Door lock

["Al Powell" <apowell@agcom.tamu.edu>]

"Forhan, Thomas" <Thomas.Forhan@mail.house.gov> said:

>This morning as I turned the key clockwise in the driver's side to 
>lock it, the mechanism when went loose. Did not lock, but still 
>armed the alarm. The power lock works fine from inside the car, and 
>all doors lock properly from the passenger door.

>I called my local Audi dealer, and the service rep knew immediately 
>what I was talking about. He said the cure was a "door lock upgrade" 
>in which they replace an offending part with a stronger version. The 
>estimate is $250-$300. Ouch!

>I could not find anything relevant in the archives :-(, even though 
>the Audi service rep said is was a pretty common problem.

>Has anybody tried to fix this one themselves? I look forward to any
>advice.

>Please copy tf@pipeline.com as I won't see e-mail here until Monday.

OK, Tom, you can confirm the problem by pulling the driver's door 
panel and seeing where the fault is.  My bet is that the lock link 
connecting from the back of the lock cylinder to the lock actuating 
mechanism broke.  BTDT.  (Must respectfully disagree with another 
poster who theorized this is a faulty pump.  Doesn't fit the 
symptoms.)

This is a VERY common problem, and the lock upgrade is in order if 
this is the fault.  It would in fact turn the alarm on, as the alarm 
switch is mounted on the cylinder itself - but since the link broke, 
it would not activate the door lock.

How to find out: pop the door panel off (20-minute job if you've 
never done it) and look WAY up in the corner where the door handle 
is.  Have a helper turn the key.  If you see the back end of the 
cylinder turn but the lock connecting mechanism running up the inside 
of the door doesn't move, then it's the link.  It is NOT easy to see 
up in there, but if you have a Bentley, consult it to get the general 
layout.  The lock linkage is all stout wire, running between the 
cylinder and door lock.  It moves up and down when the cylinder 
triggers the lock.

The "upgrade kit" consists of a new lock cylinder and a stronger link 
to connect to the lock mechanism.  Cost about $40.  The rest of the 
bill is for labor.  Your current door key will stoll work, as you can 
transfer the tumblers from the old key cylinder to the new one.  
Again, BTDT.....

The question is: how mechanical are you?  This repair is NOT very 
difficult, but does require major door disassembly (really you 
separate the inner door from the outer shell, but this isn only 
about 8 bolts...) and some reasonably clever hands to re-assemble the 
door cylinder mechanism.  No special tools are required other than a 
pair of circlip pliers with VERY small tips - and patience.  If you'r 
reasonably handy, you can do this in 2-3 hours.  If you're dangerous 
with tools, pay the man his $$ and be content.

I have the entire procedure archived and will be glad to email to you 
on Monday, but I can't get at it till then.  

+................................................+
Al Powell, PhD             Ph:  409/845-2807
Ag Communications          Fax: 409/862-1202
Texas A&M University
http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/alpage.htm
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