Possibly resolved - internal side door lock button

[John A]

I've got the problem with whatever is stopping the internal door lock button popping up, which means the lock won't release and I can't open the door from the inside or out.

Is there a way of getting access to it to be able to either lift the button, or removing it to pull on the rod?

Thanks

 

[John A]

Right - progress
From inside the van, I gave the door panel a thump with the side of my fist
On opening the door, it's like it's sagged and the bottom roller may be causing the problem.

Has anybody experienced this before? The only reason I'd see the two were related is if the door is misaligned and can't be unlocked properly

 

[StratosFearXX]

Right - progress
From inside the van, I gave the door panel a thump with the side of my fist
On opening the door, it's like it's sagged and the bottom roller may be causing the problem.

Has anybody experienced this before? The only reason I'd see the two were related is if the door is misaligned and can't be unlocked properly

Bottom roller is a common problem on transporters, yes.

 

[Salty Spuds]

It’s common for the door to sag and need adjustment, especially if it has been insulated and soundproofed, the additional weight can cause sag. I’ve not heard of door mis alignment causing lock issues though.

 

[John A]

I am surprised it's caused a problem, but it may be because it has a child lock and that's what's affecting the operation.
The roller is definitely knackered, just trying to weigh up OEM vs aftermarket for replacement

 

[John A]

I've taken the cover off the roller hinge and joy of joys, the version I have is the one the plastic cable guide.
I couldn't see that any of the aftermarket parts allowed the cable to be routed in the same way.



No guarantee that this is going to resolve the problem, because I am surprised that this is linked to the door not unlocking, but I'll know by the weekend.

 

[StratosFearXX]

I've taken the cover off the roller hinge and joy of joys, the version I have is the one the plastic cable guide.
I couldn't see that any of the aftermarket parts allowed the cable to be routed in the same way.

View attachment 315062

No guarantee that this is going to resolve the problem, because I am surprised that this is linked to the door not unlocking, but I'll know by the weekend.

Don't you just take the cable guide off the old one and put it on the new (cheap aftermarket) new one?

 

[John A]

Yes you quite possibly do have to do that...
Didn't even consider it was a cable guide, I though it was part of the structure of the hinge.

Anyway, done it now. Never mind

 

[Phil_j89]

Usually if the door drops, the wiring 'pins' on the front side of the door don't line up correctly when the door is closed. So it won't lock / unlock correctly.

 

[John A]

That makes sense from remote locking or using the switch on the door, but what about trying to manually unlock by pulling the internal handle?
It's like the lock button or rod is getting jammed. Makes me wonder if the lower cable was getting pinched. Anyway will find out soon enough.

 

[Phil_j89]

If it's deadlocked then it won't unlock from the inside handle.

 

[John A]

No, but the handle would move freely wouldn't it? It just wouldn't do anything.
The resistance is in the locking rod/lock button in the door. It may be related to the contacts not lining up, but I would expect that to be reflected in the MFD or the door LED, which continues to flash rather than a solid light. I haven't bothered looking at VCDS as I'm not sure it will tell me anything conclusive at the moment. If it continues to cause a problem after I've replaced the hinge, then I'll investigate further.

 

[John A]

New roller on (just about, still need to re-seat the tiny spring) and the door shuts, locks and unlocks on the key, although it didn’t like the unlock first time (the second like it does when it’s had a soaking, so it’s clearly on the way out)

 

[John A]

New roller hinge fitted today, needed a pick to be able to fit the spring back in.
Problem solved now - van locks and unlocks as it should and the autolock stops the infinite bounce now.

More details in my van thread - link below.