Thank you so much! I wonder why no technicians from Germany have uploaded a tutorial how to open a VW POLO door with a deadlock failure. Reading the comments or recommendations on German VW POLO forum pages were a nightmare for me. No clue, just dummy chats... Thumbs up for your work and sharing with us, Bill!
I would also like to thank you so very much for such a precise and informative video that put an end to what seemed like an endless headache. It was actually my driver's door that was stuck but all your tips were spot on, including how to get the electrical plug off completely blind. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I just want to thank you for this video.Just did on my friend's vw polo 03 reg left rear door lock.I was struggling to unlock the dead lock.I did loosen the screw with a tiny flat screwdriver tap it with a small hammer ,didn't have to drill a hole ..your video made my job easy .once again thanks for sharing this informative video with us.....hope you posting more videos.
Well done. I did both doors on my daughter's Polo. I got one done without drilling. Once you know what has to be done it is possible to get the screw out. People are wary about drilling. I though about making a special tool but drilled the second one. Thanks for the feedback.
Well a big thanks to you Bill. I've had precisely this problem on our Polo. I've watched your video now it must be 30+ times just to get it all completely clear in my head; got a scrap car door lock in and pushed ahead. The struggles were 1) as you said getting the door skin off - took an hour and a bit. 2) finding where precisely to drill - frankly it took 3 small pilot holes to find the screw, but it was good in the end. And 4) my beautiful security hex keys on the lock bolts were of course not sided enough for the VW bolts, so it was mole grips that did it. Reassembly was very fiddly and seemed to take forever, but its all come together. Thanks again for posting this, for its clarity and precise solution to the problem. And the sublime calming Irish accent too.
Sam, glad it helped. It is not for the faint hearted. I had to do both door locks and by the time I did the second one I had forgotten the detail, hence the post. I had to use a wrecking bar to remove the door card but it survived!. That was the soul destroying part. We passed the NCT (Irish MOT). Bill
Absolutely brilliant video! Informative and factually correct, (unlike the 'bent coathanger' suggestions elsewhere.) I can't believe VW have designed a lock which fails in the deadlocked position so you can't then open the door!
Bill Ebrill, I haven’t dismantled the lock yet but, before, I wasn’t even in a position to remove it. My lock is on a 2005 Passat but your technique worked a charm!
Excellent thank you for this! Can confirm it works on a Mk4 golf estate. Lock mechanisms look identical. Drilled a hole, drilled another hole because I missed the first one, undid that screw and voila, door opened right up!
Bill Ebrill the door card was tricky, but not too difficult on the Golf. Folding the seat down allowed some access to the bottom torx screw. I ended up having to use the torx bit and a pair of pliers to turn it thanks to my limited tool box and the tight space, but it worked well the same! I was so relieved when I drilled the hole and undid the screw, and the door clunked right open! I’ve got a second little one on the way and we really needed access to that door! Thanks again
cheers mate, i missed to drill at the right spot but now the door is open. i didn't remove the iron plate, just unscrewed it to see inside. now the car will have "permission" to stay on the road for an other couple of years. Thank you !!
Glad I read all the comments far down below before attempting this. 99p wire coat hanger down between window and door, a few wiggles and boom door open. But very nice video explanation.
I’ve used this method about 10 times now on various polos, golfs and even a Skoda and it works everytime and takes less than 10 minutes! Fantastic find
Thank you for posting this vid. VW garage would only entertain changing the lock if & when the door had been opened. Door card removal a nightmare so I decided to sacrifice it. Small section cut out of card to expose metal door. A couple of holes drilled to locate T20 screw. Door released, lock replaced, replaced door card (eBay £25). Thanks once again.
Really helpful video thanks Bill - central locking replaced and working... magic! however, I stupidly unscrewed the small Torkx bolt that is used to remove the rear part of the door handle... and a semi circular piece of metal and the screw fell into the inside of the door - so I took the door card/insides off and retrieved them... the trouble is, I cannot find anything about how that part of the door lock goes back together... I assume that I have to take off all of the door liner/door lock etc to access the area.... an ideas?
Hy, i just used all of youre information. Without it i wold have starred at the door and realized it was nothing i could do, except cutt it off. Thanks for the info wery much.
You only need to do this if the motor has failed or jammed internally. The vdub dealer trick is to simply apply power to the cables supplying motor power (via the CCU connector). Simply touch power one way a couple of times +|- then the other way -|+ until you hear (and see it) unlock. If nothing happens then it's the motor that has failed and your only option is the magic hole... A hair dryer on the door card helps soften up the plastic before you try ripping it away from the door.
