# Door lock broken - can't open door from inside OR outside



## solid7 (Jun 25, 2009)

I have a perfect storm going right now, really need some help. :banghead:

Here's the problem. My driver's side door has only opened mechanically for... a long time. (key fob won't open or lock the driver door) Not sure why, never really made an attempt to diagnose it - like I SHOULD have done while it was still working. So this weekend, I'm locking my car door the old fashioned way, when the key starts to spin all the way around in the lock. ****. I've had enough VW/Audi cars to know what that's about, and that I've got a problem. What I could not have known, is just how big of a problem it was about to be.

Once the key spun, there was no opening the door, from either the inside or the outside. I rolled down the windows, and forcefully peeled back the upper part of the door panel, where I could see into the door. There was a plastic guard covering the door latch module. I had to cut that back, to see the latch, itself. The cable on the handle WAS still intact, and appeared to be working. Same for the inside handle. However, the latch just wouldn't pop.

Now, comes the good part.

In the process of repeatedly trying to open the latch manually, the cable has popped off the door latch. Not the end of the world, I suppose. I figured I'd put the car away for awhile, give it a rest, and come back with a clear head. I rolled up the windows, pulled into the garage, and parked it. However, I had forgotten that I had pulled the torx screw out of the door panel, and for whatever reason, I somehow managed to pull the handle, and pulled off the handle and the little metal deco cylinder that covers the window switches. In the process, I knocked out the switches. So now, I can neither open the door from the inside or out, but I also can't roll down the window to gain the limited access that I had before.

What the hell is going on, here? What is preventing the door latch from actuating?


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## lite1979 (Sep 9, 2005)

IIRC, the door latch has to be pulled twice. Once to unlock, once more to unlatch. Where your door is in this process is a crapshoot, but I would recommend getting a Boxster latch mechanism to replace your current one.


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## solid7 (Jun 25, 2009)

lite1979 said:


> IIRC, the door latch has to be pulled twice. Once to unlock, once more to unlatch. Where your door is in this process is a crapshoot, but I would recommend getting a Boxster latch mechanism to replace your current one.


I'll take your advice on the replacement, but first the fix. 

What you say makes sense... but it doesn't address the fact that I can't open from the inside. I tried actuating the latch from inside the door with a lever. (as in, simple machine) I could see the mechanism from the top down, so I I could see that both inside and outside (at one point) handle cables were engaged, and operational.

The focus here is, what is stopping that latch from popping? No amount of pulling handles would trip it open.


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## lite1979 (Sep 9, 2005)

Kind of sounds like what happened to my mkIV golf. The cylinder turned and it became impossible to open the door. I had to pay a locksmith $60 to get me into the car. I'm guessing you can't open the trunk either?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## solid7 (Jun 25, 2009)

lite1979 said:


> Kind of sounds like what happened to my mkIV golf. The cylinder turned and it became impossible to open the door. I had to pay a locksmith $60 to get me into the car. I'm guessing you can't open the trunk either?
> 
> Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


Audi doesn't screw us over like VW does. We get locks on both doors. 

But again, this isn't the problem. The problem is that I cannot open the driver door from either the inside or the outside, and I've managed to deny myself use of power windows now, as well. The locksmith wouldn't be able to help me, because he can airbag the door all day long... He isn't going to be able to open the door with the inside handle.


Entry isn't the nagging concern. It's that I'd like to be able to use my driver's side door again, as luxury demands. I cannot fix the problem until I can get the door open, which I currently cannot.

So come on... Where are all the experts when an actual problem arises? Do I need to stoke some sort of flame war on this forum to actually get people into a thread? (seems like it)


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## solid7 (Jun 25, 2009)

It's amazing that on a forum that is full of car enthusiasts and mechanics, not one definitive answer. Me, a novice, had to pioneer my own solution.

The solution to the problem: I used an angle grinder to grind away the metal plate over the outside of the lock. Then, I pried out the blocker door in the tumbler. From that point, I drilled out the tumbler. This is a bitch, because the drill bit really bites in when once the brass pins are drilled away. (it grabs the pin recesses - I broke off one 1/2" drill bit in the process)

However, once I got up to a certain size drill, all of the pins in the lock were gone. So the tumbler spun freely. At that point, I was able to open the door from the inside, using the handle.

It was actually a much simpler fix than I thought.


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## lite1979 (Sep 9, 2005)

solid7 said:


> It's amazing that on a forum that is full of car enthusiasts and mechanics, not one definitive answer. _I_, a novice, had to pioneer my own solution.
> 
> The solution to the problem: I used an angle grinder to grind away the metal plate over the outside of the lock. Then, I pried out the blocker door in the tumbler. From that point, I drilled out the tumbler. This is a bitch, because the drill bit really bites in when once the brass pins are drilled away. (it grabs the pin recesses - I broke off one 1/2" drill bit in the process)
> 
> It was actually a much simpler fix than I thought.


Locksmiths have a lot more at their disposal than air tools, and for the time you spent doing this yourself, you could have saved yourself a drill bit and a lot of time. My time costs $20/hour; I'm not sure how much you charge. If you're a self-admitted novice, wrap your lament in kinder words next time. After all, you admitted from the start that it was your fault this happened in the first place. I'm glad you got it fixed. 

On another note, check out the thread on RF failures and the CCM; it may be the answer to your remote key working again. I just got a used Allroad CCM off Ebay for $30 shipped to investigate this myself. You may need to buy a pencil solder.

Have you purchased the parts to replace what was broken in surgery? How much did they cost?


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## solid7 (Jun 25, 2009)

Not that I mean any disrespect - your words are well taken. It just seems that the only time help request threads get any attention these days, are when the flames get fanned. So, please forgive my passive aggressiveness.

Now, then... I did take the car to a friend, and he hooked up the diagnostics. The only function that worked for the driver side module, was tripping the alarm. We ascertained (and I'm making a long story short) that the entire latch/lock mechanism is ****. New module on order, $150. The tumbler was blown up. Can't describe it in more technical terms, but the key was in infinite spin mode.

At the end of the day, being able to open my door, and learning a last ditch trick to achieve it, was worth the price paid. Unfortunately, I lost faith in waiting for an answer that wasn't forthcoming. But that shouldn't stop anyone from replying, in case there is a next guy, up the same creek. If there's a better way, hindsight is better than blindness.


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## Kevarms (Sep 3, 2018)

Had the same problem on my TT ... looked everywhere for a result...... this worked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGyb9aSoIFA


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