jbyrd2003

My beloved '09 S coupe has been sleeping for a few weeks under the carport. I'm in Calgary, AB and it has been approx -20 Celcius for a couple of weeks. The battery appears to be flat, therefore the the fob won't unlock doors and/or trunk. Manual key won't turn in the lock. De-icer also fails.
Any suggestions other than waiting for the upcoming Chinook?
(FYI: a Chinook is a warm-front coming over the mountains that will raise the temperatures to approx 6 C next week or 45 F.)

Epiphany

Maybe try heating the key and putting it in the cylinder? Not sure why it won't turn and the deicer doesn't work. At least you didn't have to be on the craptastic roads the last two days.

crookncastle

how about pouring some warm water onto the door handle and lock then jamming a good penetrant with a spray straw into the keyhole and lubricate the internal components. hopefully it will free up whatever is frozen due to the temp. i never had to deal with car in cold weather climates so this is my best suggestion.

The Pope

iTrader: (2)

or..... use a Hair Dryer to apply a little heat.....

jbyrd2003

Thanks, guys.

I have used a pressurized de-icer to get right inside the lock. I used an actual heat gun to heat a key to untouchable, and used a hair dryer to gently heat the outside of the housing. The technician at Infiniti said he was stumped and suggested getting another key cut. I know my key works, so I am hesitant to do that.
I was wondering if maybe the electronic lock not having ANY power might affect the mechanism. I think I'm back to my original thought. There is a bunch of moisture in there and it's not just in the lock and that stuff is FROZEN.

jbyrd2003

Still on the roads, just in the big diesel 4X.
How is it that so many people that live here are such terrible drivers in snow?

Thanks again.

kiseliok

iTrader: (11)

Eek. That's really weird.
My understanding is that all the cars in the US must have the ability to be opened with a physical key even if there is no power supplied to the vehicle.

Epiphany

As kiseliok said, having power or not should be irrelevant when using the physical key. It's either super frozen inside or something is really broken. I think I've seen instructions on here somewhere to open the hood through the fender liner, but can't seem to find it so hopefully someone else is familiar with it. That would let you charge up the battery.

These last few days have been absolutely brutal, I can't believe how many idiots have almost hit me lately. Should just let one of them do it next time to get a fresh paint job.