Door - She no work

John Sims · Mar 21, 2004

Not having used Beaky for over a week I thought I would jump in for a quick drive. This was all well and good except that the door wouldn't close. It felt like I was slambing the the seat belt in the door.

The catch wouldn't engage so the door kept swinging open.[

] I have had this previously when the outside "trigger" sticks in and has to be pushed back with a finger. On this occaison trigger was well and truely stuck. It was nine o'clock in the evening, cold dark and windy and when I eventualy got the door to stay shut I left it there. Better locked than with the door swinging open I thought.

Having delivered my Mothers Day pressie, in other car, I returned home and drenched the trigger in WD40. It still wouldn't move so I manipulated a zip tie between the tigger and the handle and managed to move it. It was very stiff. [

] After more WD40 and much squeezing and pulling back with the zip tie the trigger now flicks and spings back better than it ever has, in my experience. I still didn't try to open the door - am I getting wise in my old age?

The trigger has been very stiff in the past and would occaisionaly stick in and stop the door latching. Last time I used the car was in all the recent salty snow stuff. I have washed the car thoroughly a couple of times since, but not used it to any great extent, so I am anticipating that the salty water got into the already stiff trigger and finaly seazed it.

As noted above, I haven't tested my repair yet but the fact that the trigger is now nice and loose indicated a dramatic improvement already.

Fen · Mar 22, 2004

The only problem I have had had been with sticky external handles - it happened this winter when ice stopped the cab's handle from springing back. I had exactly the same in the Golf one morning. You should have fixed it by freeing the handle I would expect.

John Sims · Mar 22, 2004

You should have fixed it by freeing the handle I would expect.

Major big grin [

] problem all solved. Opened the door this evening and it works better than ever. Isn't it great what a bit of TLC can do.

dawn lang · Mar 24, 2004

I know it may sound like a silly question, but is your door and lock set fitted with an anti drill plate? (this is a crincle black finished plate that fits behind the handle but on top of the door).

My car is, and I like you have had problems. It seems to be an after fit item (I have seen them in the Porsche Shop magazine), althought the may have come as standard at some point. It seems on mine that because it is an after thought the mechanism needs to be re-adjusted, which it hadn't been by the original fitter.

Re-adjustment is easy (although it needs a lot of patience and preferably anti skin knuckles!), and is done by turning a couple of threads on socket of the ball and socket joint! Does that make any sense???

Anyway, glad to hear the problem is cured now.

Steve (Dawns hubby)