Central Locking Issue

[vr6 south]

My central locking is all working fine with the exemption of the drivers side door which has to be locked or opened manually. The alarm works as it should. I have checked the fuse and disconnected the battery and this has done nothing to resolve the issue. I am guessing it may be a problem associated to to locking mechanism. Does anyone have any ideas on what the problem may be?

[TMB]

The driver's locking unit has four microswitches inside it, It could be that one is not working properly. Another common issue is failed solder joints on the PCB of the same unit.

 

 

 

Also check for broken wires inside the door bellows...

 

 

 

Edited 29 August, 2017 by TMB

[vr6 south]

Thanks. That is really useful. How do you access the locking unit please?

[TMB]

By removing the door trim panel and then the metal ancillaries panel which is either pop riveted or bolted on earlier cars.

 

This video is German but it shows how to remove the trim and ancillaries carrier...

 

 

Edited 29 August, 2017 by TMB

[vr6 south]

15 minutes ago, TMB said:

By removing the door trim panel and then the metal ancillaries panel which is either bolted or pop riveted on earlier cars.

 Thanks again. Something for me to do when I get five minutes to spare. Do you know if the micro switches can be purchased separately?

[TMB]

I suppose it might be possible to find microswitches that fit but never seen anyone do them. There is an additional microswitch on the outside of the unit which can be bought but I don't think the external one is causing the issues you're having. It's probably best to fit a new lock unit. Some members on here have had success which cheap units from ebay.

[Breezy_Pete]

Check the wiring first, far more likely to be a busted wire than a failed microswitch, I think.

[sepulchrave]

3 minutes ago, TMB said:

Some members on here have had success which cheap units from ebay.

 

Because they're made in the same factory from the same stuff as the OE unit, it would be totally uneconomical to tool up just to make these complex parts from scratch, no, the factory carries on churning 'em out after the OE orders dry up without the official OE part number on them, they might cut costs on some components like the PCB's, motors and microswitches.

[vr6 south]

Thanks everyone. I will check the wiring before anything else. If it comes to it, the Ebay replacement units are cheap enough not to break the bank.

[Jonboy1991]

Ive got a similar issue, all doors bar drivers open fine but key wont fit the door? Having to really fiddle with the passengers handle and internal lock/unlock switch to get life to the drivers lock but it does eventually open. What solved your issue in the end?

[sepulchrave]

 

47 minutes ago, Jonboy1991 said:

Ive got a similar issue, all doors bar drivers open fine but key wont fit the door? Having to really fiddle with the passengers handle and internal lock/unlock switch to get life to the drivers lock but it does eventually open. What solved your issue in the end?

 

Replace the lock before it fails completely and deadlocks the door permanently shut.