Hi all —

My son inherited a 2001 Saturn L300 from his late grandmother. The car sat for a while as we waited for plates, and during that time, someone apparently jammed something into the driver’s side door lock. The key won’t go in at all now — it looks like someone tried to force it with a screwdriver.



We’ve been using the key fob to get in, and the car runs fine — I’m currently teaching him to drive it — but we’d like to get the lock fixed or replaced before he heads back to college in the fall.



I’d like to replace the driver’s side door lock cylinder so we can use the key again. I saw a part online (Locksmart DL48230) that might fit, but I’m not 100% sure. Can anyone confirm compatibility for the L300? Or suggest a better source or part number?



Also wondering: would a locksmith be able to extract the damaged cylinder and match a replacement to our existing key? Or should I just replace it and live with two keys?



Any help or advice appreciated — thanks in advance.

 

I would contact a locksmith. The door locks fit 2000-2005 L series and 2002-2007 VUE. After discussing this with a locksmith see if he is willing to rekey a used cylinder. You probably can buy a couple lock cylinders at a wrecking yard, they will be somewhat expensive if you cannot pull the parts yourself.

 

The lock cylinders can be recoded to fit your existing key fairly easily. You just need to find someone willing to help.

 

A good locksmith should be able to fix it for you.

 

Thank you! I'll start poking around for one.