Please help me with my car lock problems?

[adamwiggy]

Hi Im new to this so please go easy on me, I have recently brought a 51 plate a4 tdi and have noticed that the drivers door is not locking or unlocking with the key fob. I have done a lot of searches on here and read a lot but nothing is giving me a definative answer or at least what i want to hear.
Here it is summed up:

All windows work fine from drivers door,
speaker works,
electric mirror controls work,
door lock buttons will lock and unlock all the other doors but NOT the drivers door.
Door will lock and unlock from outside with key,
have checked wires from car body to door and all look ok,
have felt carpet in the passenger footwell and all is dry and lovely.

I havent pulled the door card yet but my gut feeling is the door lock mechanism/motor is knackered, Im not thick and can figure most things out but this I want to check before i start breaking or replacing bits that i dont need.

Is there a way of checking the door lock motor, or at least which wires are feeding it and what volt reedingd they should be giving out, if you see what i mean.

Please any info would be great

many thanks adam

[nevo]

When you say you've checked the door wires did you peel back the rubber boot carefully inspect the wires,they can also break internally,otherwise it looks like you need to take the door card off and check for voltage.

[benjie]

Hi, I am in Gloucester on Sunday night and should be able to get VCDS from a friend to plug into your car. If you don't know what VCDS is, it's a diagnostic tool that reads any fault codes the car's ECU has saved. It may help diagnose your problem. It also has an Output Test function, which may include the door locks (don't know off hand).

If you're interested, let me know!

[adamwiggy]

Hi thanks for your replies, I have peeled back the boot and the wires look ok, there are one or two where the outer skin has split a little so i have taped them but none look broken.

If you would be willing to pop over with your tool that would be great, I am just at the bottom of birdlip hill so your basically passing my house from swindon, Not sure how i am supposed to contact through a forum. ill try and sensd a private message. thankyou very much

[adamwiggy]

Cant send private message yet, not enough posts! could of told me that before i wrote the stupid essay and then tried to send it

Anyway if you could pm me benjie I will email back or text you with my mob no, and address or we could meet, thanks benjie

[benjie]

I'll PM now...

[adamwiggy]

UPDATE: Ive been on the car all morning! basically to those of you following this thread or with similar problems this is what i did.

Removed the door card and removed the whole door loom( not hard really just a few clips here and there but doable without too much sweating)

laid the loom out and got my multimeter (cheap enough to buy from any diy shop) MAKE SURE YOU GET ONE WITH THE RESISTANCE OPTION ON!)

using the multimeter i touched one lead on a wire connecting to the big multiplug at the door pillar and the other lead to the corresponding plug to which that wire goes, If you get what i mean?

simplified, follow the wire from its starting point (multiplug at door a pillar) to its terminal( whichever plug it is connected to)

You should have a reading of 0 on your multimeter which means there is no resistance across that length of wire Hence that wire is not broke and capable of carrying a current=

Repeat this for all the wires and you should only ever see 0 on the multimeter, if you see '1' like i did then it means there is infinitive resistance ie "a break in the wire therefore not carrying a current=

My small red and white wire had a break somewhere along it but i couldnt tell where so found it easier to just cut that section out and solder in a new one

hope this helps anyone wondering if there wiring is broken.

[nevo]

Just a quick one adam was the section you replaced in the hinge area or in the door,strip the insulation and have a look,just wondering if its the constant flexing or dodgy wires.

[adamwiggy]

Hi nope it was nowhere near the hinge, i would say 6 inches inside the door, imo the wire they use for the loom(apart from the obvious thicker ones) is just too brittle to take any real flexing and also its like the coating inside the wire sort of deteriorates over time, the one section i cut out the copper wire was pretty much black inside the insulation which does make me wonder if audi have used cheap quality wire (thats probably the one and only time youll see audi and cheap in the same sentance!