Hi. I’ve managed to get the panel off and I can see the actuator. My handle on the outside doesn’t have the pin visible when the handle is pulled out. Will I still be able to get the door open? As it looks like the handle isn’t pulling any wires
Hello, Thanks so much for your video. I had my car deadlocked and I was able to remove the locker from inside. Now I am opening it and fixing it (following some other guides online), but I do have some doubts: 1) How exactly is the deadlock position automatically triggered? I understand that when the green lever is in the upper position, the lock will not operate, but I am only able to reproduce this manually. I am wondering how the car/lock does that automatically, and under which circumstances? 2) I see the green leaver has also three main positions: up (deadlock), down, and middle. What is the difference between the other two positions? My lock is always operating at the lowest position and the mechanism seems to be working fine, but I am wondering if this is correct, or if it should operate with the green leaver always in the middle position. Thank you in advance.
Thank you! Same problem with Skoda Fabia 2004 rear door. Only difference that drilling hole i,s not possible when door is permanently closed. The screw is under main body corner. You need to do ca 20mm hole near by under the door panel cover - 3 layers metal !!! . And unsrew the screw is not possible (screw is under the main body corner) - you need to damage this buy bigger slotted srewdriver (screw sits in plastic)
Really great video! It is really informative and well put together. Although I wonder about when you drill the hole and loosen the screw on the lock, is it enough to remove that screw and not put it back in order to use the door as normal? Or do I need to replace the lock. I'm afraid I didn't quite get that part. Cheers from Sweden!
The door is electrically locked. It fails because the motor is damaged. You may be able to use it manually but the purpose is to get the door open so you can remove the lock to inspect, repair or replace. It may keep deadlocking intermittently unless you take some action like disabling the electrics. Does that help?
@@billebrill8730 Okay, I think I understand. The easiest for me would be to just use the door manually, and lock/open it manually. I would like to just remove the "deadlock" and unplug the electrics. When you remove the deadlock at 3.58, can I just use the lock without the "deadlock" or is that a part of the normal locking mechanism? Thank you for your response, I really appriciate it. My car just failed the MOT because of this.
Many thanks, this method, having tried everything else, got the read passenger door open. Now what to do to stop it happening again ;) Is it possible to just disable the deadlock by removing a part>
Thanks for the video Bill. My daughters had done the same thing which I've now managed to fix following your guide on how to remove the screw from the lock and has now passed it's MOT. I would just add a couple of comments that might help other people. When trying to remove the door skin, I found it easier to remove the plastic around the wheel arch (inside the car) which meant pulling off the trim around the rear side window and undoing the screws that hold the side of the rear parcel shelf. That allowed me to pull the plastic trim around the door wheel arch area and provide slightly more access to the door trim just above the wheel arch area. I could then use a small 6 inch flat bladed right angled screwdriver to twist underneath the lip of the door trim and pull it off, working my way round the door trim as I managed to unclip each one of the clips holding it. The other thing is I'm not sure if I missed it or it wasn't mentioned but there are 2 white dowels holding the front of the plastic cover on the door lock. Like the window dowel, you need to punch the dowel through the plastic clip, which will drop in behind the inner door panel but can be retrieved once the inner skin has been removed. I took care not to break these when I removed the lock from the scrapyard car. I hadn't realised these were attached on the broken lock and managed to snap the plastic housing when I initially removed the inner door skin.
Many thanks for the reply. My second daughter now has the car so I will go through your Email. I am a bit confused about the dowels but will take a look. One idea about removing the door card was to use a hair dryer to make the plastic more flexible. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
@@billebrill8730 In your video, the door panel picture at 2min 37 secs shows the 2 white plastic dowels just below where the door handle cable goes through the inner door panel
@@groundlingstheatre8006 Thanks, I see the dowels you refer to. I don't have enough video to sort out how I handled them. I actually may not have replaced them. I will take a look at the old locks. But it is an omission.
@@groundlingstheatre8006 I see the bracket. It was pop riveted to the lock. The new lock did not have one and I had broken it when removing. I did not replace it as I felt the lock was secure enough without it. I may do a supplement mentioning that. The dowels can be tapped out using a 3mm punch and as you say will be trapped in the base of the door for subsequent retrieval.
I have followed this procedure and have not been able to open my door rear offside passenger door ..the screw plastic and metal part all out .. not sure if I can upload photos in comments any help will be appreciated.. vw 2005 polo 1.4 auto
To unlock the right hand door deadlock a 1/4 turn of the screw clockwise will do the job , for the left hand door a 1/4 turn anti-clockwise will do the same thing ( but the screw may undo ? ..so if you have it apart put a little loctite under the head... ) As soon as the weather gets a little warmer I'm going to drill both doors , they're bound to deadlock in the future , the hole only needs to be 1/4" if you drill it accurately , and it should be hidden in the surround of the door card. And a T20 screwdriver in the toolbox...
A lot of info condensed in a short video, hard to find nowadays. It's possible to open the lock without having to drill a hole. Use a slotted screwdriver and hammer it into the small latch seen above your thumb @3:40. This rotates the plate and unlocks the door.
I agree. Well done. It is also possible to fabricate a driver to access it from the side. Coincidentally my daughter traded the Polo two days ago - we got 15 years out of it across two daughters. It was a 2005 car!
I have a Polo with this very problem, and on the same door at that. Will try this later. Can i just ask, do you need to put that back? (3:57) What does exactly the deadlock do? Cheers.
