Octavia MK1 - Door Lock Failed & Deadlocked!

[darrylg]

My Octavia VRS MK1 had an issue where the passenger front door lock had failed and it was deadlocked.

As some of you will know, this is a real PITA as you can't get the door inner off easily and most of the forums indicate you have to bust the lock to get the door open again.

There's also an option of putting 12v of power across pins 1 and 2, but this didn't work for me either, my lock is completely not working.

Here's how I managed it without breaking anything that wasn't already broken.

 

I followed the process here except the screws are a little difficult.

Start with the screws at the bottom of the door inner.

Then using needle nose pliers remove the screws on the left hand side.

Some careful re-positioning of the door inner will allow you to angle the screws so they can be fully removed even though it doesn't look like they will come out.

You can use the same technique for the bottom right screw (remember it's my passenger side door), with the glove box removed.

The top right screw is not possible to remove.  Leave it there.

With all but the one screw removed, and pushing from the bottom of the door inner, it's possible to remove the door card.  The last screw should rotate the mounting bracket and eventually the bracket will pop out of the door steel completely.

 

Gently peel off the plastic covering of the door.

You should have a bare door now visible (notice that I've already disconnected the lock mechanism in the picture):

 

 

I then drilled a small guide hole into the lock mechanism, just to see where I could safely cut.

You don't need to do this part if you don't want to.

 

 

Then I cut away at the plastic with a hacksaw:

 

 

Rotate the gear with your finger and a screwdriver (acts as a stopper) turning the gear to the right.

You are turning it against a spring, so you need the screwdriver.

Turn it until you hear a click (or maybe not) and until it refuses to turn any more.

 

Then turn the gear in the opposite direction.

This will allow you to pull the door release cable and the door should open.

 

The lock internals look like the following:

 

 

When the lock is deadlocked it looks like the following:

 

 

The oval hole in the grey plastic on the right of the sprung piece, sits on the yellow locking pin below:

 

 

The yellow locking pin is what prevents you from opening the door by pulling the exterior handle or the interior door release.

In the picture the lock is locked.

When the locking pin is pushed up (towards the top right of the picture) the lock mechanics are free to move for the lock to be opened.

 

Hope this helps someone.

 

Darryl

 

[QuattroDave]

Thanks for that, my passenger door is being temperamental at the moment, sometimes unlocking when I unlock the car and othertimes not.  I've found that holding the lever open on the inside passenger door whilst I press the unlock button on the keyfob seems to bring it back but I'm wondering how long that'll keep working!

 

I'm happy to have a go at anything on a car (just finished rebuilding the engine in my quattro as a first attempt at engines!) but something about door cards that I just plain dislike working with.  Probably because they're such a PITA to get off and back on as they're supposed to!

[darrylg]

Sounds like you've got the same issue I had before it completely stopped unlocking.

Sometimes I used to be able to drive around over bumpy ground and it would unlock if I pressed the drivers convenience panel unlock button.  One day it just completely failed.

 

When I eventually had the door open and got the lock mech out, I re-plugged the lock mech into the electrical system and tried testing to see what the issue was.

The motor would engage the lock, but then wouldn't unlock.

So the PCB was working and the motor was semi-working.

 

This is the reason I had to go into great detail on how the deadlock works.  I was trying to work out where it was broken.

Maybe one of the two microswitches had failed or rusted inside, or the motor windings/bushes had degraded.   Really not sure.

It was like it was semi-broke, as it just wouldn't unlock.

 

Plugged the new (used) one I got off fleaBay and it worked first time, no issues.

It's still working now.

 

I hated removing the door inner, don't like bending it around, plus I broke a small plastic tab on the grab handle thing.

But, needs must, to get the MOT passed!

Plus, the dealers would have done it the same way, except they wouldn't have cared as much about damage.

 

Wow, rebuilding engines!

This is where I don't go.  Don't have the patience in the end.

Which is weird if you think about it, because I'll happily change the things that allow me to stop the car, but not the things that make it go   :think:

[haventaclue]

This was a great help when mine dead locked,hammer ect. failed.Though I didn't use a hacksaw,I observed where the cogwheel was from your pics and drilled there with a 13mm bit and used two screwdrivers to turn the cog,took a little time,but I got there.Thanks

[53Racing]

My door didn't work for months with the same intermittent symptoms then dead lock. It also had an EML of Lambda Sensor which never went away even when cleared. Car stood for 4 months or so dead battery. Battery pack started it recently, all doors unlocked and EML hasn't reappeared. Electrical gremlins !!!

[essexocty]

Just hi jacking this! Anyone tried the ebay locks??? My doors are all going as well

[group1rs]

Just hi jacking this! Anyone tried the ebay locks??? My doors are all going as well

I just purchased an EBay special for the front drivers door. Works perfectly and for £20 posted a bargain.

[octaviadan]

Just hi jacking this! Anyone tried the ebay locks??? My doors are all going as well

Fitted a few of these now on different Octavias and have been fine so far!

