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MG MGA - Help: Getting back into a coupe

I put the coupe that I am working on outside to do something else in the garage, and because I was back and forth, I locked it. When I went to put it back inside, I can turn the barrel, but the handle remains blocked. I tried it before closing the door and the handle blocked and unblocked correctly. How can I get back in without damaging anything?
dominic clancy

Hi Dominique,

In the good old days, a piece of bent wire (coat hanger) was pushed under the front 1/4 light rubber and used to open the latch. From there you may be able to reach in and open the door.

Good luck,
Mark
M Wellard

if you have plastic packing tape you can fold it in half push it in between quarterglass and sealing rubber, capture quarterglass handle ,pull up, reach in to internal door handle. Bob
Bob Walker

Why do all the Australians know how to break into a coupe? :)
Larry Wheeler

misguided youth or %$#@%^ up and having to get back in my car
Bob Walker

Thanks I'll pick up some tape from the Postroom tomorrow
dominic clancy

With the tape it was a three minute job, a locked coupe is really not much more secure than a roadster!

dominic clancy


Larry Wheeler, Oregon, USA
Why do all the Australians know how to break into a coupe? :)

What else would you expect of a nation populated by imported convicts, felons, refugees and "poms" who could only afford a £10 assisted passage? 😏
T Aczel

Probably best to not leave anything inside, and leave it unlocked, rather than risk somebody coming along and breaking an irreplaceable window to get in.

-Del
D Rawlins

"Probably best to not leave anything inside, and leave it unlocked, rather than risk somebody coming along and breaking an irreplaceable window to get in."

Good thought, Del, but I know of several people that had their cars broken into because the thief assumed they were locked and didn't try the door.

You probably need a sign saying things like 'No radio" and such.

Dominic - I can understand having this problem in Australia ;-) But in civilized Switzerland?? Do you live in the South where the unrulier elements tend to be?
Bill Spohn

I live in Zürich.

It's not true that the south has any difference in levels of crime at all, it's very low everywhere - though particularly in border areas theft problems are sometimes *said* to be caused by non-resident gangs or criminal tourism.

It's only half an hour or so from here to Germany, an hour to France, 90 minutes to Austria, and three hours to Italy, so where the picking are rich and easy, the crime will come! As most border points are not controlled at all (like the whole Schengen area) it's as easy for all to come and go as they please.
dominic clancy

Even with a normally operating lock barrel most provided no security, even without resorting to tape, due to wear as you could turn the barrel with anything, e.g. a screwdriver or even in one case I opened mine with an old pre decimilisation UK 6d coin.

Paul


Paul Dean

Well Paul, at least since decimalisation the 6d coin will be much harder to get hold of. :-)
Graeme Williams

That's the problem on the coupe. You can lock the car using the handle on the inside, but even though I could "unlock" the car with the keys, the internal locking mechanism isn't connected to the key, so no amount of fiddling at the rear end of the door was going to get me in.

The parcel band trick was a doozie and involved only a flat blade screwdriver to force the band lop through the quarter light rubbers. After that it was just a matter of hooking the quarter light latch, and seconds later, Game Over.......
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 21/04/2015 and 02/05/2015

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