Where to buy lock return spring?

tooch · Postby **tooch** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:05 pm

I need to replace the commonly broken lock return spring in my NA, I'm sick of being locked in the car.

I refuse to pay $15 plus postage for one from Mania, that's excessive for a tiny spring. Local hardware store had nothing, any clue of where I would find such a thing?

Thanks.

aka_juffa · Postby **aka_juffa** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:23 pm

If you still have the broken spring you maybe able to bend the end the broke and reuse the spring. Thats what I did with one of my 5s, and for a friends.

J

tooch · Postby **tooch** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:28 pm

Thanks for the suggestion, the old one was knackered though. It was all rusty and when stretched out it wouldn't spring back into place

Postby **NitroDann** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:32 pm

Your local body shop will give you one.

Dann

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:32 pm

$15 is pretty trifling. I am not familiar with the spring- there are still some spring suppliers around the traps but whether someone will make a spring for much less is debatable. By the time you go down to the local repair shop and he looks at you like you are a martian just contribute a few dlrs to Mania. PS springs are tricky things much harder to fabricate than people imagine.

tooch · Postby **tooch** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:38 pm

$15 is excessive for a spring that small. The UK MX5 parts sites have them for around 4GBP (approx $6).
I had a look in the 'spring' section of Masters, and they had probably 50 different sizes and types, (but of course none that were close enough for this purpose), ranging in price from $2 up to $4.50.

I can't be arsed searching for it for weeks and wasting fuel driving around, so will probably give in and order one anyway, but it just annoys me that I could buy one for around $3.50 in almost any other size that I need, except this one!

(Not normally such a tight arse

)

aka_juffa · Postby **aka_juffa** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 8:58 pm

Try Allmaz wreckers in Clayton. I would think that the same lock used in the MX-5 is also used in other models as well.

J.

ps Out of curiosity, does your 5 have central locking. Both cars that I was involved in fixing for this prob had central locking. All my other 5s without central locking never had this problem.

tooch · Postby **tooch** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:59 am

aka_juffa wrote:Try Allmaz wreckers in Clayton. I would think that the same lock used in the MX-5 is also used in other models as well.

J.

ps Out of curiosity, does your 5 have central locking. Both cars that I was involved in fixing for this prob had central locking. All my other 5s without central locking never had this problem.

No central locking in this one

Postby **NitroDann** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 1:03 pm

Body shops buy these exact springs by the metre (yes its a metre long) and then cut the length they need from it and bend the ends over.

This is a common body shop thing just go down and show the guy the broken one and ask if he has one, he will.

Dann

93_Clubman · Postby **93_Clubman** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:12 pm

tooch wrote:I had a look in the 'spring' section of Masters, and they had probably 50 different sizes and types, (but of course none that were close enough for this purpose)

Local Bunnings might be worth a look.

Or you can get a longer one & cut it to length taking into account you then need to just twist the end out to hook it on as the original would.

aka_juffa wrote:Out of curiosity, does your 5 have central locking. Both cars that I was involved in fixing for this prob had central locking. All my other 5s without central locking never had this problem.

Lock spring on my Clubman went recently - no central locking.

tooch · Postby **tooch** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 5:03 pm

93_Clubman wrote:
tooch wrote:I had a look in the 'spring' section of Masters, and they had probably 50 different sizes and types, (but of course none that were close enough for this purpose)

Local Bunnings might be worth a look.

Or you can get a longer one & cut it to length taking into account you then need to just twist the end out to hook it on as the original would.

aka_juffa wrote:Out of curiosity, does your 5 have central locking. Both cars that I was involved in fixing for this prob had central locking. All my other 5s without central locking never had this problem.

Lock spring on my Clubman went recently - no central locking.

Exactly what I did this morning!

Bunnings in Box Hill had a massive selection of different sized springs. Grabbed one which looked roughly right, had to cut most of it away to make it small enough, and mangle it a bit to make it fit and stay springy enough. Cost me $2.98