Locked Driver's Door

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J

jan&david

A2OC Donor
My A2 1.4SE 2001 owned from new & serviced by Audi has developed a locking fault on the driver's door.
The door will not open and the windows, wing mirrors and petrol flap will not move but the other doors lock & unlock as normal.
Audi Portsmouth have looked at it and cannot be certain about the fault but I think I have lost power through a connector inside the door.
We can unbolt the 3 bolts holding the panel in place & I have seen how to do this through other parts of the forum but as I cannot open the door I cannot access the release slot at the bottom of the door.
Audi may have to cut the door panel to get it off and replace it with a new one. Estimated panel cost £300.
I have searched the forum but not found this problem elsewhere.
I have tried to release the petrol flap through boot panel but cannot get the rod linkage to move. The solenoid seems stuck fast.
So I have about 80miles of petrol left in the tank and get to the driver's seat by sliding over from the passenger side.
Anyone got any ideas please.

Love the site and have enjoyed the forum and found it a great help. Specially when I find others have had the same problems. But htis time it feels like I am on my own and I feel it might be a simple problem but very expensive to fix
 
jan&david said:
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I have tried to release the petrol flap through boot panel but cannot get the rod linkage to move. The solenoid seems stuck fast.
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You do need to put quite a lot of pressure on it before it will move. I have to push down pretty hard, and then mine opens.

Not sure what to suggest re: the drivers door, perhaps just keep trying. Someone on the forum had the same issue with the rear/offside door, and got it open after a few days. You'd need to be ready to strip off the door card immediately because obviously you can't keep it open indefinitely :)
 
Hi Jan & David,

A few questions:
I presume that neither of the wing mirrors move and that none of the electric windows work from the driver's door controls...?
Do the controls on the door illuminate when you turn your side lights on?
Where are you based?

If the 3 bolts holding the door card in position are off, then you'll be able to get the door card off. Even though it's easiest to pull the door card off from the very bottom, it's possible to yank the door card off using the door pocket. This will allow access to all of the wiring entering the door control module.
A wiring fault would be my guess, though this fault may be at the A-pillar connector. Once the door card is off, you'll be able to lift the trim piece which runs along the sill of the car, thereby gaining access to the wiring at the A-pillar.

Unless the fault is with the locking mechanism itself (which from your symptoms seems highly unlickly), then no cutting of anything should be necessary to fix this fault, no matter what Audi may tell you.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Hi, Welcome to the forum, might be a silly question, but have you tried to use the key blade in the drivers door to manually unlock the door and try to open it?

When you lock and unlock the car from the remote, does the drivers door make any clicking noises?

I see you went to Portsmouth Audi so assume you live there?

As for the fuel flap, you should easily be able to manually push down the link and open flap, I can't see why this would not release, are you pushing it down or trying to pull it up?


Cheers
Sarge
 
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Hi, Mikemars,
You do need to put quite a lot of pressure on it before it will move. I have to push down pretty hard, and then mine opens.
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Magic! The petrol flap opened when I pressed harder. I think I was too nervous about breaking something and making my problems worse. Thanks a million. A little sunshine is creeping into my life.
Thanks for the reply Titmus.
I presume that neither of the wing mirrors move and that none of the electric windows work from the driver's door controls...?
Do the controls on the door illuminate when you turn your side lights on?
Where are you based?
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No lights on any of the controls on the door or the door pillar. I am in Chichester.
Hi Sarge,
have you tired to use the key blade in the drivers door to manually unlock the door and try to open it?

When you lock and unlock the car from the remote, does the drivers door make any clicking noises?

I see you went to Portsmouth Audi so assume you live there?

As for the fuel flap, you should easily be able to manually push down the link and open flap, I can't see why this would not release, are you pushing it down or trying to pull it up?
Click to expand...
One of the first things I tried was to use the Key blade expecting that if the electric locking failed then the manual lock would work. No way, absolutely solid. No sound. No movement and no clicking. I have got the petrol flap open (see above). I did try it both ways at first. What a relief and I am in Chichester. Portsmouth Audi are the nearest dealers/agent and I have no complaints about their service or costs to date. It feels a bit as though this problem is outside the experience of anyone there.
I think it is wonderful that this web site and forum exists and I had replies so quickly. I was pretty glum about the whole problem but am beginning to feel a bit more optimistic. Am in the middle of some work right now and may be able to return to the door panel problem in a couple of days. I don't quite see how the geometry of the door and the panel will allow for easing it away while the door is closed but it has got to be worth a try.
Thanks again and I will report further when I have had ago at the door panel.
 
Does the key turn in the door lock or not at all? If not then spray WD-40 type of oil lubricant and keep trying it till it frees up and turns, perseverence should pay here, but this is only if the key won't turn in the lock.

Just keep inserting and removing the key and attempting turning it repeatedly, and spraying into the key barrel. I'd rather spend time trying all this than diving in and stripping panels at first.


Cheers
Sarge
 
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Thanks Sarge. I will give that a try in the morning if it has stopped raining. I appreciate your commitment at 9.30pm!
 
