# Awesome. Door handle broke!



## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

Went to close my door yesterday and the handle popped. I was hoping some screws came loose, but nope. I took it apart and the plastic handle broke where it meets the door near the door lock switches! This happen to anyone else? 

The plastic is so thin right there. Don't be surprised if we start seeing this happen more often.
Guess I'm calling the dealer tomorrow.


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## NYCameron (Nov 17, 2010)

pics or it never happened


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## tiptronic (Apr 18, 1999)

vwlippy said:


> Went to close my door yesterday and the handle popped. I was hoping some screws came loose, but nope. I took it apart and the plastic handle broke where it meets the door near the door lock switches! This happen to anyone else?
> 
> The plastic is so thin right there. Don't be surprised if we start seeing this happen more often.
> Guess I'm calling the dealer tomorrow.


yeah i know right? whats with the CHEAP plastic hinges, and parts that is laiden on this $30k car... my rear seat center console's latch (where the first aid kit is) broke. Im just going to install a magnetic latch that i can buy from Michael's arts n craft store


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## NYCameron (Nov 17, 2010)

tiptronic said:


> yeah i know right? whats with the CHEAP plastic hinges, and parts that is laiden on this $30k car... my rear seat center console's latch (where the first aid kit is) broke. Im just going to install a magnetic latch that i can buy from Michael's arts n craft store


writeup when you do
my friend broke mine...needless to say...he keeps his hands to himself in my car now


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## VWAddict (Jun 12, 1999)

Writeup.

With pics.

Please!


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## Krieger (May 5, 2009)

x a bajillion.


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## jakjak9210 (Apr 2, 2011)

Another vote for the writeup, mine's been broken since I bought the car.

Back on topic of the op, I'd like a few pics too, I've heard this is an issue on the gti's


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## 27spots (Sep 14, 2005)

jakjak9210 said:


> Another vote for the writeup, mine's been broken since I bought the car.
> 
> Back on topic of the op, I'd like a few pics too, I've heard this is an issue on the gti's


Ugh. I just discovered mine was broke too. Whoever broke never said anything too. Write up please!


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

tiptronic said:


> yeah i know right? whats with the CHEAP plastic hinges, and parts that is laiden on this $30k car... my rear seat center console's latch (where the first aid kit is) broke. Im just going to install a magnetic latch that i can buy from Michael's arts n craft store


Yea mine broke as well and since my car was out of warranty i just asked my buddy to put my broken rear arm rest in his car and i got a new one free after he complained to the dealer. You might want to try this if you have any friends willing to switch parts with you. The armrest in the rear is easy to take out, so you will just be getting a $600 part free.


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## mike3141 (Feb 16, 1999)

rick89 said:


> Yea mine broke as well and since my car was out of warranty i just asked my buddy to put my broken rear arm rest in his car and i got a new one free after he complained to the dealer. You might want to try this if you have any friends willing to switch parts with you. The armrest in the rear is easy to take out, so you will just be getting a $600 part free.


And if you're comfortable with fraud.


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## NYCameron (Nov 17, 2010)

mike3141 said:


> And if you're comfortable with fraud.


you call it fraud
we call it fixing for free something that should not break on a $30k+ car (or should be entirely covered)


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

mind as well do a swapout with somebody else's A3 in the street. It eventually gets covered by insurance.


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## NYCameron (Nov 17, 2010)

LWNY said:


> mind as well do a swapout with somebody else's A3 in the street. It eventually gets covered by insurance.


lol, that's stealing

in the other case we at least had the other person's consent. there is a difference.


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

NYCameron said:


> lol, that's stealing
> 
> in the other case we at least had the other person's consent. there is a difference.


lol, not if you are providing the other person your part. It is exchanging.

Getting the other party to consent under false pretense is just as bad, and you have to also face your victim, while on the parts swapout, you face nobody except your conscience.


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## rick89 (Dec 2, 2008)

Well i am happy now i got a new armrest latch that is not broken. Audi dealerships rip people off everyday, so they can afford it.


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## Chadd (Jan 27, 2003)

rick89 said:


> Well i am happy now i got a new armrest latch that is not broken. Audi dealerships rip people off everyday, so they can afford it.


Oil companies make billions in profits. Why pay for your gas? It's Stealing no matter what spin you put on it.


