further to my recent post my barrel has locked again.I have tried spare keys but no joy.I had a new barrel fitted about 6000mls ago barrel from GM.Do I have to get locksmith out again.and will gm supply a new barrel to suit my keys. any ideas.
Are you sure it's the barrel that's locked and not the pin that locks the steering wheel? That's what jiggling the wheel while trying the key actually 'fixes'. This is most likely if the fault occurred without any previous symptoms. It was a very common job on Vauxhalls in hot weather when I was a recovery driver. Sometimes the cooling action of a healthy squirt of contact cleaner into the lock and the column shroud was enough to release what was jammed.
Vauxhall ought to supply a new barrel matched to your key, but it will cost more than a random one and take a while to be delivered.
Some things to do from now on:
Never engage the steering lock!
Always park with the front wheels straight.
Never park with the front wheels touching the kerb.
Slim down the keyring with your car key on it - do you really need to carry every key you own all the time? A collection of sharp metal objects hanging near you knee won't be any good in a crash either.
Locks should be lubricated by a tiny amount of graphite powder applied to the key - a couple of strokes from a pencil is enough. Do that after you've cleaned out the residue of whatever is in there now.