned in the ignition. It had been difficult to turn for a while, but not dealt with, eventually leaving the driver stranded. Once recovered, they ordered a new ignition from the dealer, which took about two weeks to arrive.
The good news about ordering from the dealer, is that the lock is built up to suit your vehicle, so that when it arrives, your key will turn it. Or at least it should do!
Citroen Berlingo ignition problem - the old key doesn't fit
Unfortunately, after all the wait, when the lock arrived it didn’t come with a key or any key blades. So when the owner tried his old key in it didn’t work. Not only would it not turn, the old key wouldn’t even side into the lock!. Let us show you why.
The important thing on any key is what we call the mouth of the key. It’s the part at the tip of the key that is shaped so the key slides smoothly into the lock. When the mouth gets worn, the key doesn’t get a good lead into the lock. When this is really bad, the key will not slide into the lock at all.
We see this a lot on Berlingo and Partner vans. On this ooccasion, the company had a bad Citroen Berlingo ignition problem and they needed help solving it. They were convinced that the lock they had been sent was wrong, or faulty. However, when we took one look at their key, we could see that the problem was with the mouth of the key.
Citroen Berlingo ignition problem - Our solution
When a lock is new, it needs a new key. For a lock to work, the sharp lines on teh key need to move the inside if he lock correctly so the lock turns easily. The lock should never be difficult to turn, otherwise it becomes damaged inside. This leads to teh lock no longer turning.
The simple thing to try was a brand new key blade, to see if it would slide into and turn the lock. We could cut the new blade because the new lock was supplied with a key number, as above shows. This number doesn’t make much sense unless you are a locksmith, but it fixed the Citroen Berlingo lock problem.
We cut a new flip key case, to key number which worked perfectly. Then removed the electronics from inside the old key and pplaced them in the new key case. This meant that with a new lock, and key, the van was up and running.
Where is Lincoln Car Key Man?
We have a drop in workshop in Lincoln and we’re always happy to give free expert advice. Such as in this problem, sometimes the solution is simple and cost effective. Without this new key case, our customer would have needed a new transpondr remote key. On top of this it would hve needed programming which would have been even more expense.
Drop in if you’re local, at 50 Chieftain Way, Tritton Rd in Lincoln. Click here to find us on Google Maps
If you’re travelling any distance, please call us first to make sure we’re open and at base, as sometimes we are out on call. We hope this has helped and that we’ll see you in the future.