Door card removal from deadlocked octavia.

[Conor305]

How to remove Octavia door card with door deadlocked.

You will need the following

- a suitable torx bit

- 2 medium to large flat blade screwdrivers

- large phillips screwdriver

- small phillips screwdriver

- a Haynes manual is also a big help.

1. Open window all the way down

2. Remove triangular speaker from front of door at top of door card. Prise off with flathead screwdriver as it is only held on by 2 clips. Disconnect wiring.

3. Prise out small panel for electric mirrors with a flathead screwdriver. Remove phillips screw that is now visible behind the door pull handle.

4. Where you clasp your hand around the handle for, say, pulling the door shut after you get in the car, you will have to look and see that there is a small cylindrical plastic piece, about 10 cm long, that needs prising away with a flathead screwdriver. Remove this piece and then you should be able to prise out the entire panel for the electric switches for the windows and central locking. Remove this panel. Make sure to disconnect the wiring. You will notice that the base is held on by 5 phillips screws. Remove these and then the plastic base.

5. There are now 3 big phillips head screws visible. Remove these and note the order. The middle screw is longer and also has a white plastic bush.

6. Remove the 3 torx head screws from the bottom of the door card. You may have to use the torx bit and a pliers.

7. Pull away the door aperature weather seal from the bottom half of the B post.

8. Remove phillips screw from top piece of the cover that goes over the driver’s side seat belt. This is attached to the B post. Remove the bottom half of the same seat belt cover, attached by clips. From the back seat on the driver’s side you should gain access to the 2 hidden torx screws that were obstructed by the weather seal and seat belt covers.

9. From outside the car prise/lever off the top of the door card from the door frame. Be careful not to catch the window glass. The top of the card will now lift off the top of the door frame. Again, be careful not to damage it.

10. This gave me access to the door release cable which had snapped. Stuck vice grips on and pulled. Door opened.

11. You should now have access to the final set of torx screws that were hidden up against the a post.

12. Remove the red light that is visible when the door is open. Disconnect wiring. Remove tiny red light from extreme top of door panel near B post. Door card shoould now come off.

13. Bear in mind that I had a deadlocked door before I broke the door release cable. I tried thumping the door around the lock area from inside and outside. Tried every combination of pressing buttons and pulling on handles at the same time. Had also used a hair drier to heat up inside the door panel to see if this would help.

14. Note that if you are fitting a new door release cable - I got mine promptly via eBay, thanks Jo - that you don’t need to fully remove door handle and lock barrel. All you need is to remove the two large torx screws that hold the door lock in place. This gives you enough room to get the end of the new cable into its fitting in the lock. You will need help at certain times - thanks Linda - as three hands are needed on occasion.

Make sure you fit the outer cable correctly before reassembly.

15. Hope this helps as iIwas 6 weeks getting in and out of the passenger side.

16. Many thanks to all the tips I picked up from members on the site.

Edited 5 October, 2008 by DGW
Minor formatting changes.

[ardy]

Is this the same for rear doors (octy mk1)? Thanks

[devonutopia]

I am looking forward to trying to re-open a deadlocked fabia door at some point.... SO looking forward to it! :(

[seanyroche]

I am looking forward to trying to re-open a deadlocked fabia door at some point.... SO looking forward to it! :(

i got the rear door card off using a needle nose plyers to turn the torx screws sidways. but there is a problem with the wiring and I cant get the door open.

[Leppla]

How exactly did you get the torx out with the long nose??

[jiimythec]

I'm so glad you posted this. Had some toe rag try to break into my car by slamming a screwdriver into the lock, totally futile on a such a car. Have been getting in and out through the passenger side since. Have an MOT coming up soon so need to fix it. Thankyou

[JohnElliott]

Had the same problem with the door deadlocked, got the bottom screws out and the rear side screws, After everything was removed all that was left was the two screws by the glove box, took off the glove box, still could not get at the screws so just used brute force to pull of the door card - and damaged it of course,

Still I was pleased that I could now get to the door lock. I then used a couple of the hints about pressing the door release at the same time as thumping the door lock. Needed three hand so enlisted the wife, the to the count of three she pressed the drivers side door release and I thumped a screwdriver placed against the lock. After three tries the lock released itself. Saved all the breaking the lock with hammer and cold chisel that I had read. I have a replacement door lock waiting to be fitted but now I cannot get the outside door handle off, I have removed the plugs by the handle as described in Haynes, but there is no screws to undo.

Can anyone help please. Do I have to just lever off the door handle.

[JohnElliott]

Had the same problem with the door deadlocked, got the bottom screws out and the rear side screws, After everything was removed all that was left was the two screws by the glove box, took off the glove box, still could not get at the screws so just used brute force to pull of the door card - and damaged it of course,

Still I was pleased that I could now get to the door lock. I then used a couple of the hints about pressing the door release at the same time as thumping the door lock. Needed three hand so enlisted the wife, the to the count of three she pressed the drivers side door release and I thumped a screwdriver placed against the lock. After three tries the lock released itself. Saved all the breaking the lock with hammer and cold chisel that I had read. I have a replacement door lock waiting to be fitted but now I cannot get the outside door handle off, I have removed the plugs by the handle as described in Haynes, but there is no screws to undo.

Can anyone help please. Do I have to just lever off the door handle.

[rwbaldwin]

Here's what you need http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/113882-removing-a-door-handle-fabia-and-octavia/