Tailgate latch failure

Robin_Cox

Member
Hello all,

the tailgate on my car stopped latching at the weekend - the wee bootlid open warning diagram on the dash is flashing all the time, and there is no longer a noise when I press the boot open button - I can just lift up the tailgate by hand and it is held shut by gravity. I'm able to lock the car using the key in the driver's door, but the alarm obviously doesn't arm. It's worth noting that the latching has always been a bit half-hearted (tendency to bounce unless shut carefully) suggesting that something has been gently heading towards failure and has now possibly / probably expired.

Have been reading through the posts on here - the basic consensus seems to be that when it gets warm enough to do so I need to carefully remove the trim inside the tailgate and it is a case probably of removing and replacing the locking mechanism / solenoid in its entirety as it's not user-serviceable. Any more suggestions of things to check to home in on the problem before I start bodging to determine the best course of action gratefully appreciated. I have an MOT coming up at the end of April so I suspect I need to sort this out sooner rather than later.

Many thanks, Robin.
 
My bouncing tailgate was cured with wd-40 squirted into the lock. works fine now and I avoid slamming, just shut from around 12 inches works fine.
 
Sounds like solenoid failure to me.. I’ve got one available if you’d like to PM Me
 
Good idea - but it's pitch black out there and peeing with rain! As the latch stopped working at the weekend the light must have been on permanently since then but the battery is o.k so far - I'll whip the bulb out in the morning if conditions have improved a bit. Is it just a case of clicking off the wee plastic cover & then unscrewing? Ironically I'd never noticed there was a light in the boot until I saw it mentioned in a thread earlier, then I made the point of sliding back the boot cover tonight and I could see it in the dark.

Thank you Boxy - I'll send a PM.
 
Good idea - but it's pitch black out there and peeing with rain! As the latch stopped working at the weekend the light must have been on permanently since then but the battery is o.k so far - I'll whip the bulb out in the morning if conditions have improved a bit. Is it just a case of clicking off the wee plastic cover & then unscrewing? Ironically I'd never noticed there was a light in the boot until I saw it mentioned in a thread earlier, then I made the point of sliding back the boot cover tonight and I could see it in the dark.

Thank you Boxy - I'll send a PM.
Pretty much though the lamp is a pull out rather than a screw or bayonet. I'm not surprised you didn't notice it was on, they're fairly dim. I've swapped to led though I really need to fit one to the other side. It'll get done in time for next winter. ;)
 
most likely to be the electric actuator as against the lock itself. Enjoy the struggle with the boot trim clips, some mad Audi designer made those clips such that they were NEVER coming off. I dare say if it was possible to attach a tow rope to the trim panel those clips would allow another car to be towed without budging. You WILL think that the trim panel is welded to the tailgate, those clips are the epitome of over engineering
 
Oh jolly good :) .. I saw the debate in previous threads about being able to shift it by holding a handle/handhold and giving it a sharp tug versus using some kind of lever (and risking damage to the trim edges) so hoped it was going to be more of the former than giving it full yaldi.

I take it the electric actuator is the solenoid - or is this something different in the lock itself? I understand there are two types of solenoid. Mine is an '04 reg car - was it before / after a specific date that they changed over, or more cryptic than that? Either way I'm going to try to open it up to get a part number or measurement off it. Thank you everyone!
 
Oh jolly good :) .. I saw the debate in previous threads about being able to shift it by holding a handle/handhold and giving it a sharp tug versus using some kind of lever (and risking damage to the trim edges) so hoped it was going to be more of the former than giving it full yaldi.

I take it the electric actuator is the solenoid - or is this something different in the lock itself? I understand there are two types of solenoid. Mine is an '04 reg car - was it before / after a specific date that they changed over, or more cryptic than that? Either way I'm going to try to open it up to get a part number or measurement off it. Thank you everyone!
 
I had this problem a while ago, but I think that it must have been because the lid wasn't closed with enough force.
With the lid open, try activating the lock as if it is fully closed and latched. This appears to reset the lock.
The lid closed and locked normally afterwards.
Hope this helps.
G.
 
