hi i have a 99 civic ex coupe and the power lock actuator just got replaced because the drivers door wasnt locking when i opened up the door...like the door would lock when the door was closed the power door lock worked fine, when it was open however the lock wouldnt lock after my mechanic did the work i asked why it still wasnt working ($200 later) he said it was a safety mechanism that when the door was open the power door lock wouldnt work so you didnt lock your keys in the car, but when i have the passenger door open and push the lock on the drivers side it locks

so is it a safety mechanism or not and can you turn it off? would keyless entry solve this, i am getting the remote in next week (car is equipped with keyless entry but the old owners didint have the remote) will my keyless entry work from the outside?

thanks

 

exactly like your mechanic said, its there so that you dont lock your keys in your car.

easy way around it is when you have the drivers door open,pull the inside door handle (as if trying to open the door), and hit the lock button with the handle pulled. Sounds more complicated than it really is, after a while you'll be doing it one handed everytime you get outta the car.

Even with keyless entry, that lock is not going to engage with the driver's door open.

 

thanks so much for your response, with the door closed the keyless entry should lock from the out from the outside right? do you have a 96-00? is this definitely the case with the safety mechanism? is there any other way to disengage it besides this?

thanks

 

I used to own a 99 EX. Pretty sure all Civics I've ever ridden in/drove were the same way. And to my knowledge, there is no way to turn off the safety mechanism. Not sure why you'd want to..

Yes, keyless will lock the doors from the outside when they are closed

 

well i would want to just so i could lock the door whiles they are open and i am getting out of my car without having to pull the handle...i just tried it and it works and its not a big hassle or anything once i get the keyless it will be a lot easier thank you very much for your help i wish i knew this yesterday lol woulda saved me 200 bucks

 

well if your car already has power locks..... shouldnt the keyless entry unit already be in the car? i know my 99 ex has it....
i dont use it anymore tho i have a aftermarket alarm system so i use its keyless entry now.. so i got 2 remotes i dont use anymore...


but im suprised the mechanic is charging you for something that wasnt bad....... id at least get that old part back IF HE DID INFACT CHANGE IT... sounds to me like the mechnic shoulda known beter and checked it out first before billing ya!

 

I have a 95 ex and i have to do the same thing. I think alot/most civics have that feature. its kind of good i guess though

 

it is equipped with keyless i just dont have the remote, getting it next week though

 

and i was told it needed the acuator so i went out and bought that and my mechanic just installed it so its not really his fault, just kind of dumb of me haha

 

have ya bought the remote yet?
ill sell ya both of mine for 35bucks shiped in the 48states.....
i sure as hell dont need them anymore.LOL
THE ONE ON THE LEFT i got 2 of them...
car came with one and i bought a second as a backup remote control cause it was only like 30bucks and the new alarm system was like 250bucks....