# Super glue in car door lock. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473 "2012-09-02T20:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/1 "2012-09-02T20:02:56Z")
My car is 12 years old and paid for. It gets good gas mileage, as good as some brand new eco-friendly cars. Unfortunately, it’s a Corvette convertible. I don’t have any enemies, that I know of, neither does my husband. We are friendly to everyone we meet. We help people out whenever we can. I don’t know why anyone would do this to us. My husband drives it to the gym, when the weather is nice. I drive to the pool and the grocery store. Sometimes, we just go out for a criuse. We don’t drive recklessly. We don’t show off. Yesterday we noticed something on the driver’s door, below the lock, super glue. He put the key in and it met an obstruction, superglue. How do we get it out? I know acetone desolves it, but it’s hard to find. Nail polish remover isn’t a substitute. I’m so afraid we’ll have to spend a ton of money to have the lock replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/2 "2012-09-02T20:15:04Z")
You should be able to find acetone at Lowe’s or Home Depot. It’s freely available. Look in the paint department first. The most popular brand comes in a blue can. How are you going to get it in the lock, though? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/3 "2012-09-02T20:18:22Z")
I’d use a GLASS eyedropper to get it into the lock. Maybe a plastic eyedropper will work, or maybe it will melt. Some fingernail polish removers are 100% acetone, some aren’t. Acetone is cheaper, per ounce, in the hardware stores, but if you only want a bit of it, it might be cheaper to just buy some acetone fingernail polish remover. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/4 "2012-09-02T20:24:02Z")
12 years sure sounds like a long time ago, but did a 2000 corvette really not come with remote keyless entry? ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/5 "2012-09-02T20:27:49Z")
There should be a syringe suitable for injecting the solvent into the lock. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/6 "2012-09-02T20:37:33Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > There should be a syringe suitable for injecting the solvent into the lock. :smack: (And she’s a nurse, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/7 "2012-09-02T20:42:34Z")
Make sure you protect the paint below the lock. Acetone may damage it. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/8 "2012-09-02T20:45:02Z")
Glue debonder, they sell it at hobby shops for a few bucks. It comes in a bottle with a thin applicator you can cut to the size you need, it will fit in the lock easy. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/9 "2012-09-02T21:01:51Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > 12 years sure sounds like a long time ago, but did a 2000 corvette really not come with remote keyless entry? Of course it did, but C-5s are notorious for sucking the battery dry. I don’t drive much in the winter. If the battery dies and the car is locked I have a problem. Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll look at Home Depot for acetone, but I believe it’s illegal to sell it in Washington. It’s a carcinogen. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/10 "2012-09-02T21:05:37Z")
I would seriously have the lock removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. Just sayin, you don’t want to mess around with paint finishes etc. Have it done, it really should not be overly expensive. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/11 "2012-09-02T21:11:10Z")
I second **ccamp** ’s idea. It won’t cost _that_ much and you want to be sure the glue hasn’t messed up things the acetone won’t get to. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/12 "2012-09-02T22:49:36Z")
Nope. Its time to upgrade to a ZR-1. Use the 2000 C-5 as a trade-in. You are welcome in advance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ClevelandProud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ClevelandProud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClevelandProud)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/13 "2012-09-02T23:00:03Z")
At Home Depot … Klean-Strip, Acetone, 1 quart Model # QAC18 Store SKU # 126500 $7.48 for one quart [http://tinyurl.com/Acetone-one-quart](http://tinyurl.com/Acetone-one-quart) - Klean-Strip, Acetone, 1 gallon Model # GAC18 Store SKU # 126551 $16.96 for one gallon (that amounts to $4.24 for one quart) [http://tinyurl.com/Acetone-one-gallon](http://tinyurl.com/Acetone-one-gallon) ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/14 "2012-09-02T23:04:40Z")
Replacing a lock is less expensive than having a door repainted. Remove the lock from the door first. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/15 "2012-09-02T23:14:03Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Replacing a lock is less expensive than having a door repainted. Remove the lock from the door first. I came on to post this. I have a long history with superglue accidents and solvents. Trying to inject acetone into the door lock mechanism has a 99% probability of getting it on the door paint or the interior both of which will cause worse and significantly more expensive problems than you have now. Beyond this if there are plastic materials in the door interior (likelihood 100%) they could be melted or damaged by the acetone. As a final note a few drops of acetone may not be nearly enough to free the glued mechanism. For dried superglue to dissolve it practically has to be soaked in acetone. You need to have the lock mechanism removed and cleaned or replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/16 "2012-09-02T23:25:28Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I have a long history with superglue accidents and solvents. Dude—_never_ tell her that you’re breaking up with her in the middle of sex and then pass out drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/17 "2012-09-02T23:26:56Z")
Yup. Lock is screwed. Acetone is just going to soften the superglue and it will reset. Locks are such delicate mechanisms that it will never work properly again. The only way acetone would work would be if you used so much of it you totally washed all superglue out of the lock, and that is only going to be possible (if at all, frankly) if you take the lock out and bathe it in acetone and even then I doubt it. You are going to have to get a new lock fitted. Ain’t life grand. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/18 "2012-09-02T23:38:53Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll look at Home Depot for acetone, but I believe it’s illegal to sell it in Washington. It’s a carcinogen. If that is true, then the state of Washington has no idea what acetone [actually is](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone): > [@](#): > > Acetone is produced and disposed of in the human body through normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in blood and urine… > > …Acetone is believed to exhibit only slight toxicity in normal use, and there is no strong evidence of chronic health effects if basic precautions are followed… …Acetone is not currently regarded as a carcinogen, a mutagenic chemical or a concern for chronic neurotoxicity effects. (a quick Google search for “acetone illegal washington” doesn’t get any relevant hits, with this thread being one of the first) ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/19 "2012-09-03T00:56:23Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > If that is true, then the state of Washington has no idea what acetone [actually is](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone): > > (a quick Google search for “acetone illegal washington” doesn’t get any relevant hits, with this thread being one of the first) I went to Home Depot’s web site, and set my store to a Washington store. Searched for Acetone. I found an item that was an in-store exclusive. I assume that means it is legal there. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473/20 "2012-09-03T01:11:16Z")
Would alcohol work? Or gasoline? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-glue-in-car-door-lock/633473.md?page=2)