Locked Out Of C5 2006 Estate... Any Help Please!

[Calvadosian]

Hello all,

I might be asking the impossible, but my one and only key/remote are in the ignition and my car has locked itself!

Obviously, I am desperate to enter the car at the earliest time.

 

My C5 is a phase II, 2.0 hdi 138 automatic estate - late 2006.

Fortunately the car is in front of my garage. I live in Calvados, France where main dealers and locksmiths are extortionately expensive.

 

I used to be able to enter locked BX models by removing no. plate lamp and moving metal actuator rod (I worked for Citroen).

On this C5 I removed the rear no. plate and made an exploratory central hole, but it is all electric this time. (Hole sealed and no. plate re-revitted!).

 

I do not know if the alarm is activated....

 

PLEASE, anybody know the solution? I'm stuck with using the wife's Modus.

 

Many thanks for reading this.... ever hopeful in France

[paul.h]

Welcome to the forum.

 

If you need to break something to get in, possibly the lowest cost of damage may be to break a window. However, you could try something like a metal coat hanger wire or welding rod with a hook on the end poked down inside a front door glass seal near the lock to see if you can find the interior handle actuator rod and pull it up. I have used this before on other cars when locked out. An example of tools http://www.walkerlocksmiths.co.uk/car-picks-tools/car-bypass-kit?product_id=90

 

For the car to lock itself with the key in the ignition there may be a fault with the car - you could check the wiring between the doors/tailgate and body for any damage.

[Calvadosian]

Thank you for the response and suggestions.

 

The current situation is that I have contacted a UK locksmith to try and obtain a key without transponder, as I only need it to enter the vehicle, not to start the motor.

My next approach would be your welding rod in a door idea.

The last resort will be broken glass on the insurance, but a bit messy.

 

Yes, my worry is how it could have happened. Although it's my third C5, this one is just plain naughty!! This event and other symptoms do point towards a wiring fault anywhere between drivers door and the BSI.

 

Unfortunately I need to remove the fascia/heater unit for repairs to heater fans and flap motors.... have been reluctant as I've never removed an airbag and am a little nervous.

[paul.h]

To need the fascia removing I guess your car is a left hand drive since for a right hand drive car to replace the flap motors and fan does not need the fascia removing, just the footwell area panels and laying in uncomfortable positions under the fascia. Haynes do a workshop manual that is worth getting and explains how to do these jobs, it will be for right hand drive cars so some jobs may be slightly different on your car (I am not sure if the steering column would be in the way for a left hand drive car). You can also get the Citroen service box procedures on dvd through ebay which you put on your computer and these cover left hand drive as well as right hand drive cars.

 

If the heater flaps are not moving it could be the flaps themselves that are broken rather than the motors. This is from the C5 technical section Common Problems pinned topic

10. The air conditioning only gives cold air at one side or does not cool much.

The evaporator matrix cooling the air on the C5 is long and if the amount of refrigerant is low then there will not be enough to cool all the matrix for both sides of the cabin. First step should be a regass then if that does not work and there are no leaks then look at replacing the air flap control motors. A regass may be about £50, a flap new motor about £60. It could also be damage to the air flap shaft motor fitting - see this post http://www.citroen-o...c5-2002-aircon/ . I had to have both C5s regassed when about 7 years old, on the second one there was a printout that showed there was only 93 g of refrigerant left and that 525 g were put back in yet the air con was working and gas could be heard going through the pressure control valve but the air was not cooling much.

 

Also have a look at this topic for a possible fix to a broken heater flap connection http://www.citroen-o...or-air-bag-ecu/

 

Have a look at this topic for alternative ways to fix the broken flap connection by extending the motor spindle using one from another motor or buying a motor already with an extended spindle http://www.citroen-o...ulation-aircon/

 

Have a look at this topic for a case where a new comms 2000 unit fixed the manual air con not working http://www.citroen-o...-manual-aircon/

 

In the May 2015 Car Mechanics magazine there is an excellent article by Rob Marshall where he dismantles a 2004 to 2008 C5 heating system with climate control to replace broken heater flaps (the shaft on one had broken completely and the other was breaking). This involves removing the dash and then the heater unit from the car and then fitting new flaps from a dealer (6480E3 for dual zone and 6480E4 for mono system, both £58.53). There are 63 photos showing all the steps. This topic has some tips on replacing these flaps http://www.citroen-o...-problem/page-0