Hello, Briskoda! 

 

My front left (LH drive car) electric door lock mechanism is at the end of it's life. Non repairable. I want to buy a new one and not a used from a scrap yard. Is it safe to buy a non genuine lock? I mean is there any reports for an aftermarket mechanism that has failed resulting in an open door accident? 

 

Thank you in advance! 

I've bought cheap pattern locks before and had no issues, plug it in and test it before fitting to make sure it's not DOA.

Yeah! The genuine is quite expensive. I find aftermarket at 30 euros which is a good price. Ebay is cheaper but I can't wait 20 days to arrive. 

The aftermarket lock works great. Now, the door shuts nice and smooth! Hope it will last. 

Be careful when buying a secondhand one. It may look bright and Shiny on the outside,and mechanically work OK. But be aware the cam which locks onto the door frame pin,and operates the microswitch is plastic covered. After a lot of use the plastic wears away or brakes off.The cam then stops operating the microswitch,which is needed for central  locking,and the Interior light.

You cant see any wear on the plastic covered cam when the lock is fitted to the car.Only by operating the lock manually off the car, and looking closely at the cam,and microswitch can  this fault be seen.In the picture the oblong block is the microswitch,with the shaped cam above it.Sorry the photo is  out of focus,I was still changing  the lock and wanted to finish!!

On 20/10/2019 at 19:00, makymak said:

... I want to buy a new one and not a used from a scrap yard. Is it safe to buy a non genuine lock?...... 

 

My opinion, yes safe to buy. Very difficult to find the right part number for right hand drive left front door lock as nearly all I found on ebay are for left hand drive cars so you should be problem free.