When removing my front passenger door lock the supporting bracket riveted to the unit broke off. I had to drill out the plastic spigots to remove from the aluminium door plate. From what I see on YouTube I am not the first to break one. A new lock I have just bought does  not have said bracket but one could be fitted. I don't think these are available as spares so my question is what purpose does it serve and is it essential to fit  the lock? I think the lock will be sufficiently supported by the 2 bolts holding the lock to the door frame. But can the lock be located if not fixed to the aluminium door plate? Any comments would be welcomed.

 

 

The only purpose it serves is to allow assembly and disassembly of the whole carrier panel on/off the door, complete with lock prefitted.

This does make it easier to correctly locate the vertical metal rod that the door pin sits atop, it's awkward to feed it through if the lock is already bolted up to the door. 

Most Fabias of similar age won't have those brackets any more.

 

In the back doors those brackets actually considerably exacerbate the age-old door carrier leak problem, by directing water that would have dripped harmlessly down through the door cavity onto the carrier instead.

Edited 21 October, 20241 yr by Breezy_Pete

4 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

The only purpose it serves is to allow assembly and disassembly of the whole carrier panel on/off the door, complete with lock prefitted.

This does make it easier to correctly locate the vertical metal rod that the door pin sits atop, it's awkward to feed it through if the lock is already bolted up to the door. 

Most Fabias of similar age won't have those brackets any more.

 

In the back doors those brackets actually considerably exacerbate the age-old door carrier leak problem, by directing water that would have dripped harmlessly down through the door cavity onto the carrier instead.

Thank you that is very useful. I am fitting a new carrier plate and intend to put a bead of silicon sealant around to supplement the gasket. There were signs of water seapage when I removed the old plate.

 

So providing I can thread the button rod through all right I should manage without the additional support. 

Thanks again.

Cliff

I would probably advise putting the sealant on after everything is in place and all functions checked, rather than while fitting.  It will get very messy otherwise.

Is it a screwed on or rivetted carrier panel? Former are so much easier to deal with. 

 

The issue with the button rod is that the panel needs to come downward over that, but the panel has to come into the door upward because the window runners go beyond the top edge. Makes it a bit tricky, and bending stuff risks breakage. Just go gently.

 

I seem to remember that last time I did one it was also the lock wiring going through that made life difficult if the lock was prefitted to door. Avoided by having the lock fitted to the panel first instead.

 

 

Edited 21 October, 20241 yr by Breezy_Pete
Afterthought related to lock wiring

2 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

I would probably advise putting the sealant on after everything is in place and all functions checked, rather than while fitting.  It will get very messy otherwise.

Is it a screwed on or rivetted carrier panel? Former are so much easier to deal with. 

 

The issue with the button rod is that the panel needs to come downward over that, but the panel has to come into the door upward because the window runners go beyond the top edge. Makes it a bit tricky, and bending stuff risks breakage. Just go gently.

 

I seem to remember that last time I did one it was also the lock wiring going through that made life difficult if the lock was prefitted to door. Avoided by having the lock fitted to the panel first instead.

 

 

I shall have to follow your advice here as it will be really messy otherwise although maybe I can partially tighten the rivets and then apply sealant before final tightening and ensure a good deal. I have to follow up with sealing up the rear door winder plates as I am getting damp rear carpets.

 

Cliff