Why Your VW Door Won't Open
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2014
- This video shows why your VW door will not open and what to do about it. No where will you find this information on the web. Believe me, I looked for days when my door wouldn't open. Let me know how it works out for you. Any contributions to my PayPal account at "email.jpco@gmail.com" would be greatly appreciated. Thanx!
Years later and this video is still saving people money and sanity. Thank you
Thank you for this video. Four years ago I got a mechanic to remove this clip from both passenger and driver front doors after the passenger door got stuck and wouldn’t open from outside or inside. The door handle pull didn’t feel much different afterwards but the door didn’t get stuck again ... until last week. So I revisited your video comments and other sites mentioning this problem. This morning, after days of thinking about the problem, I just walked up to my 2011 Touran, unlocked it, opened the window of the offending door, reached in, pulled the interior handle and pulled the exterior handle at the same time. Voila! The handle clicked and the door now opens again. Now to trade the car in before it happens again. Hope this helps someone out there.
Amrita Shar lmao im gna try this
Hi I also have same problem on my car I need help
Hi Mate i also have the same problem i need also help plzzz !!!
Thanks! I drove around for 2 days with a door I couldn't open.
30 seconds and it was fixed. Good thinking.
Great video. This just happened to me. You saved me several hundred dollars from the dealership ! Thank you !
Jon- Thank you so much. My 98 Beetle's drivers door would not open inside or out. Your video was the only one that made sense . Popped right open.
Thank you for this. It helped. That spring that serves no purpose is sort of a "programming spring", it used only the first time you install a fresh module, you hook the latch into place with it. When you lock the car the first time it determines the length of the cable, so you wouldn't get too much free play. When first unlocking the car with the new module, it snaps free, in the position it is in in this video, you will hear it do so, it's pretty loud. Then you can get rid of it, the next time you open up the door, if need be. Just in case anyone was wondering what the purpose of that spring is.
Thank you for the explanation, but I do not understand how it could work this way, mechanically.
The way I see it, the spring is not tied to the locking mechanism, it is solely there to hold the cable hook in place if fixed to it: I hooked it in and it basically makes the hook and therefore the cable unmovable, so the handle cannot be pulled (unless by force, risking braking either end of the cable, both plastic). This cable has nothing to do with the locking mechanism however, as it is only connected to the door handle. So whatever happens with the locking mechanism, if I do not pull the handle, then neither the spring, nor the cable moves.
The only thing I could imagine is if at first use the whole lever mechanic that is connected to the cable would be "pushed" outward and the spring is there to prevent that from happening. That makes little sense however: why would there be an opposing force that operates the lever? Also, it would not help the mechanic to determine the length of the cable at all, as the spring holds the cable fixed in one place.
Also I disassembled my broken lock to see how this works mechanically in the inside and I only found a one-directional spring inside, which makes me further doubt that the locking mechanism would push the lever into the other direction. I do not know for certain of course.
Do you have any further info on how this "resetting" takes place and what exactly is the loud snap that you hear? Maybe a link to the mechanical exploded diagram of the lock itself?
@petert.2727 I didn't read your entire comment. He meant to say when opening the outside door handle for the first time. Not unlocking for the first time. You have to move the spring into that hook on the lever, It will be very hard to pull but when it reaches the sear point it it will snap out of the hook grove, and set the rubber ankor connected to the cable. Hope this helps.
Saved my day. Opened my jammed VW Passat 2005 passenger door today with this tip using a hacksaw blade at the inside of the window. Thank you.
Wonderful, thanks. My tiguan exterior drivers for handle malfunctions when cold. This explains it, and I think this is my issue. Thank you for the clear explanation. Great instructional video.
You saved me hours of frustration! I could not get the door open - either handle would not work. This solved it. Thank you.
Hi Jon
Thanks for the vid. Sorry if i'm repeating an earlier comment, but the spring that you removed and discarded is the very thing that presets the position of the handle pull mechanism so you dont have to push it with a thin screwdriver. With pliers, move the spring untill it locates in the hook on the lever. This holds it firmly in place while you are connecting the cable to the handle and releases itself automatically when you operate the door handle for the fist time. That's what it's there for.
