Central locking on Ford Focus

[springo]

I have had problems with the central locking on my Focus for ages now. I have gotten through 3 keys in 5 years. First of all the boot button packs up. Then the other buttons seem to play up. When I am near my car, even without touching the buttons on the key the central locking starts "cycling" and whirring away.

At other times, I sometimes lock and arm my car, turn away and as I am walking away I hear it disarming and unlocking, which is very disconcerting when I have a car full of golf gear!

How would I be fixed on insurance?

It seems that the more technology that car companies keep putting into their cars the more complicated and expensive it becomes for us.

I have now given up - I am taking it in next week to a dealer who will no doubt charge me a fortune to put it right. Well it better be right - because it will go back until it is!

They reckon that there may be water in the loom - I am in no position to argue - the trouble is they know this!

A new key is going to cost me around �40. Don't get duped into the old laptop programming routine - they can programme it quickly by use of the spare key that comes with the car.

Does any one have any views on all this?

Anyone else have intermittent, niggling, nuisance problems with central locking and keys?

[djaychela]

I've had two Focuses (Foci?) - a '99 and an '01. The '99 has some odd C/L traits - sometimes when I'm going along the doors will just lock themselves for no reason. No key has been pressed and it hasn't got rolling locks (the US cars do). It has also unlocked itself a couple of times. I know that's no help, but at least you know you're not imagining it.

The '01 car has never had any problems, but I've only been driving it a month or so.

[springo]

Further to my central locking problem I now wish to report that I have now received my car back from the dealer. They couldn't find any problem with the actual central locking system but they gave me a new key control and charged me �72. This included programming which i know only takes about 30 seconds with the aid of the spare key which I was able to provide, (I hadn't lost the damn thing!). They charged me �27 labour. Nice work if you can get it. And of course Gordon Brown got a bit out of it too with the VAT. So all in all - I am pretty ****** off with Ford.

I could have told them it was the key - every time I went near the car with the flaming thing it was like the car and the key were having a conversation together! If i approached with the spare which has no electronics inside there wasn't a problem - work that out!

[dannyl123456]

go on ebay they should be cheap on there

[bozie69]

every time you went near your car did you have a mobile in your pocket and if so what make mines simple samsung and a few phones unlock my car and lock my car has i found out by sitting near a car park and every time it opened or unlock i would ask the person walking by what mobile phone they had.i know this sounds mad but honest few people helped by letting me know ha ha.right has for reset program if it happens again just get your key the spare one and put it in your switch dont start the car but turn it on /off fast so the lights on the dash light up and back off till you hear it ping now your locking should be working fine.