Dan

[piv34uk]

Wow just come in from breaking my n/s/f door lock motor off, what a pig and im a techie (Toyota) Day off so thought i would have a go at fixing it but motor is completely pooped. I put ebay door motor into search to see if the ebay ones are any good so this will be my next port of call. Just had to dead lock the door to keep it shut until new motor arrives 

[group1rs]

Wow just come in from breaking my n/s/f door lock motor off, what a pig and im a techie (Toyota) Day off so thought i would have a go at fixing it but motor is completely pooped. I put ebay door motor into search to see if the ebay ones are any good so this will be my next port of call. Just had to dead lock the door to keep it shut until new motor arrives

Ebay ones are fine. I've fitted a few in the last couple of months. And yes a pig of a job if it's dead locked and you have to smash the old one off !

[mac11irl]

You dont need to smash the lock, just cut top open and wind the deadlock screw pin back (tricky as it wants to spring back the whole time but its possible)

Ebay locks are grand too,

Problem i had was getting the 2 spline bolts out of the actual door lock. Totally seized had to drill them out and get new ones

[piv34uk]

Cheers for advice all, fitted ebay one that was delivered within 2 days for under £20 and all works fine again..... just hope my 2010 vrs doesnt get the same problem

 

Phil

[abudabi555]

i have a problem with mine i had a dodgy starter motor it eventually died so i put new one on, car now starts great but when i turn the ignition the cabin light flashes once and sometimes the passenger or rear door locks by itself?? i have since had a health check on the car and they say the battery is on its way out, do you think this could be causing the problems?

[group1rs]

i have a problem with mine i had a dodgy starter motor it eventually died so i put new one on, car now starts great but when i turn the ignition the cabin light flashes once and sometimes the passenger or rear door locks by itself?? i have since had a health check on the car and they say the battery is on its way out, do you think this could be causing the problems?

Possibly. A new battery from TPS is not that expensive. Give me a shout if you need a hand as I'm in Kent too.

[abudabi555]

hi mate thats very kind of you to tell you the truth from the start the car has been a bit of a lemon [a green unlucky colour one] i had a focus before and it lasted five years even though i bought it with 120,000 on the clock, someone crashed into it so i got 700 off the insurance and went car hunting but as i didn't have a car to look for one i was in a rush [not good] my wife is slovakian and iv'e been there a few times, every other car is a skoda and plenty of octys, i heard they were reliable since vag took them over and my mate had a diesel in the uk which was lovely, i didn't specifically go out to get one but saw one advertised 4 months ago  at cross st garage gillingham for 1450 i knocked him down to 1300 cash and he said he'd put new mot on it and also change the starter motor which sounded like it was on it's last legs

when i collected the car the following day after arranging insurance i asked him about the starter to which he replied it was cleaned up and fine, it sounded fine so i drove away two weeks later the starter gave up the ghost i rang him due to it being still in warranty he said he had another that he would fit so i took it over there

it was fitted but no better than the old one? i bought a new one had it fitted and thats when the central locking started to play up i rang dealer and he agreed to refund 50 back after threatening him with trade descriptions

got my mechanic to give once over for £120 he said belts are fairly new and bearings are fine it's a good car

 

was driving in Sheerness and something banged on the undercarriage? i carried on driving then in evening went to herne bay, the steering failed i looked under the bonnet and power steering fluid everywhere!

towed it home through joining AA [118 quid] then mechanic looked at it saying new high pressure pipe needed due to leak near banjo joint, he said get one off ebay 28 quid all in but it was the WRONG one when sent and for the vrs

, they did however accept returns and i asked at the time if it was for all the 1.8ts which it wasn't i rang skoda main dealer they said £91 but i had other used quote from internet for £50 so i purchased that over phone, an hour later they said they took it off shelf but was damaged so they refunded £50 i called skoda again and they said they made mistake it was £191!!!  i told mechanic and he said he'd weld it, he came round following day and it turned out to be a perished rubber pipe join?? so after all that he charged £30

since that time perfomance has been woeful and a vibration on accelerator pedal and straining feeling from engine

eml went on coming back from rochester called aa who put their tester on it and it was one of the coils plugged into the spark plug that had popped up 10mm? was looking for possibe cause on google and luckily on this site i read they had recalls for this [lucky] i got in touch with skoda motorline rainham and they booked it in for last monday they said they were original so they changed them and i supplied new plugs for them to change for tenner,

they did a 'health check' and superbad news but i don't trust them completely as they are not only service technicians but salesmen, the list is

rear pads 90% worn £115

wipers £29

battery £109

heat shield on cat insecure £139

spring rear offside rusty £200

drive shaft boot osf split £191

new tyre old one 4mm tread £64

 

and finally .............

