Ignition/keys

[paintwgn]

Recently had to replace ignition switch on my 91Q. Was having having a hard time inserting key into ignition. This problem only occurred sporadically at first. Felt like an electromagnetic force was clutching the key. Got to the point where it took 5 or 10 min to start the car. When the key finally went all the way in there was never a problem turning it in the tumbler. Tried WD-40 etc., to no avail. Dealer was no help-but only too happy to charge an arm and a leg (as always) to replace the ignition assembly. Any thoughts on the subject

[Q451990]

It's a common problem and replacement is the best way to fix it. The lock has wafers rather than pins, so they probably bind after a while. A good locksmith might be able to rebuild the lock assembly, but I don't know.

My dealer also mentioned that having a lot of extra weight on your key ring will cause them to wear out faster. I'm not sure if it's true, but I put just the Q key, house key, and alarm remote on one ring and haven't had any problems with the replacement lock in 85K, the old one was sticking when I bought the car at 83K.

Heath