all 4 doors not closing properly

Gabi Toth

Member
Hey there to my A2 fellas !

My A2 was manufactured in 2004. I now have (nov. 2006) 40.000km (25.000miles) on board. I have to report a major problem

The rear doors never closed properly. I always felt strange telling people to shut doors a second time and therefore burn some extra calories while doing so. The rear doors do not have electric windows, and I first said - ok, those are aluminium doors (at least their internal safety structure), so they're quite lightweight - by comparison to almost any other car where I was a backseat passenger. BUT, is this normal ? It sounds really frustrating to ask any of my backseat passengers to give a second try when shutting the doors properly.

Now, here comes the other issue: front doors won't shut up properly without the appropriate 'slam!' force. Again, this never encountered when I was a passenger on the right seat on any other car. (it actually seemed those cars' doors were made of stone and their inertia was doing at least half of the work when shutting).

I have read all threads on this forum and I simply cannot believe this only occured to me. Not to mention the fact that the door gums are screeching (including the luggage compartment door), if I forget to grease them with a special Sonax ointment. It really drives me crazy to tell the people when I wash my car not to touch the door gums when they're removing excess water from the internal door panels.

Not to mention that both of my front headlamps are foggy :(

Any thoughts on these ? Much appreciated !

Gabi
 
I suppose I've never really noticed it before but occassionally they need a second shove.
Try it with the windows down to see if its only the air tightness.

Jonathan
 
Once when I had Audi Assist out to me, the fella said that the newer A2s (and propably other models) have a triple seal to all the doors and that's whys it needs a slam shut. I've got used to this now and tend to do it when I get in every car - much to my other halfs annoyance...... Mind you we also have a Land Rover, you have to pull with all your might to get the doors closed and that it nothing to do with triple air seals!!!
 
I believe there is also an air vent for this purpose hidden behind the rear bumper/rear quarter panel. Most/all cars these days have them.
 
For lubricating the door seals use silicon spray.
I bought a tin from Halfudds for about £4.50 and have used it on all the rubber bits on my volvo and it has done an amazing job of making them look like new and stopping them sticking and squeaking.
1 application about 3 months ago, wiped off with kitchen roll and not touched it since. Well recommended.
I havn't done the A2's door seals as they are already looking like new and there are no sticks or squeeks.
The A2's doors do need a bit of a slam, esp the back ones which are very light.
 
Silicone

I would go with the silicone on the seal's. I also have a 1993 MR2 and the roof seals need doing every 3 to 6 months otherwise they squeak and let water in. My A2 is 2002 and the rear doors do not shut easly. I also notice that the boot needs a good shove of the light thing will not go out on the dash.
 
You can adjust the striker plates on the door pillars and boot to make door closing easier. A Torx bit is required but don't overdo the adjustment otherwise the doors end up looking slightly open (not good for wind noise) and may rattle.
On previous cars I used to wax the door openings and treat the seals with silicone spray. The Dealer recommended not to do this on the A2 as the seals tend to 'work' against the body and squeek.
Certainly the seals never look dry like they did on my previous cars so maybe the seal material is a bit special.

Cheers Spike
 
I have found over the years that talcum powder is best on door seals. It's a bit messy to apply, but the excess can be easily wiped off other areas with a damp chammy leather.
 
talcum powder ? that will go off very easily when washing the car.

to my other mates who recommended silicone for door seals - are you sure this won't damage 'em in the long term ? I mean, I saw tons of dashboards ruined by silicone, so I guess it's not well suited for plastics / rubber.

thanks !
 
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