Cheers
Martin
Yes. In a video by HumbleMechanic, who works as a tech for VW, he describes that procedure as "setting the preload of the outside door open cable". He briefly showed how that was done in a video of door latch problems in the whole series of VW vehicles.
The video by HumbleMechanic is named " How VW Door Latches Fail~ Video ", I believe.
The spring just helps to set the position of the little-piece-on-wire in the outside door handle, but it's not necessary.
Thank you so much man! I have lost several hours from my life, trying to figure it out why this shitty mechanism isn't working normally. After watching your video, I have to disconnect the tiny strand, attached to the outside lock. After that, the door was able to be opened. Probably, last time when I had it connected was too tight. So now I have to tune it more precisely. Thanks again and long life to guys like you! :-)
YOU are the man. I changed the lock to an "EBAY" lock and was never able to open the door. I took a verry lonk but not so high kitchen knife. After a little force at the part where the bowden is connected, o could open the door. Takes only around 5 minutes :-)
I´m driving a VW Touran 1. Many thanks for this video!!! Great - Greetings from Germany!
Best MK4 door problem advice found so far,spit on bro 👊✔️
Most helpful. Thanks Jon! Of course you need to get the door open before you can take off the panel. If you open the rear door you can see the black bolts in the drivers door that secure the mechanism. I took a 1/2" rod (or you can use a 3/8" extension), placed one end against the bolt and gave the other end a quick tap,tap with a hammer. That reset the mechanism so I could open the door. I think I may squirt some silicone spray onto the subject arm by sticking a spray straw through the outside door handle. Then exercise the mechanism a bit. See if that does it before taking the door apart...which is a royal pain!
Brilliant video. I just spent most of my morning taking the door apart and investigating the problem to no avail, then came on UA-cam and did your screwdriver trick, instant fix!
Great!
You've just saved me a lot of money and hassle, many thanks!
This helped me with a 2009 Porsche Cayenne where the right rear door would not open from the inside or outside. 1 and 1/2 days of trying all sorts of solutions (remove inner panel, cut large holes in the regulator plate, and undo door hinges etc.) , came across this video. Was able to pull the metal clip out and the door opened! Thank you!
Hey there, could please help more because our Cayenne 2012 has a kind of problem the rear doors don't open from the outside. Best regards
Thanks this helped me out. After fitting new after market actuator door kept sticking closed and couldn't open with outer or inner handle. I removed the pin and it's now fixed.
Top video saved me banging my door handle every time i wanted to open it . It was really starting to get on my nerves
Good news!
We've been having this problem on our VW Polo. Thanks for the helpful video.
Jon. If I had my way you would have a Knighthood for this posting. Permanently locked passenger door now fixed!!!!! All the best, Steve
Great Steve, I'll accept that title. Cheers!
Thank you very much sir
A million likes for you sir, just saved me easily upwards of $500 now I can continue to replace my window.
Thank you so much, You save me from ripping off my door apart. For me was 2 problem. 1 is that little spring that you were talking about. 2nd was the hook that go over the latch for the outside door handle did not hooked on all the way.
Thanks for posting as this saved me time and money. I put the electric window in the fully down position on the front passengers side. I then got a steel ruler and pushed it into the window rubber toward the door handle on the outer face of the window. I guided the steel ruler to the inner door lock and once i felt it contact i pushed down. At once i felt it click back into position. Job done ! I removed the ruler, put the window back up and sprayed some oil into the outer door handle. Checked and the door will now open again when i pull the outer handle. Thanks again for posting.
Great news Paul. You’re welcome!
Thanks for this video mate, life saver. I actually used a rubber ruler to get to the mechanism, I didn't dare use a screw driver. Thanks again!
Just changing the electronic window mechanism on my wife's new beetle only to find that on re-assembly the door lock rod has come away from the lock unit itself. Your video is the only one with camera still enough for me to see how the rod attaches to the locking unit (seemed pretty flimsy but I can see it's correct). Your point about a small screwdriver inserted through the locking mechanism saved me dismantling the whole door again to get the lock to work properly. Basically you saved my ass twice. Thank you so much.
Glad to hear it Kevyn. Take care.