 

lower engine/gearbox not bolted on properly possible damaged threads £2,205

grand total £3052

 

iv'e obviously not accepted the quote and have already changed the wipers for a tenner and tied up the heat shield with a large jubilee clip for 2 quid, i bought the rear brakes for £15 but need to get rewind tool i think it's laser 1214 or i may decide to let mechanic do it he's fairly cheap i want him to look at thes bolt missing on gearbox but he can't come till after christmas possibly early january it's potentially dangerous so i will have to poodle around again

the drive boot only needs the circlip around one end it's not split as they said

the rear spring costs £24 free delivery off parts gateway online so i might get that one

 

it's keeping me busy thats for sure

Edited 23 December, 2015 by abudabi555

[mac11irl]

Lomg list there.. but, if changing the spring - do both. Itl cost an extra few quid, but you wont have to replace the other one due to ut failimg shortly.. and, you wont have uneven rear suspension due to age difference on each side...

Good news on the coil packs though!

[abudabi555]

Lomg list there.. but, if changing the spring - do both. Itl cost an extra few quid, but you wont have to replace the other one due to ut failimg shortly.. and, you wont have uneven rear suspension due to age difference on each side...

Good news on the coil packs though!

thanks yes i will it makes sense

[abudabi555]

Lomg list there.. but, if changing the spring - do both. Itl cost an extra few quid, but you wont have to replace the other one due to ut failimg shortly.. and, you wont have uneven rear suspension due to age difference on each side...

Good news on the coil packs though!

 

Lomg list there.. but, if changing the spring - do both. Itl cost an extra few quid, but you wont have to replace the other one due to ut failimg shortly.. and, you wont have uneven rear suspension due to age difference on each side...

Good news on the coil packs though!

 

so just had mechanic round this morning he tapped a new thread out and fixed the dogbone then put new pads and discs on the back and put a new clip on the gaiter all drives lovely now back to normal speeds without the vibration and noise, did it for 50 quid and i supplied the parts which i got cheap off a site called scpock? its a boot fair type site and they had some discs/pads for 20 quid so i bought those and took the pads i previously bought back to cat componenets for refund of guess what? 20 quid :} so free discs essentially

how on earth can main skoda dealer quote 3000!!!! ridiculous

so all that needs doing are the rear springs but to tell you the truth they dont look that bad so i might just leave them

i was too lazy to change the brakes myself and he knows his job better than me anyway

 

Edited 6 January, 2016 by abudabi555

[ade t]

Sounds like you've got the same issue I had before it completely stopped unlocking.

Sometimes I used to be able to drive around over bumpy ground and it would unlock if I pressed the drivers convenience panel unlock button.  One day it just completely failed.

 

When I eventually had the door open and got the lock mech out, I re-plugged the lock mech into the electrical system and tried testing to see what the issue was.

The motor would engage the lock, but then wouldn't unlock.

So the PCB was working and the motor was semi-working.

 

This is the reason I had to go into great detail on how the deadlock works.  I was trying to work out where it was broken.

Maybe one of the two microswitches had failed or rusted inside, or the motor windings/bushes had degraded.   Really not sure.

It was like it was semi-broke, as it just wouldn't unlock.

 

Plugged the new (used) one I got off fleaBay and it worked first time, no issues.

It's still working now.

 

I hated removing the door inner, don't like bending it around, plus I broke a small plastic tab on the grab handle thing.

But, needs must, to get the MOT passed!

Plus, the dealers would have done it the same way, except they wouldn't have cared as much about damage.

 

Wow, rebuilding engines!

This is where I don't go.  Don't have the patience in the end.

Which is weird if you think about it, because I'll happily change the things that allow me to stop the car, but not the things that make it go   :think:

Thanks for such a helpful guide, I ran out of daylight but I've managed to get my doorcard off without (much!) damage, just gotta get the hacksaw out tomorrow and wind that gear around, it will be nice to be able to open the passenger door again(even my 43 year old vw can do that!)

[jon davies]

has anyone got any other idea , i have followed the thread, got to the cog, turned it to the right all thw way , the left, - no change!

when i operate the central locking the button on the door goes up and down , but still deadlocked. this is a new lock i bought a few months ago, but only had it fitted 3 weeeks ago, it worked for a week!

if i get it unlocked do folks recommend replacing it , or should it be ok?

Edited 28 May, 2016 by jon davies

[Davvers 8]

Thanks for posting this, great detail and pictures.  worked for me I used multiple drill holes and pliers to make the hole to turn the wheel.

Great work, thanks again  🙂

[DXS]

Apologies for digging up this old thread but it's the top result in google for Octavia door deadlocked and I thought I would share what worked for me on my MK1 and potentially save someone quite a bit of hassle removing the door card.

 

Operated the central locking from the button on the drivers door repeatedly, whacked the area where the locking mechanism is on the inside of the passenger door with a torque wrench at the same time.. door unlocked 😎

 

[Dean]

Please be aware that whacking the door lock doesn’t always work. And here’s why...

 

Corrosion on the pins and both connectors blocks. It was so bad that two of the pins have snapped which doesn’t allow power to the lock (yet the window works). 

[mac11irl]

as above. 

if the whacking works, get the door stripped immediately and replace the unit and/or strip the harness.

Edited 22 July, 2020 by mac11irl

[Fastblack]

Currently doing this on rear passenger door - great fun!

Has anyone got a link to the best ebay replacement locks for a Mk1 vRS estate?