Hello, my drivers side door is opening at the moment but only just!! When I lift the handle it sometimes fails on the first attemp but works on the second. It feels like it only operates right at the end of the lift on the door handle which is much later than all my other doors. Is the some adjustment within the door to correct this?
A6 avant Quattro est c5, door struggling to open.
- Thread starter Keggers
- Start date
It's a hooked cable from the pull to the lock. Remove the two screws at the top of the panel, lift and disconnect the switch panel (screw driver from underneath) to check it all out.
thanks, I was just trying to get a heads up before I get a chance to look at it this coming weekend, was hoping I could adjust something or take some slack out!!
Think it's just a couple of plastic bushes on the cable ends. If the latch is not reseating a good douse of Wd40 may help. Otherwise its take it to bits time I fear.
I assume you mean the handle on outside of car does not always open door? If so I had this problem, in theory simple but very fiddily to repair. take inside door trim off, remove plastic cover on inside of lock mechanism. you will see metal hook that connects inside of handle to lock mechanism, where it meets lock mechanism there is a plastic connector. On mine this bit of plastic got worn so it slipped meaning handle had to be moved more than its normal range to release lock. Its hard to describe but this is adjustable, the bottom bit of plastic slides to release the metal rod which can then be adjusted and "locked" by sliding the bit of plastic back. I got a replacement bit of plastic from Audi (as mine was too worn to grip the metal rod) and fitted it, all good now.
1 little tip to avoid a lot of stress -
leave inside trim completely off the door until you are completely sure its ok (this is where I went wrong) as it is impossible to remove trim to get to lock workings with the door shut. I managed to over adjust connecting rod, the lock did not reset so neither inside or outside handle released door. It can be released manually but you need to be able to get to the inside of the lock which is practically impossible with door shut and trim attached!!
1 little tip to avoid a lot of stress -
leave inside trim completely off the door until you are completely sure its ok (this is where I went wrong) as it is impossible to remove trim to get to lock workings with the door shut. I managed to over adjust connecting rod, the lock did not reset so neither inside or outside handle released door. It can be released manually but you need to be able to get to the inside of the lock which is practically impossible with door shut and trim attached!!
Hi there, been having a go at this this morning and I'm struggling to remove the plastic cover that surrounds the lock, it has some tabs that I can release but can't the get the cover out of the way, it feels like something may get damaged if I try any more, there is also a protective cover over the door handle. I can see from the inside of the door the adjuster that you mentioned but I'm really struggling to get at it!!!
I said it was fiddilly!!
I gave up being gentle with the covers, decided to rip them off as probably don't need them - in fact after roughness they came off ok and I have subsequently refitted them with no problem.
If you end up having to replace bits you will also find you have to remove the metal bar from the back of the external handle - this too is fiddilly, it does just push on/pull off but to get it back in place and push it so it locks is tricky due to access. After disconnecting metal bar from handle I then removed entire lock from door, not sure if this is necessary but made it easier to disconnect plastic adjusting piece (end of metal bar) from lock mechanism and take it to audi parts counter as they didn't have a clue what I was trying to describe. If you have a key lock on that door be careful not to damage the blade from lock barrel where it enters lock. Worth keeping a back door or boot open just incase you get locked out. Hope this helps.
I gave up being gentle with the covers, decided to rip them off as probably don't need them - in fact after roughness they came off ok and I have subsequently refitted them with no problem.
If you end up having to replace bits you will also find you have to remove the metal bar from the back of the external handle - this too is fiddilly, it does just push on/pull off but to get it back in place and push it so it locks is tricky due to access. After disconnecting metal bar from handle I then removed entire lock from door, not sure if this is necessary but made it easier to disconnect plastic adjusting piece (end of metal bar) from lock mechanism and take it to audi parts counter as they didn't have a clue what I was trying to describe. If you have a key lock on that door be careful not to damage the blade from lock barrel where it enters lock. Worth keeping a back door or boot open just incase you get locked out. Hope this helps.
I think so. Def had window closed as its completely in the way otherwise. Can't remember if its 1 cover or 2 separate ones but remember getting it loose, stressing with it a lot, getting angry, then convinced myself it was impossible to remove then it released itself. It came loose first, then slipped I think downwards or possibly towards front of car but with a lot of encouragement. Try levering it loose with large screwdriver.
Cheers, at the mo I've got the door hanging on 2 lots if cables, one set looks like speaker cables that I assume I can unplug and the others go to the door switches area I think, I'm not sure how to get theses disconnected though, think someone said push the switch up from the bottom to release but I can't see how!
yes all can be disconnected, key fob likely to stop working after reconnecting cable to lock & will need reprogramming as per changing its battery. KEEP ANOTHER DOOR OPEN incase all goes wrong.
I kept door trim hanging that's how I got into trouble later when door was shut, lock jammed & trim in place. please do remove it fully. Yes window door switches can be pushed up from below (screwdriver through hole where cables go) or pulled up from above.
Its one of those rather "quick simple jobs" that along with most jobs on an allroad are seriously fiddilly & time consuming, hate to say it but it may be just as easy to get audi independent garage to do it, if they have done it before I would imagine they would do it in almost no time so shouldn't cost much.
I kept door trim hanging that's how I got into trouble later when door was shut, lock jammed & trim in place. please do remove it fully. Yes window door switches can be pushed up from below (screwdriver through hole where cables go) or pulled up from above.
Its one of those rather "quick simple jobs" that along with most jobs on an allroad are seriously fiddilly & time consuming, hate to say it but it may be just as easy to get audi independent garage to do it, if they have done it before I would imagine they would do it in almost no time so shouldn't cost much.