Thanks, I had exactly this problem on a brand new replacement part. I also decided to slightly bend the metal arm outward since it was rubbing on the plastic body. Problem solved, thanks a million
I literally replaced this same part and ran into the same issue. This video existing is some act of god. Thank you so much!
Thanks! Worked for me ... took the door panel off, removed inner panel, and was able to remove the exact spring/tang from a recent install, now everything works as it should! Cheers
+Eddie Davis, Way to go Eddie! Glad it worked.
I have lost hours and hours in disassembling and reassembling my VW Golf 4 driver side door because of this issue. Have changed two door lock modules until I found out about this. This made me so mad that this small thing caused such a time waste. Thank you a lot for sharing this and helping lost people like me.
Thanks a lot Jon, fixed my door in 20 seconds.
Good video. The spring you removed is one of the fixings that is designed to keep the mechanical and electrical part of the door lock module together. Better to file 1/16" of the bottom leg of the spring and put it back.
That is incorrect, its only purpose is for setting the correct amount of tension on the outer door pull.
Jon, you saved me! I was totally clueless when I installed and new lock and it did this too! Boy was it hard to get it to reset, because I had closed the door with all panels installed. But once I did your remove the spring fix worked great.
Glad to hear I helped you out! Take care.
wow! how a fabulous great video and an incredible 2 minutes tip of a one-video UA-cam channel helped out so many ppl and reach out +1 million views ! Thank you so much Jon !
Thanx! Ali. Take care.
That sinking feeling when you've spent two days taking the door apart, the locking mechanism apart, troubleshooting, resoldering, reassembling, only to find that when you close the door you can't open it from either the outside or the inside!! Popping the cable pin off the outside handle fixed it for me (whew!).
I had exactly the same problem today... Spending hours to change the door locking module, testing that my buzzer and puddle light came on.... So happy... But later found out I couldn't open the driver door... F-ing hell what to do...? I'll try tomorrow to loosen/take off the cable to the handle, just as you suggested.... Glad I found this video. 😁
I had exactly the same problem today... Spending hours to change the door locking module, testing that my buzzer and puddle light came on.... So happy... But later found out I couldn't open the driver door... F-ing hell what to do...? I'll try tomorrow to loosen/take off the cable to the handle, just as you suggested.... Glad I found this video. 😁
@@staffanfogelberg6816 Glad you got it sorted! :)
great video, we had a 2004 Audi TT, there is an adjustment on the outside handle cable, it has serrated edges to fit in different position on the outside, if it is re-assembled too tight, it won't allow proper release of the mechanism. It will work to open the door, but once the door is locked, it will not. The door won't open from the inside or the outside. Best way to unlock it is to follow this video, by peeking in between the door glass.
You are an absolute star. Thank you, kind sir! For info (2001 Audi A6), mine was blocked as I pulled the handle why unlocking the doors (bad idea), so it stayed in the position you demonstrated, and I couldn't open the door from outside nor inside. The screwdriver through the handle didn't help, but a sharp hit with the hand over the top right of the handle and CLICK, unlocked!
Same problem with Jetta 2006 and this video fixed it! thank you!!
Thank you SO MUCH! This resolved my permanently closed door enough to get it open and then fix the lock! You are a life saver! :) THANK YOU!!!
Good news! Glad to help. :o)
Awesome.
Pushed it back a little and it clicked and opened.
Thanks!
Thank you Jon. I had just put the whole door back together (B5.5 Passat) and then found the replacement latch mechanism would not release, either inside or out, so effectively my door was sealed shut. Ain't veedubyas great? Anyhow, surfing for answers, I found this post, which explains clearly why the door wouldn't open - the return spring doesn't allow the latch to reset. Applying logic (pity VW engineers don't use it) I figured that I needed to push back the latch. Armed with a stiff piece of steel wire, I tried several times, but no joy, until I thought to use winkle out the wire draw-string from its location in the outside door latch. Yea, freed from the latch, the reset mechanism then allowed me to open the door from the inside. I was then able to refit the draw-string in a position where it allowed the door to open (just) but did not stop the latch returning under that weak spring you showed. Great stuff, thanks again.
Just ran into this problem after replacing the actuator. I was literally beating my head trying to figure out the issue. Thanks much.
Glad to hear that I helped you out. Take care.
