VRS - Drivers side rear door not opening!!

[59p]

Hello peeps, 

 

Looking for some advice. After coming from work, I went to open my rear drivers side door but much to my surprise wasn't able to do so. Not quite sure why this has happened as it was fine earlier in the morning and moments before as I put my bag on rear seats through this door. Now it won't open from inside the car either but I believe this may be due to the fact I have the child safety locks engaged. 

 

Any ideas if this is a simple fix? Somehow I don't think it is as I don't see the door card coming easily without having the door open.  

[59p]

Anyone?? 

[mac11irl]

when you press the buttons on the key fob to lock/unlock, can you here the motor running in the door to release, or is it silent?

[59p]

3 hours ago, mac11irl said:

when you press the buttons on the key fob to lock/unlock, can you here the motor running in the door to release, or is it silent?

Yep, can definitely hear the lock/unlock working. 

[mac11irl]

right, 

its gerting power, so probably the deadbolt is after sticking.

if you thump the door around the handle area while pressing the unlock button on the fib, you can get lucky and jiggle it enough tonget it to release.

but youre really looking at stripping the door and replacing the mechanism.

will need to drill out the rivets that hold the inner door panel in place...

[Vrsburnzy]

It’s such a pants job 🤣 I had to do a front door on a S6, most the time you have to destroy the door card, I then dissected the locking mechanism to open the door.

 

its time consuming but saves any more damage than the door card, and the lock but that was already knackered anyway 🤣

 

[59p]

1 hour ago, Vrsburnzy said:

It’s such a pants job 🤣 I had to do a front door on a S6, most the time you have to destroy the door card, I then dissected the locking mechanism to open the door.

 

its time consuming but saves any more damage than the door card, and the lock but that was already knackered anyway 🤣

 

Lol thanks for that... This is going to be nightmare to sort out by the sounds of it. What I get charged if taking to a competent mechanic/garage to sort this? 

[59p]

15 hours ago, mac11irl said:

right, 

its gerting power, so probably the deadbolt is after sticking.

if you thump the door around the handle area while pressing the unlock button on the fib, you can get lucky and jiggle it enough tonget it to release.

but youre really looking at stripping the door and replacing the mechanism.

will need to drill out the rivets that hold the inner door panel in place...

The thumping bit didn't work, been trying this as soon as it happened but no joy. What are these rivets you refer to? Are there any relevant vids showing the complete process on a mk2 Octy? 

[mac11irl]

once you get the door card off, theres a metal panel rivetted in place underneath that has to come out to get hands in to change the mechanism

[59p]

22 minutes ago, mac11irl said:

once you get the door card off, theres a metal panel rivetted in place underneath that has to come out to get hands in to change the mechanism

Probably a stupid question, but once the panel has been drilled out, what am I using to get it back into place? 

[mac11irl]

1 hour ago, 59p said:

Probably a stupid question, but once the panel has been drilled out, what am I using to get it back into place? 

 

blutak

 

tbh, i tont know what people are using for it, i only know about the panel as i tried to help on a previous thread a guy with a similar issue  with his mk2, not sure how he put it back... my hands on experience was with my old mk1- door memebrane is a plastic sheet..

if youre careful id say a decent contiguous bead of Tec7 should do a decent job of it. . just hope you never need to take it off again..

[Tilt]

On 09/03/2020 at 19:03, 59p said:

Probably a stupid question, but once the panel has been drilled out, what am I using to get it back into place? 

 

Rivets...........You only need drill the centres out of the rivets and they will drop out. New pop rivets should fit just fine.

 

Does sound bi7ch of a job though.......

[59p]

Guys only just started to look at this again as the car's been parked up and not really had time to look into it. So my question is, after drilling the rivets, does the glass need to come out too in order to get the motor to release? Also, is there anyway of disengaging the child safety lock which the door is still closed as it is? 

 

If taken to a mechanic or door specialist, what sort of money am I looking to getting it fixed? 

[meta55b]

Hi 59p. I had this same problem on my 08 vrs when I had it. The Bowden cable from the exterior door handle to the lock was worn out at the handle end. The cable is about 2 1/2 long with to plastic ends that are different to each other. The lock mech end a half moon and the handle end is rectangular shaped with with slits cut into it to help lock into into the handle when you put the wedge back in. If you get one of them car break-in kits, you will get the door open that way and it’s very easy. There’s no dead locks on, as the car is opened and the door mech is also in the open position.  It is possible to carry this repair once you get the door open and get access to the torx screw that holds the handle in, without stripping the interior trim off.  I did end up stripping the interior door trim off when I did mine but worked out it wouldn’t need done that way again if I had to do it. As for re-fitting the metal door panel. I bonded  nuts to the inside of the door and used matching bolts, as I couldn’t find rivets or rivinuts at the time.  You will need a new stainless steel rivet to re-attach the window runner to the metal panel, as aluminium ones are no good and break. 

Edited 10 May, 2020 by meta55b

[59p]

@meta55b The bowden cable would make sense as the car has done close 170k. Questions I have, how on earth do I use the car break-in kit to get access to the car? Once open, how would I go about replacing the cable without stripping the door? 

[meta55b]

2 hours ago, 59p said:

@meta55b The bowden cable would make sense as the car has done close 170k. Questions I have, how on earth do I use the car break-in kit to get access to the car? Once open, how would I go about replacing the cable without stripping the door? 

Put the wedges between the glass and door to create a bit of space. Use the long flat bar thing (looks like a metal belt) from the gap you created at about a 45 degree angle, push it down till you get to the mech and you will feel a bit of moment and resistance when you hit the lever. Push down and the door opens. Once the door is open, you will see the torx screw on the inner door edge that holds in the block next to the handle. Once this is off, you will see the Bowden cable and where it goes.  Use a pair of narrow long nose pliers to put the cable in place on the door loch mech, it pulls in parallel to the ground then re-attach to the door handle, using the wedge on the handle. Tie a bit of fishing line to the Bowden, incase you drop it in the door. 

[59p]

3 hours ago, meta55b said:

Put the wedges between the glass and door to create a bit of space. Use the long flat bar thing (looks like a metal belt) from the gap you created at about a 45 degree angle, push it down till you get to the mech and you will feel a bit of moment and resistance when you hit the lever. Push down and the door opens. Once the door is open, you will see the torx screw on the inner door edge that holds in the block next to the handle. Once this is off, you will see the Bowden cable and where it goes.  Use a pair of narrow long nose pliers to put the cable in place on the door loch mech, it pulls in parallel to the ground then re-attach to the door handle, using the wedge on the handle. Tie a bit of fishing line to the Bowden, incase you drop it in the door. 

Thanks for this.. Only concern I have with putting the wedge between the glass and door, isn't there a chance that could shatter the glass? Also, taking the tore screws on the inner door, will I still not need to take off the door panel to access the mechanism? Just don't understand how that would work. 

[meta55b]

Unless you go battering the glass or hit with a metal object, you’ll be fine. That’s what the wedges are for. There plenty clips on YouTube on how to use the kits. The torx screw is accessed from the metal door edge once open, its inline with the handle and very close to the outer panel edge. Once the handle is off, you will see where it goes. It’s a fiddly job and can be time consuming and worth trying this method first before you go down the route of removing the door card and inners. Just make sure you have a good range of big head rivets for the door panel and an ss rivet to re-attach the window runner to the panel A’s it’s under load. If you look at the gap between the handle and the end block on both rear door handles when pulled open, you should see the space in the handle where the small end of the cable wedges on the handle that not working.