Hi ms1083, I'm still trying, I think this is the part you mean to adjust but still am puzzled on how to release the part from where it fits!!! Do I need to remove the door lock via the 2 torx fixings on the end of the door? Cheers. What a way to spend a Sunday..the photo would need rotating 90 deg clockwise to see it how i was looking inti the door.
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Yes that bit of black plastic connected to the end of the metal arm with the screw thread is the adjuster. Its looks like mine and it is worn enough to need replacing rather than just re adjusting. However, my audi garage managed to adjust mine first and that lasted for about a year until I got to it and replaced. I would suggest you just try to adjust it for now and if it fails in the future work to replace it. As looking from your photo the theory is that the bit of plastic that has what looks like a washer on it slides to the right, once that is done you should be able to pull the metal bar out a little (you need to effectively make the bar a bit longer) and then slide the bit of plastic back to the left to lock it in its new position. When this part gets worn it does not lock properly and over time the bar works its way back into the mechanism causing the problems you have.
If you are going to replace it fully you really need to get rid of the plastic covers first. then detatch the metal rod from the other end where it connects to the back of the handle assembily, then remove the lock from door, yes its the 2 torx fixings, I then had to remove the lock cylinder to enable its blade to come out of the lock to give the lock space to slide out of the door (I don't know if this is always needed but mine needed the extra room). Removing the lock cylinder is also tricky as you have to remove the external handle first and that is yet another fiddle - I can copy/paste the instruction from ELSA (audi workshop manual) if you wish as I can't work out how to describe how to do that, its a little strange.
All in all I would try to just adjust for now rather than undertake all the above!
If you are going to replace it fully you really need to get rid of the plastic covers first. then detatch the metal rod from the other end where it connects to the back of the handle assembily, then remove the lock from door, yes its the 2 torx fixings, I then had to remove the lock cylinder to enable its blade to come out of the lock to give the lock space to slide out of the door (I don't know if this is always needed but mine needed the extra room). Removing the lock cylinder is also tricky as you have to remove the external handle first and that is yet another fiddle - I can copy/paste the instruction from ELSA (audi workshop manual) if you wish as I can't work out how to describe how to do that, its a little strange.
All in all I would try to just adjust for now rather than undertake all the above!
Bumping this back up, I've just taken my door apart removed the lock covers (what a waste of time they are!), I managed to pull the black part back a couple of mm and the feel of the handle has improved and the door seems to open 99% of the time. If looking at the picture above you need to twist it so that the bar coming out of the plastic is at the top, I pulled the black plastic part down a few mm, no need to pull right as described above.
This thread was a great hep else I wouldn't have been able to deal with fixing this myself, thanks to those who have contributed.
This thread was a great hep else I wouldn't have been able to deal with fixing this myself, thanks to those who have contributed.
The black sleeve over the rod needs pulling up slightly,, this worked in my case but take care as I went to far and pulled it right off, took a good while to get it back together, you don't need big hands and arms for this job 
So the problems back!! Only this time I'm pretty sure it's not the black piece of plastic that needed adjusting. I'm pretty sure it's the actual door locking mechanism in the end of the door that all the rods attach to. I'm hoping someone can give me some insight in how to remove and replace the local / latch mechanism.. The door is intermittently becoming such shut which won't have a happy ending...
It isn't 't cheap (around £125) but I would definitely recommend replacing the lock mechanism. If you get to the stage where your door won't open - as mine wouldn't on my previous A6 - then you do have serious problems. The replacement is relatively easy but you do have to remove the entire window frame & it's advisable to mark the position of the two wedges located at the bottom two mounting bolts (there are four blots) so that it goes back in the same alignment. I got the lock mechanism out without removing the external door handle but it wasn't going back in without removal of the handle - again, easy enough when you know how & there are some good You Tube vids showing all of this. Certainly, when I replaced the lock in the drivers door of my current A6 it not only works exactly as it should every time but the door actually opens & closes smoother, quieter and more easily than before.
TIP - If you get a new lock mechanism from Audi, it will come with a red plastic pin fitted in it. Make sure you remove this before fitting the lock.
Cheers mate, not sure how to tackle it at the mo, had a nightmare with it today, the rod from the lock to the door handle had fallen off at the handle end, nightmare to get back on!!, when I lift the door handle it sounds like it's opened the door latch but hasn't, then usually on the next lift it opens!! I'm thinking it's the loch and not the adjuster on the end of the rod from the handle ,,, what a pain!!
If its getting that hit & miss I suggest you completely remove your inside door trim now, if you end up not being able to open the door at all with the trim in place you are in big trouble. You would end up having to remove the rear door to get to the lock catch on the front to cut it to be able to open the front door - and then of course not be able to shut the front door until repair is completed.
Fortunately, that's not entirely accurate. There is no need to remove the rear door, just open it enough to be able to see the front door striker plate. There is enough room to hacksaw (blade only - no room for the frame) through the striker plate and get the door open. Only a very short stroke is possible so it took me 3-1/2 hours to get through it. I wrapped tape around one end of the hacksaw blade to create a 'handle' and taped down the edge of the front door to protect it from scratching.
That was on my previous A6 and is why I fitted a new lock mechanism to the current one, the moment it showed signs of trouble.
Yep - that's the pin. Remove it.
I know Audi prices are bordering on rip off but I'd be a little concerned at the low price of that lock. Chinese?
Good job I removed the door card,,,wouldn't open today so luckily did it from the inside, I did notice there was water dripping out of the soon to be changed lock mechanism,, I'd just washed the car,, would the water be getting in via the probable worn and perished seal between window and door frame? Are these available to replace? Thanks.
So my reconditioned lock arrived, took around 1hour 1/2 to dismantle fit new lock and put back together, all sorted, very glad of the advice especially marking up the 4 bolts for the frame, very happy
