when i lock my drivers side it usually wont unlock with my key, so we took the door panels off and tried to see what the problem was, the rod that locks the door was bent a little so we fixed that and it is still hard to do and when the interior goes back on i think i will have the same problem, anyone have this happen to them or have any suggestions,

 

A little 3 in 1 household oil in the lock cylindar will probably help. Squirt some in there, even easier if you take it out as thee are some "access holes". Squirt some in, move it around with the key to spread it to all the parts.

 

Don't use oil! It'll make dirt and dust collect-then you'll really have problems. Use the powdered graphite--made just for this purpose. This doesn't really answer your question about the rod-but I wanted to clarify the oil comment.