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

NYCameron said:


> pics or it never happened


I'll try to take some pics tomorrow. I called the dealer and the parts person didn't seem to sure, but said I'd need a whole new door panel. I need to go in and look at the diagram. I'm NOT buying a new door panel. Cost from Audi... $860!


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## LWNY (Jul 30, 2008)

vwlippy said:


> I'll try to take some pics tomorrow. I called the dealer and the parts person didn't seem to sure, but said I'd need a whole new door panel. I need to go in and look at the diagram. I'm NOT buying a new door panel. Cost from Audi... $860!


send it to peepee, he'll build a contraption to hold it back in place.


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## 27spots (Sep 14, 2005)

Turning into a separate topic.... might start a new one, and this could be a wild stretch. Can we "3D" print the rear console latch?

http://consumerist.com/2011/08/man-...repair-part-for-25-instead-of-paying-250.html


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## Audi'sRevenge (Mar 24, 2008)

I'd like to see the pics too, I don't understand how it "broke".


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

Audi'sRevenge said:


> I'd like to see the pics too, I don't understand how it "broke".


Here is where it is broken and how I fixed it. Hopefully the fix will last. 









You can see the broken plastic here.









I made a bracket from something I had lying around.









I tucked the bottom part under the leather and used the existing screw to hold it in place. 
Then I drilled a hole for a new screw up top.









Screw installed









Finished and back together. 

Lets hope it holds!


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## Audi'sRevenge (Mar 24, 2008)

Wow yeah I didn't expect that could happen too easily :|

Yeah the way you fixed it looks good--pretty much the only way to fix ABS. Not sure if it is ABS (can't see the code anywhere in your pics) but I'm assuming that part probably is.


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## Krieger (May 5, 2009)

both sides are broken for me...

trying this soon.

you just pop off the outer cover there?


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

Krieger said:


> both sides are broken for me...
> 
> trying this soon.
> 
> you just pop off the outer cover there?


Yep, the cover just pops off


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## boywonder82 (May 21, 2008)

This happened to my driver's door AND my passenger door. 

Luckily, the dealer fixed it under warranty. They had to replace the whole door panel to fix it, which is a pretty stupid design. Not only do they make it so flimsy that it breaks, but you have to replace the entire door panel for one little piece of plastic breaking. 

Great pics on the DIY fix. Now that I'm out of warranty, I'll be using your method if it breaks again.


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## 604a3 (Apr 28, 2010)

My rear center console latch just broke too!

And the door handles seem like they happen quite ofteen


Wtf kind of build quality is this audi..


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

Mine broke too. Take out the factory screw, use a coarse screw that is slightly longer (not more than 1/2" longer) and reinstall. You'll screw it into the base "board" of the door panel. It's been fine ever since *knocks wood* :thumbup:


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## oudi (Oct 8, 2013)

Re awaking an old thread but this is possibly more pertinent as time goes by.

The 'longer screw' fix worked for a short while before breaking again.

Has anyone been able to fix this by replacing parts? I've been trying to work out what might be needed but wondered if anyone else could point me at the right bits before I strip it down myself?

http://www.parts.com/parts/2006/Aud...cleid=187730&diagram=1311580&diagramCallOut=1

Thanks.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

oudi said:


> Re awaking an old thread but this is possibly more pertinent as time goes by.
> 
> The 'longer screw' fix worked for a short while before breaking again.
> 
> ...


I believe the threaded insert is in part 1 of that diagram. The whole door panel needs to be replaced. Which is why mine just has a longer screw. I'm sure that's not cheap.


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## oudi (Oct 8, 2013)

Darn, oh well thanks for the help. I'll post a follow up regarding how much it ends up costing.


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## bbbobbb (Feb 4, 2007)

Oooo, sorry, 2 year bump…but there is good news for those who have this issue. 

About two weeks ago I went to close the driver door, something I do several times a day , when the handle broke. For many weeks it had been a little loose feeling but I ignored it as my Audi is an ’08 A3 (delivered in mid August ’07, BPY engine) and I just thought it was normal wear and tear. Since I will retire the A3 in a year or two I did not want to spend many hundreds of $’s at the dealer to get this replaced. Searching around brought me to this thread…

This part is available and replaceable. I bought this off of eBay from what turned out to be Audi Minneapolis, eBay name = oemaudipart, no tax, shipped for $58.96. You can find it cheaper or more costly, shop around. *I will say oemaudipart did a great job packaging and shipping FedEx to me.* 

I bought both driver and passenger parts. Driver’s side part is 8P4959521D7PE, passenger’s side is 8P4959522D7PE. 



