A4 Avant '09 (B8) Manual latch not releasing tailgate

[mghassey]

For several months now the manual tailgate release handle on the outside of the actual tailgate does not open the tailgate when it is fully closed.

The key fob & drivers door switch both open it no problem.

If the tailgate is slightly open, for instance after hitting an obstruction like the dog's blanket then the manual latch reopens the tailgate fully which seems to suggest that the actual switch is working.

The dealer has spent 2 days investigating this without finding the cause or fixing it.

They tell me they have changed "the 2 motors" and made no difference. When I queried about the control unit they tell me it is part of the motor, and they come in pairs. Sounds odd to me, but still......

I now have the car back and am supposed to arrange to have it booked in again for further investigation. This problem has been around 7 or 8 months already so I think that I'll hold off until the next service & MOT later this year just to reduce the hassle of having a loaner.

BUT - does anyone have any suggestions as to what could be causing this please??

To complete the picture what prompted me to have this into the dealer now is that the tailgate wash / wipe sprung a leak & the wiper started behaving completely erratically and had to be replaced so I thought Id get two jobs done at once. No water appears to have got into the latch mechanism though, or so I'm told.

[techi]

Check the menu it could be disabled from there I had similar issue


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[mghassey]

Thanks - but which menu, & how do I check it please?

[techi]

Thanks - but which menu, & how do I check it please?

I’m not near car right now but from car setup you will see tailgate option just change from one it’s currently on.


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[mghassey]

Thanks - I'll have a look, but I don't remember seeing anything like that.
I'll let you know what i find.

[mghassey]

One step forward - 3 backwards !
I found the setting referred to in the MMI under the central locking, but before changing anything tried to replace my things back into the boot. Using the key fob to open the tailgate all it did was release & pop open about an inch - then stayed there! Pushed it shut & tried the drivers door switch - same thing. Just for the sake of it tried the tailgate handle and that also released the tailgate (which it didn't originally!) but just opened an inch or so. Repeatedly doing that and pushing & heaving eventually got the boot open and tried to close it using the button, nothing happens!! Again pushing & heaving managed to get the tailgate shut. Then had very irate phone call with the service department, when I eventually managed to get through on a Saturday morning!! Obviously they can't do anything now until Monday.
NOT a happy bunny !!

[mghassey]

Ok - now seems finally sorted, at last. After returning the car to the dealer they eventually decided that the new motor they fitted was faulty! (Took them another 2 days to work that out!) Replaced that and now all fine. They claim that they did check the MMI Central Locking setting and I'm sort of inclined to believe that the control unit was faulty for a slightly different reason. For some time I've found that the tailgate was not always opening to the full extent no matter how many times I reset the opening, now it does seem to be staying there.
Really disappointing thing was that the dealer obviously keeps minimum spares stock, everything had to be ordered & then delivered to them the next day, sometime. Fitting then had to be scheduled in, maybe today, maybe not...............! What ought to be same day jobs take 2 - 3 days instead.
Not convinced that BOTH tailgate motors needed to be replaced at £300 + each but once you're into the dealers it's almost a case of "Computer says...!"