2003 Nuevo habitation door lock problem

Whilst on holiday in Cornwall last week - wet and VERY windy, I locked myself out of 'Polly' simply by closing the door from the outside. It locked itself, and I repeated this from the inside (later on!). It took The 'Green Flag' mechanic to force entry via the passenger door to retrieve the keys! From now on I shall make sure I never leave the van without a set of keys on my person, even if it is only for a few yards. Has anyone else suffered this problem?

Hi AlanK,
I know it's a long time since your post, and there are no replies attached.
I have the same problem, which has returned after the lock was 'cleaned' by my local garage, six months ago.
Did you find a cure?
Thanks,
Justin

Marquis Npton had not come across this problem, which in theory cannot happen! I have not had the problem since, but the latch continues to be stiff.

In the Outer Hebrides this Summer I attempted to rescue an Austrian lady whose VW had done the impossible and locked itself while she was in the shower block. She had owned the van several years and this had never happened before. We resorted to calling out the "local"(!) garage man, who effected entry via long welding rod and a great deal of fiddling about.

I think the best solution to this oft-discussed issue is to have a spare key somewhere under the van (whatever type). We have a Merc Sprinter which locks the doors after about 30 seconds, unless one of the cab doors has been opened, so it is dead easy to unlock the door with the fob, enter via the habitation door, put the keys on a surface and go out again closing the hab door. This happened to us on a very windy day at a supermarket (fellow owners of the dreaded Hartal door will know never to leave that open in the wind). Fortunately I had taped a little water-proof key box under the van and we got back in just as the heavens opened!

there is a device which looks like a large -ish padlock the hasp of which you can secure to some part of the van and the body of the lock opens witha 4 digit numerical code giving access to a key inside.
something like this - https://www.safe.co.uk/products/mini-key-safe-padlock.html
 that particular one is no longer available but similar ones are

raymondo wrote:there is a device which looks like a large -ish padlock the hasp of which you can secure to some part of the van and the body of the lock opens witha 4 digit numerical code giving access to a key inside.
something like this - https://www.safe.co.uk/products/mini-key-safe-padlock.html
 that particular one is no longer available but similar ones are

I used a similar keysafe on my old VW T25. The safe was hidden somewhere extremely well (You needed a screwdriver and a keen eye to find it), but allowed a way into the van if the worst happened.

The problem with this is we all comment on how we need to beef up security, but this add's a weakness, so just make sure you hide it very well. The obvious wheel arches etc are too easy for a thief to take a quite feel around for key boxes.

I think I may well hide one on the chassis, well underneath, so I have to crawl, on my back, to retrieve it........no thief would be that keen,hopefully, and getting muddy would serve me right for getting myself locked out............ .

There's an idea from Modelman in this thread...

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t9861-security

I think the plastic box idea is a little too vulnerable.

Some thieves do know that key boxes are used and will have a scout under the van. I would at least use a key box with a combination lock so there is some security, and then possibly only leave the hab door key it and then hide an ignition key in the van itself if needed.

Its certainly unlikely of course, but having the entire key set in one place only takes a tea leaf to have a look under the van and then they have full access and the ability to simply drive away leaving you stranded.

If you lock the cab door, using the central locking button on the dashboard, then the hab door, if open at the time, is primed to lock itself as soon as it is shut, even if this is some time after you lock the cab doors.

We have had this happen to us once, and had to get back via an undignified and painful shimmy using the external underbed locker, thankfully not locked.

Our insurance company make a point in their T&C that we do not leave any keys in the van when we are not in it. I'm not sure what they'd make of a key box outside but you might have to be prepared to lie about it if your van is broken into without keys being used and you have to claim.

Quilter wrote:If you lock the cab door, using the central locking button on the dashboard, then the hab door, if open at the time, is primed to lock itself as soon as it is shut, even if this is some time after you lock the cab doors.

The OP is the older vans where the hab door is totally manual.

I had it happen myself once and I think the problem is the inner rotating lock/handle can sometimes stick slightly in the open position so it's still under spring tension, and as the door is pulled shut the tension is released and the lock spins past the middle 'open' setting with enough energy to close the mechanism enough to lock the door.

If you turn the key to the 6/12 o-clock position on opening however and remove the key, I think that stops the door from being locked using the inner handle. Need to check this, but I seem to remember when I got the van I had problems locking internally and realised I needed to take the key out in the 3/9-o-clock position to release the mechanism. Might be a way to prevent it happening.

Thanks Noggin, and all the other callers.
I'll try the key suggestion and see if that works.
The alternative is to keep a spare key on a chain around one's neck.....
Justin