Thank you , worked for me too On a T5
Good deal.
Jon, thanks for the video. It saved me $$$. Mechanic couldn't open door stuck on my Jetta so that it could pass inspection. Said I had to take it to a body shop, as he had removed inside door panel and had no access to lock. Took a flyer on You Tube and found your explanation. Pushed the blade from my hack saw and pushed it down as described and it popped open. Appreciate it.
Finally! Someone who figured out my problem! Thank you!
You’re welcome 👍
Thank you for this video, I had over tightened the cable during re-install of my passenger front door handle on my VW Touran, resulting in the door not unlocking again. I could simply loosen the cable while holding the door handle out a bit and it now works flawlessly.
Scary thing when the door wont unlock and there's no good way to get to the internals...... Saved my butt.
Hi Jon , I was looking for information to fix a sticky lock. I will omit the spring as per video. Thank you for a great informative video. Pray GOD Bless you and family.
Brilliant forensic explanation! Thank you so much!
Wow great video presentation! I was gonna send my VW to the dealership to get my door handles looked at since my rear door wasn't opening from inside or outside. But after you clearly explained how they work. I just went up to my VW, I gave a quick tug and made it snap quickly back in, and the door opened! Now it opens from in&outside. U just saved me over $300 the dealership was gonna charge after the 2 week appointment as well. F*ck yeah! Big thank you buddy, you're awesome!
Cool! I could use some of that $300. :o)
Don you are a genius. I thought I was going to have to scrap the car because of the mot. You cured it in 30 seconds. I had the cable too tight in the handle If I could I would buy you a drink.
Thank you
You could, through my PayPal account at: email.jpco@gmail.com. :o) Long Island iced tea please.....
Hey Man you're cool. I My car door recently seems to have this Problem. I have never tried to hit one time harder onto the Door Handle if it did not unlock. (Indeed this short harder pushback action also resets the hook mechanism in most cases, then it is able to open). Thanks!
Sir you truly are an amazing individual, I salute you Sir, I have been looking for this DARN video for 2 days.
Thanx!, Sloopy. Glad I helped you out.
Mate - you just saved me from a nightmare - wish there was some way to thank you
You're welcome. I accept huge cash deposits to my PayPal account. :o)
Jon Many thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge with everyone. It has not worked, yet on my 2006 Altea. With neither remote, drivers door key, outside or inside handles unlocking the f passenger door I have managed to remove the upper door panel and get my hand inside the panel to try to set the lever you point to with your screwdriver. I have pulled it out and pushed it in many times but still no luck. I have come to the conclusion it is an electrical problem as the window on that door stopped working at the same time. Any thoughts please?
While this isn't a direct help with my B8 8K this is never the less a genius bit of information!
Well done, and if that spring thing exists on my 8K it will end up removed too!
Thanx!
Happens to me a lot in the winter. Thanks for sharing.
Gonna go try this now. Ive been getting so stressed out after changing the door lock module because it now wont open. Luckily i left the inner door skin and door card off to try it
Jon, exactly right regarding the spring, that serves no purpose whatsoever, that you removed from the assembly. On Mk5 assemblies, the end of the spring that causes the problem does not go into a hole that allows the end of the spring to rub on the moving arm, as the end on the spring is straight and is held in place by a pushed out claw, where the hole is on the Mk4 assembly. So someone in Wolfsburg has realised that this is a problem on the MK4 assembly and upgraded the assembly for the Mk5 Golf. Great video, great commentary, well done.
Thanx! Nigel.
Exactly wrong about that spring.
In what world do you see that the arm needs more return force and then throw away the spring that would give you the return force?
The logic of seeing the spring causing a bit of resistance and deciding its not needed blows my mind. Esp when the spring would overcome the exact same resistance if it was fitted properly. Infact it might bot even rub if it's it it's proper place.
Classic case of 2+2 = 5
This worked great for me for my 2004 Cayenne - Thank you very much. I really appreciate the insights.
Hey there, could please help more because our Cayenne 2012 has a kind of problem the rear doors don't open from the outside. Best regards
I think you just saved me from hulk ripping my door off in anger on my st000pid UK version of mk4 golf.
