# Fixing soft-close



## Tedo (Apr 20, 2015)

The soft-close mechanism on driver’s door didn’t work. I have removed the door trims as described in several forum posts.

First I tested the soft-close motor. Since there is a lot of electronics inside I think that you cannot start the motor by just connecting some wires together on the connector. 

















The motor worked just fine.
I lost a bolt into a door. Trying to get it with a magnetic stick, I didn't catch the bolt (the bolts are made from non-magnetic material) but I found a part of a micro switch (lever).
I took out the locking mechanism and found a broken switch. You cannot disassemble the locking mechanism. So I cut off a piece of metal to gain access. 


















I connected all the components together and tried to operate the switch by hand. The soft-close mechanism started to work. 










I found a new micro switch with the same dimensions on a Farnell web store (Newark for US)










I did some remodeling of a plastic pins and I exchanged the lever from the original switch










The new micro switch fits perfectly. 










I soldered the wires on a new micro switch.










I reinstalled the locking and closing mechanism, had some troubles with the door handle (didn’t read the manual thoroughly :facepalm: ) but in the end… everything works as it should. 

Total cost of a repair: 2 € and few hours of work.


----------



## invisiblewave (Sep 22, 2008)

Nice job!


----------



## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

Don't you just love fiddling with stuff?

I didn't have to cut anything when I took mine apart though-


----------



## Tedo (Apr 20, 2015)

Yup, it's the best.
The repair was taken on the mechanical side of the lock. I couldn’t get to the switch without cutting. The electronics part of the lock with switches (on your picture) is ok. 
When you are closing the door, on the first “click”, the soft-close switch is pressed. When the soft-close begins to actuate and closing the door tightly, the soft-close switch is depressed. When the door is in the final position, another switch is pressed signalizing, that the door is closed shut.
There is however another switch in the mechanical part of the lock which is pressed when you pull the door handle.


----------



## bjoroy (Mar 2, 2016)

Hi there!

So, I'm finally getting around to (trying to) fix my drivers door soft close. I bought a second hand lock unit which I hope will do the trick, as well as a second hand soft close motor. Both supposed to be in working condition. Before I start ripping the door apart (again), the part which is usually faulty is this little microswitch, right?


----------



## Tedo (Apr 20, 2015)

Well, depends on what are the symptoms. Few days ago, I pulled the door handle just in time when the soft close started to pull. It ended with a loud pop. :banghead: Luckily only the bowden cable snapped.

The switch in your picture is detection of handle pull. It is also the answer to the question in this thread http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?8482978-Interesting-behavior-of-the-door-handles-with-keyless-entry

The switch I needed to replace is to detect the presence of the lock striker.


----------



## bjoroy (Mar 2, 2016)

Hi and thanks for the reply. Soft close has never worked as long as I've had the car (almost a year). On the 3 other doors it's all well though. I tried replacing the motor last summer, but that didn't help at all. I think I heard the motor running first time the door was closed afterwards, but that's it.

You guys probably know this feeling...


----------



## Tedo (Apr 20, 2015)

If you have some spare time, I would suggest the following: remove the locking mechanism from the right front door and just connect it to the left front door. All you need to do is push the lever in the locking mechanism with a screw driver to the first "click" (simulating the door closing). Soft close motor should run for a second or two, but it stops immediately if you push the lever to the end position (fully closed door).
If this works, then there is strong possibility, that the same switch as mine is faulty. As you can see from my photos, the switch was shattered. The reason was "Ryu" from your photo


----------



## bjoroy (Mar 2, 2016)

So, a little follow-up after 6 months...

I've been putting off the project until I found a low-mileage second hand locking mechanism, and finally a 2006 Continental GT lock w/50-something-thousand miles on the clock showed up at $50. Part numbers matched, but the plastic housing around the unit had to be switched over (3 clips) due to how it's mounted in the Ps compared to Bs.

The job was pretty straight forward. I found a german PDF with instructions on how to remove the lock, so with a bit of Google Translate & trial & error the unit was replaced and the door puzzled back together quite nicely. And the best part? IT WORKS! The car didn't even throw a tantrum after I forgot to disconnect the battery before I started  She's probably glad I won't be hurting her with the slamming anymore. The outer door panel is resting quietly indoors now, while two broken mounting clips are being glued back in place.

The old lock is working, apart from the SC of course, so I'll try to replace the microswitch and keep it as a backup. As previously stated here, it's probably just a $2 part gone bad.

Oh, if you're searching eBay (or similar), you'll find hundreds of matches for "phaeton lock". I used www.oemepc.com to find the correct part number, as they vary from cars w/wo softclose and w/wo KESSY. And also left/right hand drive. For me it was part# 3D1837015B, 3D1837015AK or 3D1837015T (LHD, front left w/SC w/KESSY). Don't know if front/rear/left/right are interchangeable, or maybe they can be modified to fit. Would widen the search a bit.


----------



## Velvet85 (Nov 21, 2017)

bjoroy said:


> So, a little follow-up after 6 months...
> 
> I've been putting off the project until I found a low-mileage second hand locking mechanism, and finally a 2006 Continental GT lock w/50-something-thousand miles on the clock showed up at $50. Part numbers matched, but the plastic housing around the unit had to be switched over (3 clips) due to how it's mounted in the Ps compared to Bs.
> 
> ...


Can you share, the german PDF ?, because i have the exact same problem , i have alredy bought a new motor component because the workshop said thats the problem , but i think it is the electronical micro switch 

thanks a lot !!


----------



## bjoroy (Mar 2, 2016)

Velvet85 said:


> Can you share, the german PDF ?, because i have the exact same problem , i have alredy bought a new motor component because the workshop said thats the problem , but i think it is the electronical micro switch
> 
> thanks a lot !!


Hi,
of course. Send me a message with your email and I'll send it right over. I tried replacing the motor first, but it didn't help. Worth a shot though, as it's an easier job than the lock/microswitch


----------



## Nasser_SA (Nov 25, 2019)

Hi guys 
Could anyone provide us with the part number Of the micro switch please


----------



## Tedo (Apr 20, 2015)

Nasser_SA said:


> Hi guys
> Could anyone provide us with the part number Of the micro switch please


The one I installed (in the pictures) is ZD30S60H02-Z. I think it is out of production now.


----------



## Nasser_SA (Nov 25, 2019)

Thanks tedo 👍


----------

