In hindsight, I really wish I'd just bought the genuine part because I wasted half of this beautiful day trying to fix my door, and I ended up wasting $40 because I bought the cheap part so long ago that I can't even return it any more.
A Lesson In Quality!
Seeing as it was wonderful outside today, I figured I'd finally replace the front passenger door lock as it hasn't been locking properly for a while now. I ordered a $40 door lock module off ebay a few months back, seeing as how that was extremely cheap compared to what I saw in other places.
Well the whole job went smoothly, no issues as I've taken my door panels off several times prior (this was also a good opportunity to swap out any broken clips). About an hour after I started, I tightened the last screw and checked my achievement. Pulling the interior handle, I noticed that it was incredibly smooth, so much so that I worried that a gentle breeze might accidentally pull the handle. That should've been my first warning to stop, but I went ahead and closed the door to see how it works from the outside. Not bad, pulls very smooth and feels like a new car. I opened and closed the door twice and on my third try, the door wouldn't open.... :hmmm: Is it locked, I thought? Nope the little nipple is erect. I pulled up the handle to release the cable, thinking maybe I put too much tension on it but even so, nothing. Won't open from the inside or outside. This is when I started to panic a little because I just put a new interior in a few months ago and there was no way in hell I was going to be tearing it up already.
I took a break and by the time I came back I had enough energy where I thought I'd be able to just muscle it/punch it open. That didn't work so well... Finally, just as I was about to give up, I try to tug on it one last time and, as if a prayer had been answered, it magically opens.
I investigated what could have possibly went wrong but everything was hooked up correctly - there aren't many things that could go wrong here. Finally, my last resort was to just swap the old one back in and live with a door that I had to lock manually (for now). Looking at the new part, it turns out that the lever that holds the outside door handle cable was rubbing on something on the inside and sometimes getting stuck in the open position, simulating a situation where there wouldn't be enough slack.
Lesson learned: there's a reason that genuine VW parts cost more; they'll last much longer (at least longer than 3 pulls on the handle)
Well the whole job went smoothly, no issues as I've taken my door panels off several times prior (this was also a good opportunity to swap out any broken clips). About an hour after I started, I tightened the last screw and checked my achievement. Pulling the interior handle, I noticed that it was incredibly smooth, so much so that I worried that a gentle breeze might accidentally pull the handle. That should've been my first warning to stop, but I went ahead and closed the door to see how it works from the outside. Not bad, pulls very smooth and feels like a new car. I opened and closed the door twice and on my third try, the door wouldn't open.... :hmmm: Is it locked, I thought? Nope the little nipple is erect. I pulled up the handle to release the cable, thinking maybe I put too much tension on it but even so, nothing. Won't open from the inside or outside. This is when I started to panic a little because I just put a new interior in a few months ago and there was no way in hell I was going to be tearing it up already.
I took a break and by the time I came back I had enough energy where I thought I'd be able to just muscle it/punch it open. That didn't work so well... Finally, just as I was about to give up, I try to tug on it one last time and, as if a prayer had been answered, it magically opens.
I investigated what could have possibly went wrong but everything was hooked up correctly - there aren't many things that could go wrong here. Finally, my last resort was to just swap the old one back in and live with a door that I had to lock manually (for now). Looking at the new part, it turns out that the lever that holds the outside door handle cable was rubbing on something on the inside and sometimes getting stuck in the open position, simulating a situation where there wouldn't be enough slack.
Lesson learned: there's a reason that genuine VW parts cost more; they'll last much longer (at least longer than 3 pulls on the handle)
1 - 5 of 14 Posts
As much as I hate to say it, I have absolutely no experience with soldering :nervous: Having said that though, the problem lies with the actual motor that pulls the locking nipple down. If I manually press it down to lock the door, I can get it to "bounce" back up if I poke it fast enough. I guess I could actually swap the motors and call it a day but I don't know how reliable this one would be.Have you tried repairing your original latch mechanism? Often times, some of the solder joints fail from years of slamming. If this is the problem, simply re-touching all the solder joints with fresh solder will get the mechanism back to working condition.
taligentx.com: Passat - Door Lock Mechanism Repair
Ahhhh! Stay away from that one, that looks exactly like the one I have! The real one is mostly white plastic and has plastic on the lever that pushes the nipple open.
Do you mean one of these by any chance?Your problem may be the over-center spring, which works the same as a toggle-switch to keep the latch in the lock or unlock positions. It's about 1/2" outside diameter, maybe three turns of wire. One of mine broke, and that door's knob would indeed bounce back up, unlocking one door when the others were locked. I just copied the spring using appropriate steel piano wire, and solved the issue.
Great, I'll just switch over the spring from the crappy module. Seems like an easy fixYes, spring marked "B" looks like the one which was broken on my passenger door latch. I don't remember a hefter "A" spring, but inspect those if you can.
1 - 5 of 14 Posts
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