You are a genius Sarge,
Does the key turn in the door lock or not at all? If not then spray WD-40 type of oil lubricant and keep trying it till it frees up and turns, perseverence should pay here, but this is only if the key won't turn in the lock.
Just keep inserting and removing the key and attempting turning it repeatedly, and spraying into the key barrel. I'd rather spend time trying all this than diving in and stripping panels at first.
Click to expand...
Absolutely brilliant. Perseverance does pay. I sprayed into the lock several times, tried the key in and out and a twist this way & that , left it for half an hour tried again, more WD40 then running the key in an out of the lock with a twist and after a few stints of this, 'Lo & Behold' the lock turned and I could open the door. The relief. Keep nipping out to try it again just to make sure I did not imagine it. Had to be very brave to lock it again just in case it didn't unlock but so far so fantastically good.
So now I can sort out the door panel and check the electrical connection.

One strange/unexpected thing. The two flip/electronic keys have slightly different slot profiles so only one can be pushed in far enough in to work the door lock. The emergency /plastic key will not unlock it either for the same reason. They do not seat far enough into the lock and upon close inspection they have a variation, a slight thickening at the front end of the milled slot. However, they all work the ignition. Seems strange and illogical to me.

But I don't really care I am on cloud nine. I can use the driver's door, (Have you ever tried using a card operated barrier with the drivers door & window fixed shut? Great amusement for other drivers) and I can fill up with petrol whenever I want to.
So I will continue to sing the praises of the 'A2 Owners Club' web site and the expertise and commitment of the contributors. The last 24 hours have been life changing.

Curious that Audi Portsmouth did not try any of this when I took the car to them. I said I would check on the A2OC website for help and advice & they did have the grace to say to let them know if I found anything helpful.
That is for tomorrow morning.
Thank you all for your magnificent help & advice. Particularly Sarge786. I feel a bit foolish that it was relatively simple to resolve but it only goes to show that knowledge is all.
 
Your Welcome Pal, you can buy me a cuppa if ever your local :) glad the door hassle is over :)

Now, lets get the rest of the issues sorted, are door electrics still not working then?



Cheers
Sarge
 
Sarge786 said:
Your Welcome Pal, you can buy me a cuppa if ever your local :) glad the door hassle is over :)

Now, lets get the rest of the issues sorted, are door electrics still not working then?



Cheers
Sarge
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Well. Nothing works or shows any power on the driver's door. When I switch the lights on no lights come on any of the switches on the door or the adjacent door pillar (petrol cap & lock) However the window switch on the passenger door does light up & all the other doors (including the off side rear & boot but not the petrol flap) open with the remote. We were out the day before this happened and everything was fine, sort of. The windows were a bit temperamental, would not rise completely but kept returning to the mid way point. Not the first time they have done this but after several attempts they finally closed properly. The next morning ..... nothing: dead as a doornail. Just felt like someone had pulled the plug. Jan is using the car today so I can't do anything but if I can fix it by squirting WD40 that would be great but I expect the door panel will have to come off sooner or later.
 
Hi David,

There's almost definitely a wiring problem, most likely at the A-pillar connector. I suppose a faulty door control module could be the answer, though that strikes me as being less likely given the symptoms you describe.
The buttons on the B-pillar (such as the fuel cap release) don't work because their functionality is only available when the driver's door is open. The signal from your driver's door switch isn't getting to the rest of the car, hence the car thinks the driver's door is closed.
A replacement door loom is probably the way to go. Water ingress where the wiring bridges between the A-pillar and the door is the most likely cause of the problem, I'd imagine. Replacing this loom requires the door to be completely stripped back, so there's a few hours work involved. The looms aren't too extortionately priced, though.

Cheers,

Tom
 
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It sounds to me as if the door control module is dead, rather than wiring, but that is still a possibility.

Firstly I would ask Audi If they did a diagnostic scan, as if the CCU cannot connect with the door module it will through a fault code.

As a diagnostic you could swap the door module from left side into the right, wire up and see if it works - wont fit on the door but will allow you to determine if the right side module is dead.

Then I would check the A pillar connector from car to door and make sure that is secured fast.
Then I would check the wiring around the A pillar area.

You will need to remove inner trim to get access to the A pillar area.

John
 
I thought that a faulty door control module would still pass current to the lights within the window/mirror controls, hence why I put my money on the wiring itself being the issue, but John's suggestion regarding swapping modules from one side to the other seems logical.

Tom
 
I only say that, as mine packed up and did a similar thing. The iwndows went funny and wouldnt close correctly then the thing died on me.

It could possibly be that a connector has worked loose from the door control module :s

Also If you think about it, everything comes into the door then the control module, then the various bits branch off through various connectors.

But if the above diagnostics are done then you will find the cause and the easiest things to do are swap modules and do a scan

John
 
Well, thanks everyone. I ended up back at Audi to check the wiring & components. They fixed it so every thing is working but cannot explain quite what they did other than unplug everything, clean them up and plug them in again. One controller was, in their words, "in sleep or standby mode and required rebooting. Has the battery gone flat at any time?" (No).
But every thing is working & we are happy A2 drivers again.
This forum has been my first although I have read other threads from time to time but it won't be my last as I have had more help here than from anywhere else including Audi.
That's All Folks.....
 
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