2003 a3 boot not opening

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barachello

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I have owned the car for just over a month, and had no problems with the boot, but now it will not open except by the key.

The keyfob button does nothing and opening the car by the key and then opening it by hand does nothing.

Is there a seperate motor for the boot mechanism ?

Or could the problem be a wire, etc ?

thanks
 
right- I'm in a very good position to assist with this- IF it is what happened to me!!

What happened on my '01 8L was that water ingressed around the rubber boot that goes over the hinged flap over the microswitch in the tailgate release switches. There are two of these obviously above the rear registration plate. The release is electrical and although the microswitch itself is an IP 67 sealed unit- the connector which is inside the car is not. What happens next is that the connector collects water, goes green and shorts out.
On my own vehicle the tailgate was triggering spuriously and the boot had to be locked manually and then the car unlocked from the driver's door with a key to be able to drive round without it opening!!

As I say I'm in a very good position to flesh all of this out with pictures- but they are at work so it'll be the morning before I post them.

The solution (at NO cost- Audi wanted £239 for a new loom) was to remove the failed release switch, strip it down, remove the connector, solder new wires onto the microswitch and effect an inline join in the boot with the existing cabling- polarity un-important; it's just contact closure.

It may be this type of thing- yes there is a separate motor in the tailgate...

JimP
 
Pics would be good Jim.
If I'm honest (it was late), I didn't even think about trying the key, but both micro switches and the key fob boot release weren't working. Was also showing up as the boot was open on the dash, but pushed down on the boot and there was a small click like it hadn't fully engaged and the boot open light went out.
So hopefully its a simple fix like yours. Going to try and look at this monday.
 
Ah- that sounds slightly different then- although a bit odd as the release button still actuate the motor even when the tailgate is up; which suggests that DIS "knows" the tailgate is open but the locking doesn't?

Anyway- here is what I got at the moment...
releasebuttonfrominside.jpg
 
Hmm- how amateur; I'm uploading these as enormous pictures- however at this point I don't have the technical know how or time to resize them; so I'll carry on!
releasebuttonremovedfro.jpg
 
You'll p1ss yourself when I tell you what my problem was.

When I had the battery out and used the key in the lock on the boot I had twisted it to the locked position which (from my experience), disables the microswitch paddles and the remote boot unlock. DOH!
 
Yep, kinda wish I'd remembered the key, spoilt with the remote lock/unlock! :blush:
 
To resurrect another thread, for some reason my airbag light came on, amplifier stopped working, and boot now won't open, all at the same time. No idea why!

I am going to climb into the boot later on and force the catch across to get the boot open. The other strange thing is that the boot makes all the normal noises when I press the button on the fob, or by pressing the soft touch buttons on the boot, but it seems that the catch doesn't actually move.

Does anyone have any ideas on this front?
 
Sounds like a failure to ground in your wiring. I'd check the cable run for the amplifier, as I'm assuming this is after-market? Otherwise I see no reason why OEM wiring (airbag/boot) would affect an after-market amplifier.
 
Hi,

I did think that, but it's a massive pain to get to the grounding and I wish I didn't have to do it. Thanks for the advice. I'll try and have s look later. And yes it's an OEM amplifier
 
Oh, OEM amp? Try checking the left compartment in the boot, that's where the sub is, which contains the amp, built in. There is also a little hose, with a joiner, for your rear window washer (behind the stock sub). This joiner might've come loose and filled the compartment with fluids, which can cause the electrical irregularities.
 
Sorry, I did mean after-market! But my sub is in there anyway, so I will definitely take a look. I tried to clean up around that hose the other day, so maybe that's caused it...but it wasn't a wet cloth or a sponge or anything, just some tissue. Cheers mate...hopefully it'll resolve all my 3 issues hah
 
Might've broken a grounding lead while you were cleaning back there? I know there's a stud there.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
To resurrect another thread, for some reason my airbag light came on, amplifier stopped working, and boot now won't open, all at the same time. No idea why!

I am going to climb into the boot later on and force the catch across to get the boot open. The other strange thing is that the boot makes all the normal noises when I press the button on the fob, or by pressing the soft touch buttons on the boot, but it seems that the catch doesn't actually move.

Does anyone have any ideas on this front?
Click to expand...

Scan for fault codes.... where there are lights there are codes and clues to what the problem might be

<tuffty/>
 
I'll see if I can do that later, but right now I've not got a reader.

I got the amp working, the ground wire had disconnected.

