4k door problems.. still

[DeWitt Harrison]

Sorry not to have a definitive answer to your dilemma, Steve,
but here is something to consider. There are very few Audi
factory parts still floating around out there for our good 'ol 80's
cars. Especially not from Audi which has utterly and completely
obliterated from the corporate memory the 4k, 5k, 200 and
ur S4/S6 cars (except for ads featuring Michele Mouton
in her early 80s World Rally Championship year -- see the Audi
ad supplement in today's Wall Street Journal. What assholes.)

It's possible that your replacement handle is an Italian knock-off,
if you're lucky. More likely your handle is a Chinese knock-off
of the Italian knock-off from a factory that has never even seen
a photograph of an Audi.

Four or five years ago I bought a '88 5000CS handle from
BLAUfergnugen which turned out to be of the Italian knock-off
variety and it was a complete joke. I doubt the Chinese have
improved on it much.

I suggest sourcing a used, genuine Audi handle from Force 5
or some other reputable used Audi part vendor. With enough care
and love, some of the original old handles will continue to
provide good service.

DeWitt Harrison
'88 5kcs

On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:52:02 -0800
  "Stephen Arbaugh" <sneekerz at comcast.net> wrote:

> Hello again; 
> 
> I'm still trying to figure out my right front door problem on my '86 4kcsq.
> It won't open from the outside. I've replaced the latch mechanism, which did
> have some issues, and the door handle since it was time (isn't it always??)
> and I was there. The inside handle works great, but from the outside, you
> cannot open the door. When you pull the trigger on the handle, the trigger
> lever and control rod move downward as they should, but not far enough.
> Another fraction or two of an inch of downward movement and the thing would
> work like a champ. 
> 
> Well, it would work like an Audi door handle, but it would open. 
> 
> I have tried unsuccessfully moving the door handle around in its mounting
> holes, and have not seen any other adjustments that can be made. I have
> contemplated how to make a longer rod from handle to latch, and have
> searched the knowledge base for proper tithes to make to Team DoorHandle,
> but have come up empty. 
> 
> Steve
> 
> '86 4kcsq
> 
> Kent, WA