Drivers door lock mechanism - alternative to main dealer unit
I'm not sure if this is against any rules, but if so please remove this post. I just wanted to pass on what I think appears to be a bargain and I know this fault seems to affect a lot of owners!
My newly acquired A6 has the issue where the car thinks the door is always closed. No interior light, no puddle light, no red hazard light and, of course, the most frustrating issue is that the car has a habit of locking itself with the keys inside if you're not careful. I fitted a 2nd hand lock unit last week and everything worked perfectly for a day or so, but the problem returned and so I was about to bite the bullet and phone the local Audi dealer but then I came across a new lock unit both on ebay from a German seller and from a UK site called d2autoparts Front Right/Driver Side Locking Mechanism 4B2837016G
It's obviously aftermarket and of unknown quality, but it arrived today and looks identical to the one I removed minus of course the manufacturer and Audi part numbers. This one has very little in terms of numbers or branding on it. It even has what looks like the exact same pesky microswitch that detects if the door is open or closed.
I'll be fitting it this weekend, or possibly tomorrow depending on how work goes, so I will keep you updated and also report back on the longevity of the lock should it fail prematurely. I figure that if it lasts a few years then that'll do me.
Hope this might help others in the same situation.
Re: Drivers door lock mechanism - alternative to main dealer unit
There are plenty of these chinese pattern locks everywere. I am not sure if they would fit on our RHD cars. Keep us informed of your progress!!
5 Attachment(s)
Re: Drivers door lock mechanism - alternative to main dealer unit
Well, I had a busy weekend working on the car. I managed to swap the door lock for the second time (after first chancing it with a second hand lock which turned out to have the same fault). It took me just over an hour and I even managed to get the window frame and door seal to fit much better than before (possibly factory fit).
The lock unit looks absolutely identical and it works a treat. It's very smooth in operation and the door closes with a nice reliable German feel. The markings on the plastic parts of the new mechanism match the old one almost identically, I've tried to highlight this in some of the pics.
Attachment 32765Attachment 32766Attachment 32767Attachment 32768Attachment 32769
I will try my best to update this thread in six months to a year's time to let you know how el cheapo lock is going. Of course, should it fail before then I'll be only too quick to come back and let everyone know to steer clear!
Re: Drivers door lock mechanism - alternative to main dealer unit
OK, it's been just over a year and last weekend I started to notice that the interior light would not come on normally when opening the drivers door. The lights pulse on and off almost in a rhythm/code. The open door warning for the drivers door also fails to appear on the dash. VCDS reports that the door is unable to be locked, but that's not the case. Locking and unlocking still works fine, but it appears the switch inside the lock mechanism has failed already. I will know more this weekend when I strip it down again. I've ordered another cheap lock this time from ebay and only £24. It may be a completely different problem, I may have been unlucky with the first lock, or these cheap locks may just be utter rubbish. It's worth another punt to find out rather than paying for a genuine Audi unit at four to five times the price. If the car lasts me another year I will be happy and so perhaps this lock will outlast my ownership of the car.