I have recently bought a Daihatsu Copen but the arm rest between the seets wouldn't lock. I couldn't turn the key when I insert it, does someone know how to fix this?
Have you tried spraying lots of WD-40 into it & leaving it for half an hour? That often fixes things what is stuck! My more dramatic step, & I disclaim any harm it may cause, is to do what I did on my Suzuki's top box. I put the key in then forced the locky bit to turn with my hand. I was at the shops with a big load & no WD-40. It had never even registered with me that it had a lock on it! Turns out it works. But it only contains a 600mL bottle of water, a small box of mints & a thin, long, bendy little LED torch - which I use a lot to find stuff in the dingy cave that is a Copen at night, even with the strongest globe I could buy. Daihatsu decided - I don't know why - to make the light cover very opaque.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I don't have much time this week due to work and school, so I will try it this weekend and give a update than.
I have opposite issue, LoL. Someone has tried to Jimmy open the armrest when it was locked, dislodging some of the conjoined plastic and now, even though the lock works, it won't lock. I'm thinking I need to find from a wrecker the top piece and replace the lock with my own?
If you can find one here, I certainly wouldn't bank on it. At least in Australia wreckers have a national network, allowing you to find a part anywhere in the country. Obviously the wrecker who gets it for you has to have a markup (around 25%) and then there's postage. Again, I still think you have Buckley's, even if you're in Sydney or Melbourne. Plus, if it doesn't come with a key, I doubt you could fit yours as it's an unusual, space saving, locking mechanism that is sealed inside. Another possibility is DIY. You could remove the whole thing & buy a keyed lock from Bunnings then work out how to fit it. A small project, just really requiring a bit of thought. Of course, that will make a tiny space even smaller. But I think the best answer, and my lock works just fine, is just to not put anything valuable in there, use the glove-box instead. I only have a box of mints in the front bit, a 600mL bottle of water (a re-used Oak milk container is optimal) & a thin bendy LED torch to easily find stuff (the standard cabin light is "Dungeon" quality). In 2 years no-one has ever stolen anything from it and if they do, I don't really care. On a parting note, I replaced the stupid rear cargo nets with some bigger, useful ones so I can store 3 fabric shopping bags, rolled up, in one and a cap, beanie & teatowel (I won't explain why) in the other. I can look up the ebay site if you like, although I think I posted this already in "General Chat" some months ago. Again, no thefts so far. Hope this helps, Brian. PS: My next post will be about installing a manual turbo boost controller which dramatically increases performance but won't blow up your engine for $274, combined with my $0.60c mod to make a very, very cool turbo noise by venting to atmosphere. With both mods, my baby sounds great & actually goes. I'd appreciate your review of that post. Stay tuned...
You sound disheartened, we can hope for the best but plan for the worst. Luckily it's not a critical part. If you do hit the wrecking trail, can you also ask about a LHS sunshade? Mine is broken. Meantime I'll have a look for a new centre console lid & a sunshade in some Japanese places, but they often come with 'sticker shock'. I'm also looking at possibly fitting a larger capacity intercooler for those great Canberra 45deg days, but I'm almost frightened to look... My real-time engine sensor is set to go off if it hits 100deg. I passed 90 deg several times last year. Cheers, Brian.