*Shop Manual *– It took awhile to describe this part and find it; cool site with what I guess is the whole of the shop manual.

Part bought is #2 (driver’s side) in this picture:

http://workshop-manuals.com/audi/a3.../service_and_repair/front_door_trim_overview/

You basically take off the door panel and remove the switchgear and transfer it to the new part. I have had the “master switch” replaced twice under warranty as well as the wiring harness from the body to the door replaced. This could have contributed to the whole of the panel becoming loose and a bit creaky.

*Excellent thread about how to remove the door trim:*

http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?2689982-DIY-How-To-Remove-Door-Panels

If you read all the way you will find that there was a running change as my ’08 only had three screws holding on the panel as well. I also did not have the clip covering the door handle wire, maybe it was left off from previous dealer repairs or it was never there. 

If you need to replace the interior door armrest, the master switch, or the side mirror switch, this is the thread to start with. 

While I did buy a set of plastic trim tools from amazon, I didn’t need them as once you get the screws out you can pull on the trim and it will pop off. Again, the dealer had this part off several times so it might have been easier because of this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AO0E5QQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

*New part backside:*



*New part molding data:*

*
Original part molding data:*


Follow the instructions in the door trim post and then once you have the panel off you will need to remove the screws that hold the armrest and the part your are replacing.

*You will remove these two long T20 screws:*


*Then remove the 6 T20 screws that hold the armrest on the panel, I already removed one in the pic below and one is to the left that you can’t see in the picture:*


*The armrest will come out:*


*The armrest can come off easily (and costs about 3 x $ the part you will replace!), the part you will replace will still be attached with the two electrical connectors for the mirrors and the master switch:*


*Now you have to liberate the switch wiring connectors and transfer the master switch and the mirror switch to the new part. *


*First remove the master switch connector by pressing down on the release tab:*


*Then remove the trim cover piece over the side mirror switch:*

*
Now you can depress the tab on the mirror switch to remove the connector, I already removed it in the picture, but you should press with your fingernail where highlighted:*



The part is free from the door trim, you have to carefully remove the switches and the mirror illuminated reference ring.
*
There are two bulges in the housing that I put very tiny screwdrivers in to release the tabs to lever the switch out, you can only see one side in the picture*:



*You can then push the switch out from the top:*

*
Remove the mirror switch carefully, I don’t have a good picture of this but I put the screwdriver in the area highlighted:*

*
Finally remove the mirror illuminated legend ring:*

*
Move the parts to the new piece:*


Reassemble in reverse of disassembly (I have always wanted to say that!)

It took me five times as long to create this document as the hour or so to replace the broken part. A side benefit is that my door panel/armrest no longer squeaks.
*
Broken part:*


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

Great info, thanks for the part numbers. Mine broke on both sides of the car but I was able to repair them and they've held up for over a year now without issue. If they fail again I'll be replacing them and reinforcing them with fiberglass or something before re-installing. Totally crap design on Audi's part!


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

Glad someone made a replacement part since this happened. 
FYI - so far so good on my bracket fix from 4 years ago.


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## 2006_A3_2.0T (Jan 11, 2013)

:thumbup:

this happened to me this year. I used the screw replacement for a slightly longer and did the trick. crossing fingers..


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## girlgofast (Jan 28, 2011)

*This Fix is Legit, Thank You!*

Thanks for posting the DIY fix with photos, much appreciated.


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## Rob Cote (Dec 6, 2006)

No prob, bob


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## vwlippy (Jul 17, 2001)

girlgofast said:


> Thanks for posting the DIY fix with photos, much appreciated.


Glad to help. 
FYI - this fix is still holding up 7 years later


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## Ulua4me2012 (May 8, 2012)

Wow. Just saw this. I can tell mine is about to give. Good little fix.:thumbup::beer:


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## Bronco (Mar 3, 2011)

vwlippy said:


> Here is where it is broken and how I fixed it. Hopefully the fix will last.
> 
> 
> You can see the broken plastic here.
> ...




Nicely done sir !! And thanks for the nice write up with photos ! :thumbup: :thumbup:


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