I'm currently sitting in the boot trying to open it, but there seems to be no way to do it from inside. I've tried to remove the panel that sits below the lock, but you can't do it with the boot shut...any idea how to open it from inside considering that?
 
ef1172366d7c9d5e658fc7464ffd6f9b.jpg


I've managed to get to this stage. Unfortunately the trim was damaged, but it'll be worth it if the boot opens.

I've tried now pressing the button on the fob that usually opens the boot, and it's making the right sounds but I can see that the latch doesn't move at all, it doesn't even stir...any suggestions?
 
I'm having the complete opposite
My boot won't close and I also boot lights are not coming on either
 
Does anyone have any advice on forcing the lock open from inside? I can undo the nuts holding it down, but I've no idea where I'd go from there
 
New symptoms guys, please help if you have any ideas at all!!

I bought a new lock. Fitted it without any trouble, but it still doesn't lock. So, the lock is eliminated as the problem.

Next thing to look at is the motor that moves the arm. It seems to move the full distance of travel. The rubber housing thing compresses fully, so I don't think that's the problem.

Next thing is the other connection, which is the one to the lock.

My assumption is that using the key, ignoring the motor to do the locking, should always work, unless the problem is with the lock. Is this a reasonable assumption?

What I've found is that turning the key in the lock turns part of the lock movement around, and should then lock the arm in place. When I turn the key, the lock movement turns, but then the arm is still free to move. So, I'm thinking the problem is with the key part of the lock mechanism.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Or have any ideas on what would actually need replacing if I'm correct?

Guy whose boot won't lock, have you managed to solve that?!
 
dirtychinchilla said:
New symptoms guys, please help if you have any ideas at all!!

I bought a new lock. Fitted it without any trouble, but it still doesn't lock. So, the lock is eliminated as the problem.

Next thing to look at is the motor that moves the arm. It seems to move the full distance of travel. The rubber housing thing compresses fully, so I don't think that's the problem.

Next thing is the other connection, which is the one to the lock.

My assumption is that using the key, ignoring the motor to do the locking, should always work, unless the problem is with the lock. Is this a reasonable assumption?

What I've found is that turning the key in the lock turns part of the lock movement around, and should then lock the arm in place. When I turn the key, the lock movement turns, but then the arm is still free to move. So, I'm thinking the problem is with the key part of the lock mechanism.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Or have any ideas on what would actually need replacing if I'm correct?

Guy whose boot won't lock, have you managed to solve that?!
Click to expand...

No mate still not locking
Had the boot cover off and everything
The rubber housing compresses and that but na it's just not closing
I'm thinking waters shorted something because I have no boot lights :/
 
audi upgrades
Ah that's annoying. I think we may now have the same problem. I also think something has shorted because this happened after I'd given the car quite an extensive pressure washing.

Have you tried seeing what happens when you turn the key in the lock? I think that's moved things forward a bit for me, though I'm not sure how to deal with that.

Edit: looking at this diagram I think part 9 may be the issue.
 
This might also be relevant:

campbell said:
Thanks for the replies, I have managed to remove the latch mechanism and the lock where you put the key in. The mechanism wasn't working in the latch but after a through degreasing, repair, and lubricating it's now free as a bird. All put back together, the latch is closing and the boots locks but it's still showing the boots open on my dash! I have noticed the plug which goes into the latch, two pin, and once I disconnect that the open boot light goes off so I take there is a sensor in the latch itself? Does this still mean I need a new latch mechanism?

I was chuffed I repaired the mechanical side of things but it's electronic !
Click to expand...
 
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Reactions: scotty89
Yup I saw it. Your lock won't fit in the barrel? Sounds like you need a new barrel.

My problem is with the entire mechanism :(
 
Don't see how that can stop it closing
As you can see the boot just bounces
 
Is there any chance that someone would do us both a huge favour and take a video of their exposed locking mechanism whilst they turn the key in the lock? As far as I can tell, locking it is just doing nothing.
 
Ok well I replaced the lock again and this time it actually worked. The arm is too long, so I'll need to change that, but apart from that it's all functioning.

Scotty, what I recommend you do is take the trim off on the tailgate so that he lock is fully exposed. Then have the boot open and try sticking a screwdriver in the actual latch so to see if it's possible for the latch to open and close properly.

If it is, then the problem is probably in the actual lock and barrel that you put your key into. I've ordered one of these unnecessarily, so I may be able to sell that to you if you want it.

If it's not, the internal mechanism for the lock is broken and you'll just have to replace it.

Hope that's helpful.
 
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