That little Spring you discarded was to set the tension correctly on installation of the mech. It hooks on as you suspected then releases on the first pull of the handle , with the system being properly tensioned that's the theory anyway!
Thank You very much , helped me loads today :)
Very helpful - this is a huge safety issue (being trapped in the vehicle) and VW needs to have a recall to fix this. Totally unacceptable!
Hi Karen! I 100% agree with you about this being a huge safety issue. There’s absolutely no reason why there shouldn’t be a recall on this!
Excellent..............Thank you..and Well done.............redundant spring is actually a pre-tensioner, as you said.
Good info. Thank you. What I find strange is all 4 of my doors will stop working. I lock the car, unlock it, and NONE of the doors will operate. It's bizarre.
Great job, thank you I did it with your help, fixed it perfectly Big Thank you
Awesome. The more they complicate things the more that goes wrong with them. I will be removing my spring as you did.
omg the spring you broke off is a set spring for the tension. you needed to push it into that small grove you were talking about. it sets the depth of the pull and locking reset
James Whittington I know. It is only used once on installation. And then causes problems for the life of the car. You decide what's best.....
ua-cam.com/video/RqmqnK6UXvY/v-deo.htmlm48s
ua-cam.com/video/LuOJhZaGwnw/v-deo.htmlm40s
Great info , now I know why it happens , but its difficult to get to this part . Another site suggested the "Fonzie" fix , just bang the area under the door handle and it looses the part as described in this video. Not sure for how long but it worked for me for now.
Thank you very much it helped me alot
You are a saint !!! Holy smokes!! You saved me from paying 100s.. my mechanic was menacing to rip the door apart from the inside. Thanks man 👍🏻 for real 😊
You're welcome Andy, Happy to share my knowledge..... Take care.
Best video for a most annoying problem!
Worked straight away! Top video!
That spring does have a purpose it sets the pre load on the cable that goes to the outside door handle. Without that sprint you can’t set the proper depth on the outside door handle every time you disconnect the cable to it
I went to remove my 2008 cayenne drivers door to remove that mentioned spring on door latch assembly.I had every thing removed ,mirror .4 bolts hinge and latch ends , however didn't have correct Torx size for the two bolts holding the latch mechanism in place. So then I reassembled and discovered this last comment that the spring is in fact needed. So what is the fix? Presently I keep a 1.5 "X 12' X 1/16" piece of plexiglass to serve as a slim Jim to unlock the door when needed. It doesn't malfunction all the time. But is a pain .
@Kermit do you have link to documentation? What do you mean by proper depth on outside door handle?
@@trashcan4u853 workshop-manuals.com/volkswagen/golf-mk4/body/general_body_repairs_exterior/front_door_central_locking/front_door/removing_and_installing_door_handle/installing/
@@trashcan4u853 Another video goes over how to set the spring: ua-cam.com/video/LuOJhZaGwnw/v-deo.html
Dude. Let me just say.. if i ever see u at a bar im buying u drinks all night. I was out there for almost an hour trying to figure this out on my mk3 and once i saw your video i went out immediately again. I pushed the door handle more in and it reset itself and walla!! Door opened! You da man!!!
Just tell what bar and when! I'm game. :o)
Jon Plamondon hehehehehhhe 😘😜
Wow. Got door open on golf but it a pears it only works with remote pressed twice - once for dvrs door twice for dvr + passenger door which has the issue.Anyway still a great video from people who actually want to help rather than others who say they have invented something that is usually complete rubbish!!!!
Thanks for the informative video
Worked a treat
Thanks a lot! Had the same problem while was fixing microswitch problem.
You, sir, are a genius. Thank you.
Thanx for noticing 😂
great. really very helpful.
Great detail, thanks mate.
fantastic description, thanks
Thanks a million! This saved my bacon!!!
Great!
Jon Plamondon....Great video...Having this trouble, will try it tomorrow and let you know.. Subscribed....
The spring that you removed does have a purpose, its to set the tension to the wire that connects the handle to the lock on install. Though it is weird why it scratches the metallic thingy below!! :o
So, you are supposed to remove the spring after installing of the cable?
@ Not remove it unless you want to spend hours after to find the right position for the cable to open the door by handle..Very frustrating!