I reckon its the solenoid with the cold.
I f you are handy with some WD40 and able to remove rear of Tailgate,its worth trying to move the solenoid and see if it frees off.
Mines done it twice over the years usually down to the cold.
worth a shot for a freebie fix
 
On mine I found that the motor in the actuator had gone tired, the first attempt to unlock it would result in the lock being unlatched, however if you then actualted the lock again within about 2 mins the motor simply didn't have enough puff to be able to unlock the tailgate, I took the actuator appart and the motor got noticeably hot after the second application of 12 volts
A2steve came to the rescue for £7 with a replacement actuator. Yes there are type types, but I don't know when they changed over, a photo of you existing one will advise of the required part
 
When I've got time (weekend?) I will try to get the trim off and take a photo. Leaving the parcel shelf open I have realised that once the car has locked, even though the interior lights fade down after a few seconds and the boot light remains on to begin with, after a period of time it does switch itself off even though the boot lid can still clearly be lifted by hand - from memory, doesn't the radio do that as well? I haven't ascertained what the time delay is yet. Watching from outside, the moment you unlock the car and the interior lights activate, the boot light switches back on again. This may explain why the battery isn't running down overnight (thankfully!).
 
I think the Canbus shuts down lights and radio after a period (an hour?) of no activity to prevent battery death. I’m glad because I’ve had to rescue my lady wife’s car a few times because of a vanity light left on...


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I have an update. Owing to a sick daughter, I've been stuck at home today and have taken the opportunity this afternoon to remove the tailgate trim during daylight. Paul - regarding the clips - you weren't wrong - they're not even positioned in a good place to unclip them! I started with the handhold having looked at photos from A2OC to identify where the clips are located. Pulling the handle opened up a wee gap I was able to get a tape-wrapped screwdriver into, but I found the easiest clip to start on was at the upper edges of the side of the trim that clicked off fairly easily. Repeated this at the lower edge, then got stuck for a few minutes until I remembered where the emergency release cable is clipped in. Unclipping this gives a decent grip through the trim upper edge for 3 fingers to yank out all of the upper middle clips in one tug, leaving the passenger side edge that came undone easily, and then the two behind the trim hand-hold which needed assistance from inside with a screwdriver. The bit around the lock mechanism then slid out, leaving the release cable to unclip from the lock.

There's a label on the back of the trim stating :
"Hersteller Findlay Ind. Esp ; Benennung : Heckk Verkl. Unten. Soul, Teil Nr. 8Z0 867 979B 44H, 21/1/2004"

suggesting that my trim colour is Soul black.

Unscrewed the solenoid mounting plate with Torx bits (25/27?), then removed the solenoid from this with the same Torx screw size on the reverse side. Unhooked the release bar, and for the first time in a week I have a bootlid that latches shut as normal. Solenoid seems completely jammed - there is some discolouring around the casing where the shaft comes out which makes me wonder if it has been heating up as suggested above.

Using my daughter as a solenoid then proved that this works fine if the solenoid responds to voice commands, or a remote in normal circumstances.

Thanks for all the helpful comments everyone - just need to get the solenoid now (thanks BoxyA2) and crack on putting it back together.
 
I think my solenoid is gone too ? I have an 02 car which also has a dent in boot lid , so I'm thinking is it possible to swop boot lids with my 05 doner a2 ie are they compatible , as is states on this thread there are 2 types ?
 
Hi Westy,
Does the tailgate basically stay closed by gravity without the solenoid doing anything (when you press the boot open switch on the tailgate)? Will await correction, but I've never heard of there being two types of boot lid apart from the difference in spoiler on the 1.6FSI - my understanding was that there are a couple of slightly different types of solenoid with a few mm difference in arm length - but that difference is resolved within the interface with the actual latching mechanism rather than what it locates into in the door frame.

Probably the biggest issue you will encounter is getting the trim off the inside of the doner bootlid - it can be a PITA . Suggest that putting some chilli sauce on the clips when reinstalling will make it easier for future removals.. ;)
 
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