I have started to get the occasional cental locking gremlin. Everything works ok but every so often the front passenger button stays up when locking. So, before things get any worse i'm taking the casing off and cleaning / sealing the multi-plug. Read a couple of how-to posts (Billy /Yellow car), but am stumped how to prise out the panel shown in pic below. Where do I start leavering?.

 

Thanks  Peter

Edited 22 March, 201610 yr by Silver Bullet

Update: Success!!!

 

Used a screwdriver in the centre of the hand grip (from underneath at the join line) and prised it out. Then lifted (needs a lot of pulling)  the control panel.

This revealed the sub frame that the switch panel clips into. The  switch panel has a multiplug underneath that you can unplug thereby leaving all the switches in place.

 

 

 

Remove the 6 smaller screws and the 3 larger ones and you can lift this frame out. Assuming the 7 small screws around the outer door casing have been removed, the mirror adjusting panel unclipped, the red warning light (by the door c/l button) cable unplugged, speaker cover removed (I left the speaker bolted in place the casing lifts over it quite easily) you can carefully remove the casing (remember to unhook the door release cable from the rear of the door chrome handle.

 

Carefully peeled back the grey foam panel, I unplugged the main multiplug, this is what i found :-

 

 

So, a quick squirt of contact cleaner and I will put it all together and wrap the plug up in plastic+table ties, perhaps the transient fault was caused by a bad surface/surface contact on one of the pins.

 

NB: Before starting this I did a VAG-COM scan and it quoted this multiplug.

Edited 22 March, 201610 yr by Silver Bullet

My sticky front passenger door lock did the same thing, button stayed up. Door card off, soaked in wd40 and spray grease, worked the locking a few times, solved. It also led me to check and protect my multiplugs (see post in tech section).

Glad you sorted it, worth protecting them as a preventative measure. To be fair that plug looks in good nick so good work dude.

Cheers ,

I did read your post on doing the passenger door and Billy 2981 on the drivers door, both were a great help.

I was expecting to see a missing pin or bad corrosion   what a relief.

Anyway the next thing is to take the central locking switch apart on the drivers door panel and give it a clean I saw a lot of fluff and dust around the switch bases. Then tomorrow the passenger door will  get the treatment.

 

Peter

Edited 22 March, 201610 yr by Silver Bullet

Those pins are a bit of a worry, the plug is in a pretty vulnerable position as far as any water passing through the door panel goes.

Update: Success!!!

 

Used a screwdriver in the centre of the hand grip (from underneath at the join line) and prised it out. Then lifted (needs a lot of pulling)  the control panel.

 

This revealed the sub frame that the switch panel clips into. The  switch panel has a multiplug underneath that you can unplug thereby leaving all the switches in place.

 

 

 

 

Remove the 6 smaller screws and the 3 larger ones and you can lift this frame out. Assuming the 7 small screws around the outer door casing have been removed, the mirror adjusting panel unclipped, the red warning light (by the door c/l button) cable unplugged, speaker cover removed (I left the speaker bolted in place the casing lifts over it quite easily) you can carefully remove the casing (remember to unhook the door release cable from the rear of the door chrome handle.

 

Carefully peeled back the grey foam panel, I unplugged the main multiplug, this is what i found :-

 

 

So, a quick squirt of contact cleaner and I will put it all together and wrap the plug up in plastic+table ties, perhaps the transient fault was caused by a bad surface/surface contact on one of the pins.

 

NB: Before starting this I did a VAG-COM scan and it quoted this multiplug.

 

Fancy a swap :( 

 

       

Oh Bugger :( :(

 

I feel for you buddy, not a sight you want to see, I was dreading seeing something like that when I pulled them apart.

There is a post somewhere on here (never been able to find it), someone had the same problem and removed the broken pin, got a replacement one and rewired it.

Edited 25 March, 201610 yr by Silver Bullet

UPDATE: Passenge Side done.

 

Firstly thanks to Yellow Car, billy2981 and last but not least Mark (Bowders) for their very informative "how to posts", they were a great help thanks guys.

 

This is what i found when separating the multi-plug :-

 

 

 

I did notice this residue on the outside of the door lock switch, gave it a few squirts of the contact cleaner plus wd40 on the external linkage.

 

 

This is the contact cleaner I used (its non-conductive, water repellant, I checked its conductivity with a multi meter and a 1.5 volt battery and some tissue soaked in the stuff)

 

 

Both doors have been done like this, a squirt of contact cleaner on both halves of the multi plug, assembled, then a fillet of silicone grease around where the 2 halves meet before wrapping up as seen below.

 

 

Reconnected the battery, working fine passenger door is not sticking open so far  (fingers crossed).

Edited 25 March, 201610 yr by Silver Bullet

Yeah wrap it up boy, that's the way. Prevention is better than cure.

I think I found the post you mentioned a while ago. Iirc the dude soldered in a pin from a pc hardware cable. Doesn't sound like fun to me.