2004 vRS with a deadlocked front passenger door, managed to get the door card off with the door closed and was hoping there was a way to access the lock & get the door open before drilling the rivets but no such luck.

Am I right in thinking I'm going to have to replace the entire lock mechanism rather than trying to repair it as I don't have anywhere secure or dry to leave the car overnight? I was kind of hoping it just needed cleaning and greasing but there seems to be no way of telling until the panel is off.

Also how do I reattach the panel? I've read you can buy replacement rivets from the stealer but I don't have a rivet gun and I've also read they don't fit a standard gun so no point getting one anyway.

All this hassle for a door that's barely used!

URGENT HELP REQUIRED!! After several frustrating hours I've suddenly managed to get the door open but it's too late to fix it tonight, is there any way to disable the deadlock on that door or lock the car tonight so that I can open the passenger door with the inside handle tomorrow?

Leave the multiplug off the motor.

He can't do that, he's not been able to drill the rivets out to remove the metal plate to get at the electrics plug.

 

DB.

Disconnected it inside the door where the hinges are, door is now independent of the central locking but can be locked & unlocked from inside the car.

Have popped the rivets (the heads didn't come off though), haven't had the panel off yet and still don't know how to reattach it once I'm done?

From the noises it was making I'm guessing its the motor, either gunked up, dry joints or the motor is failing, I don't know whether it's worth trying to fix it or not, most people seem to just replace the whole lock mechanism.

Window seems slow to wind up too, slower than going down, don't know if that's a related issue?

... haven't had the panel off yet and still don't know how to reattach it once I'm done?...

May be able to help you there.  I bought some genuine Skoda rivets and a suitable rivet gun a while back when I was doing door-sealing duties.

We're not exactly neighbours, but if you were prepared to put a sensible deposit down, I could send you gun and rivets, and refund you everything except the postage I'd spent, and the value of the rivets used, on safe return of tool and unused rivets? PM me if interested.

Thanks for the offer Wino, I am now totally confused! Spoke to the local stealer earlier bodyshop > service > parts > service    they don't recommend doing it myself as they use a heavy duty rivet gun and reckon I'll end up hurting myself.  You said you've got a suitable rivet gun, question is; will a 'feeble' (stealers opinion) female be able to use it on her own?  I'm sure I can figure it out but how much strength is required as I don't have anyone I can ask to help me.

 

Stealer said they would charge £49.80 to re-rivet it BUT only if ALL the repairs had been done properly and the panel wasn't damaged in the slightest and all the holes were completely flat & intact, from previous experience of their service I avoid them like the plague anyhow and I got the feeling there would definitely be an excuse why they couldn't do it without bumping the price up but they've left me wondering what I've done to the rivets. I drilled one out & the head came off but whilst drilling another the bit broke, I couldn't get a chisel under the heads but a tap with a center punch & hammer popped something out of the middle, I still haven't had the panel off yet but it felt like it would come forwards once the bits for the window were undone. Have I done something wrong? I thought the heads might be easier to remove once the panel was off or maybe I'd get away with not removing them at all (but not if I'm re-riveting obviously) but then what do I know I'm only female after all. 

Hmm, I honestly don't know how much oomph this rivet gun takes, as I didn't use it in the end.  I could take it and the rivets to work tomorrow, set up a 'mock' door panel job and have a go myself, then if I think it's easy enough, get a particularly slight female colleague to have a go? I think she wouldn't mind.  

 

The stealer's rate sounds fairly OK if it weren't for all the provisos.  I don't blame them for covering themselves against quoting a fixed price for an unknown starting point, but it also gives them license to charge what they like, which is a bad situation for you. 

 

My tip for drilling out the rivets would be to use a much bigger drill bit than you might expect to need, which will take the head off more cleanly than a bit that's 'just' big enough. Obviously, you need to stop drilling immediately the head does come off, before you drill a great big hole in the door carrier panel!  Keeping the drill square-on/perpendicular will help too.

 

Sounds to me like you could do with a hand, and I look forward to seeing someone local-ish to you volunteering (if you'd be willing to trust a random Briskodian). :clap:

I don't want to put you to any trouble Wino, it's only that I've read the rivets are fairly meaty & that a standard gun won't cope that's got me wondering how much force is required.

I've misunderstood the instructions for drilling out rivets & where it said use a slightly bigger bit I thought it was referring to the size of the hole in the centre, I was using a 3mm when I should've been using something like an 8mm bit. No wonder the heads didn't come off!

I don't do too bad on my own, barring the odd miss understanding, I just worry I'm going to do something wrong when I can't find clear instructions & land myself with a whopping clear up bill. That said, any offers of help from local Briskodian's will always be gratefully received... random or not.

OK, my petite colleague is working from home today, so I can't get her take on it, but I reckon it's not that hard.

 

It's the Lazy Tong style of rivet gun, so you can get a lot of push without any particular hand/wrist/arm strength. Like this: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D7ECCps0h4

The rivets are pretty chunky, 6.4mm dia 'body', 3.5mm steel 'pin' that has to be pulled by the rivet gun and eventually snapped (after about 4 full pushes). I found a 7.5mm drill bit good for head removal, then you just need to punch the rest of the rivet through with something about 6-6.5mm diameter (M6 bolt?) and a hammer.  Remember to remove all debris from the bottom of the inside of the door while the carrier is off, to avoid blocking drain holes. 

Edit: Only possible issue might be - is there enough (perpendicular) room for that style of rivet gun to do the rivets nearest the front edge/hinge of the door?  Can't remember how wide the doors open, and don't have a Fabia here to check. Edit2: the first piccie in this guide looks encouraging in this respect.

 

I can just get rivet gun and 15 rivets to sneak under 2Kg packed weight so it could go First Class for £5.45 or signed for First Class for £6.55. In my experience, signed for parcels more often arrive next-day than non-ones.

 

Let me know by PM, with best delivery address if you want to have a go.