You legend! You saved my ass today!
Thank you Jon
Great info video. Thanks
Got my door open and functioning again by simply hitting the outside handle really hard with my hand. I think it reset something to make it somehow work again :) Worth a shot, considering other methods can damage paint, door panels, mechanisms etc...
Jacques W Same here ! It’s just not permanent and I have to hit it like that every single time I open it
This trick worked awesomely on my suv! My door was stuck for ages. Glad I found this video.
Great info thanks for sharing. ...funny a lot of people think german cars are the very good but they have a lot of hidden flaws in there design like every other manufacturers. ....
Hovermotion German cars are CRAP
Shut up u guys probably never owned a german
P Frenchenstein which ones are better then?
@@frenchenstein After AD 2000 -> sure !
This is gold. Thank you very much, I had exactly this issue when installing the new lock via the workshop manual's exploded chart: it instructs to fix the spring into the little hook during assembly, which makes no sense to me as it seems it makes the whole cable immovable from that point on, so you cannot use the handle to open the door.
However, a comment below from Radu Popescu explains that the initial use of the spring is to "measure" the length of the cable so there is no play in it and at first use it "snaps free" pretty loudly, so the mechanism knows the exact length of the cable. Presumably after that it can be removed. I do wonder though how this very tight spring can "snap free" without possibly doing damage to the plastic part. Also, I do not understand the logic of that, as the spring and the lever would be unmovable (it is VERY tight), so the cable would not move at all. Also, the locking mechanism is not tied to the lever, so locking/unlocking has no effect on this fixed position.
The workshop manual does not mention either that the spring is only serving the purpose of the initial installation and it should be unhooked after installing the lock. The result is that you probably will not be able to open the door with the handle after this procedure (at least, I assume as I will not do it according to the manual).
I am in doubt now about first installation of a new lock: according to the manual (i.e. use the spring) or not.
The manual is pretty adamant about it and states: "It is absolutely necessary to perform a functional check because the door cannot be opened if the adjustment is not accurate and if the Bowden wire is not clipped on correctly." Which makes me assume that the "adjustment" it mentions has to do with cable length?
It further complicates things that the manual says: "During assembly keep the door handle -2- pressed against the door panel." I saw instruction videos however where they said to PULL the handle while uninstalling the handle cap. I assume the pulling is only meant for the cap, while the pushing is meant for the cable installation?..
OK, so I did the manual instruction after all, by clamping the spring to the lever. I think the reason for this is so the cable remains in place while you fix it in a variable position and the cable is exactly tight, not too much and not too little.
So I do not see a link between the electronic and the mechanic. It is purely to keep the cable in place while fixing the plastic ribbed end.
Yes Peter, that spring is only used during initial installation to set cable position. It does snap out of the way after the first handle pull. My concern is where it pokes through the hole and hinders the arm. Other than that, it shouldn’t cause any trouble. Good luck.
@@jonplamondon4076 Yeah, it worked just fine. Also, I don't have the hole-poke issue, because mine is slightly different (for Octavia mk2) and it does not go through the hole, but is led next to it. Funny how all else is identical.
Thank you!! did the job.
Thank you for a good video,it really helped me. I had problem problem with the rear door on VW CRAFTER 2e platform 2008.
Did this fix the problem for good? Or still some bugs?
That's great to know, thanks.
Thanks Jon, you saved my day
Jon my new to us 2014 Cayenne is doing the same thing after I adjusted the micro switch on actuator. Hopefully try the spring reset and then remove the little useless spring altogether
That spring you took out goes in the slot on that arm. That's what brings out back to reset
Great video Jon, ever considered making video nr 2 ?
That spring you removed is used when you adjust the preload on your wire.
Yep, but only on initial assembly.
had the same problem after replacing the cable, it was tight and it wouldn't open. thanks
I have a 2003 VW Bora 2.8 VR6 4motion and although it has the same spring as in your clip mine does not go through a hole , instead it has a tang punched out of the plate that the spring locates on so for me this isn't a problem !!
Unfortunately of course wasn't able to know this till I pulled the drivers door apart .
I had the same problem, but for me the solution was just re-aligning the locking module with the bracket it locks on to. So if this doesn't fix it, that maybe will.