Driver's door won't unlock

[EssexGonzo]

Morning all,

In the last few days, my driver's door has stopped unlocking.

It has to be opened by the interior handle - not even using the unlock button will work.

It locks (so the locking motor's working one way) but will never unlock itself.

Anything obvious for me to look for?

[B5NUT]

Had the exact same fault but on my passenger side, if you do a VCDS scan you may get the following code appear on module 42-Door Elect, Drivers.

1 Fault Found:
02115 - Locking Unit for Central Locking
008 - Implausible Signal
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01101000
Fault Priority: 3

I think water get into the lock and damages the electronics, only solution I found was to replace the motor.

I can post a write-up on replacing the lock if that would help

[dan2485]

it looks like one of the micro switches has failed in the lock which tell the door unit that it is in the lock position.

You cannot replace these as they are potted in the lock.

A door lock is not a big job to replace, i would recommend the door glass frame assembly is removed when doing the job for an easier time of it.

The frame is simple to remove.

It can be done with it in but is a pain to get the lock out.

A new lock cost Around £120.

[B5NUT]

I changed the lock without removed the window frame, it's a little tight to get out but easy enough.

[B5NUT]

There is the write-up to remove the lock

Part number for the locks are

4F2 837 016 B Drivers
4F2 837 015 Passenger

I pick one up from ebay used for about £30 and it been working fine, they use the same locks on the A3, A6, A8 and the R8!


Replacement door lock



Before I started the job I got a hot glue gun as you will need this to put the sound proofing back onto the door.



You are also going to need to buy replacement door trim clips as they rarely come off without them being damaged.
Part number for the new clips is 6Q0868243 and cost around 40p each and you need 6 for each door trim.


Here is a picture of the damaged clips left is stuck in position and the right has snapped.




To remove the door trim you need to remove the top speaker cover, and unscrew remove the screw behind there.



Remove the trim by pulling it out near the door handle and towards the end of the trim push it away from the door and remove, you then then access the 2 screws behind the trim.




Remove the screws under the arm rest and near the puddle light, you can then pull the root trim away starting from the bottom first and towards the top push the trim upwards.




Unplug the 2 electrical connectors going into the door trim and disconnect the cable going into the door leaver.



Next remove the Door speaker



You then need to cut away the glue between the insulation & the door. You only need to cut away the left hand side just to give you enough access to the lock.



Pull the yellow clip to the left slightly side and remove the back clip, you can then remove the connector to the door handle.



At this point remove the two screws holding the lock in place, it will make it easier to disconnect the other connectors.



Next is to remove the cable going to the internal door handle it need to be rotated and then pulled out. there is a further clip, that again need to be rotated and pulled out.



you can then unplug the electrical connector.



At this point etka states you must remove the window frame however if you are carefull you can remove the lock, it's a little tight and you need to pull slighty on the window frame guide and the lock will come out.


Put the new lock in and connect the inner door handle cable and the electrical connector, you can the screw the lock in place and reconnect the door handle connector.


At this point use the glue gun to stick back the sound proffing (Audi state you must do this as there is a pressure crash sensor in the door)



Remove any old clips stuck in the door and refit the door panel.





Again use VCDS to check for and clear any fault codes.

[A3 Sportback]

Just an addition to this excellent guide.....well done B5NUT.
I have a 2009 A3 Sportback and the drivers door lock was intermittently playing up.
Ordered new lock module as above, also glue gun and plastic fixings.

Well, I didn't need the glue gun as the door inner card is a different design and just unclipped.
I also didn't need the plastic fixings as the ones on the door were of a different design and remained in place and did not get damaged.

All in all, a job I wasn't really looking forward to doing myself ended up taking under an hour!

The only problem encountered was undoing the screws that secure the lock module to the door. They had a 'Torx' like head, although they weren't 'Torx'. My local 'man' had a socket attachment which fitted.

There is no way the window would need to come out.

In order to get the door trim off the door, once the three fixing screws had been removed, I found a hard sharp 'tug' on the door handle was all that was needed and the whole door trim came off!

Thank you again for the above info and pictures which assisted me in taking on the job in the first place.

I now have a glue gun should I ever need one in the future!!!!

[EssexGonzo]

I really should have reported back after getting this one fixed.

Firstly, the rather excellent write up above looked a little too deep for me. But thanks!

So my indy popped a new lock in and cured the problem for not too much ££. All is now good and has been for a few thousand miles.