Technical Door lock

[Alpine26]

driver's door lock feels s bit stiff when I try to lock it. Fine to unlock it.

There is nowhere to grease, other than through the barrel where the key inserts

If I remove the door panel will I have more access to grease the lock? If so, how easy is it to remove the door panel to get access?

 

[dac69er]

You can remove the external door handle quite easily to get some grease onto the locking mechanism.

Removing the door trim is a bit of an arse tbh. It's fairly easy, but you end up breaking the clips and it is very easy to damage the membrane panel underneath if you aren't careful.
I wouldn't remove mine again if I didn't have too!

 

[Alpine26]

You can remove the external door handle quite easily to get some grease onto the locking mechanism.

Removing the door trim is a bit of an arse tbh. It's fairly easy, but you end up breaking the clips and it is very easy to damage the membrane panel underneath if you aren't careful.
I wouldn't remove mine again if I didn't have too!

cheers, that sounds a better idea. But how do I remove the exterior door handle?

 

[dac69er]

There is a Phillips screw in the back edge of the door above the door catch bit. Undo that and then the external handle will be loose. Slide it towards the front of the car then you can wiggle it about and get it out. Don't be too rough with it though as you don't want to break anything.
Disconnect the rod if you want, but you should be ok leaving it in place and just lubricating behind it.