Tiago Costa The lock is all one unit. I was just showing why that piece has to be taken off. If you replace the lock it was have that piece installed. Removing the door panel required brute force. One guy gave a tip to use a hair dryer to make the plastic more flexible. I was prepared to break it! Good luck.
Tiago Costa The deadlock prevents the door being opened from the lock button or the handle. Breaking the window and getting inside still will not open the door - it must be opened electrically.
It is very difficult. I was prepared to sacrifice the card/panel as the car failed it’s NCT and was useless. Make sure no screws or anything holding it back. I used a pry/wrecking type bar and hooked it under the card at the bottom of the door towards the front. I had to use a lot of strength and was prepared to break it and get a replacement from a breaker if necessary. You are pulling it through a space that is smaller than the card itself as the lips of the card bind. Be careful. If you make progress pack behind it to prevent it pulling back. You could stuff old towels behind as you make progress to prevent it springing back. Be prepared to damage it!
Thanks! I think this is the problem I am having with my Passat. After you have taken out the screw and then being able to open the door, can the door be closed again? I have a new lock coming in the mail, and I am considering doing this right away before the lock arrives. I don't mind not being able to lock the car for a few days, but only if the door can be closed so I can drive it.
@@billebrill8730 yes it was a bit tricky, especially since I couldn't open the door. I used a few videos from youtube to help me out, though (this video in particular: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lW2hrGoL3TI.html). No major issues, just a lot of struggling...
It was extremely difficult. There were no screws at the bottom of the door card in my case but it is work checking. I used a crowbar and was prepared to destroy the door card if necessary as the car had failed its MOT. It was very distorted as I levered it out but the plastic did not break. I used most of the force at the bottom of the card towards the front of the car. I removed both rear door cards on separate occasions using the same method.
The N/S/R door on my polo 9n does the exact same, doesn't respond to unlocking and cannot be opened inside or out, my dad wants to wreck the doorcard so we can access the components, is that necessary?
I was stuck with the car failing Irish NCT (MOT). Also dangerous as a passenger at this side is locked in. I decided to sacrifice to door card. However the plastic is very tough. I used a crowbar at the bottom front of the door card - just checking no screws - and lifting it upwards at the same time. It distorted but recovered and was reusable. I did this for both rear doors at different times and got away with it. It was very tough to remove it as you are pulling it into a smaller space.
Hi, I don't know the golf so am not sure, they may have similar locks. Getting the doorcard off with the car door closed is the hardest part. It sounds like the same problem but the layout of the lock and screw may be different. My daughter's car failed her NCT so we had to do something!
God bless you man 🙂 I opened the door this way, removed the lockdoor, installed a new one, locked it and the same situation again, I can't open it either from the inside or from the outside. What's the problem
I got it on eBay. Check numbers etc.Here is an example:- www.ebay.ie/itm/For-VW-Polo-9N-Caddy-Iii-Door-Lock-Mechanism-Rear-Left-Side-OE-3B4839015AG-Fits/273502044802?_trkparms=ispr
Hi everyone i have a 2002 jetta A4 1.6 model now this video that i just watched i have the same problem so if i understand correctly i have to drill a whole on the door to screw that screw out to open my door am i wright
@@billebrill8730 hahahahaha i am going to try my best i will ask my sister boyfriend to make a special tool because i don't really whant to drill wholes on my car but if i have to i will but neat
It was extremely difficult. There were no screws at the bottom of the door card in my case but it is work checking. I used a crowbar and was prepared to destroy the door card if necessary as the car had failed its MOT. It was very distorted as I levered it out but the plastic did not break. I used most of the force at the bottom of the card towards the front of the car. I removed both rear door cards on separate occasions using the same method.
Yeah its possible! 😀 well thanks removing the elektrick conector is pain in the ass.. my fingers are cut bleeding as fuck and he is still the, my question is its possible to repair the old lock after dissarming the deadlock?
I used a crowbar after checking there were no screws at the base of the door card. I was prepared to sacrifice the card as car had failed MOT ( called NCT in Ireland) and was therefore useless. It is very tough plastic and survived the distortion required to remove it against what seems an impossible task. It took all my strength and camera was left to one side!! You are pulling it through a gap that is smaller than the card itself!
@@billebrill8730 The driver side opens and makes the clicking sounds but not the left passenger side. It's stuck no noise when unlocking with key nor the inner button to unlock or the handle itself.
@@sanelisonxitywa2203 Sorry I misunderstood. The front doors are slightly different but the same principle applies. The little motor that drives the lock gives out and if the deadlock is engaged you need to get at the lock to disassemble the deadlocked part. Some people have been able to operate the lock by using a higher voltage but this requires detailed wiring knowledge to access to battery feed to the lock from the fuse box but not guaranteed to work. Removing the door card is the hardest part so you can see what your are dealing with.
@@billebrill8730 That's my biggest problem. Removing the door. A guy suggested I cut out the inside panel and work it from there but I doubt it will give me access to the mechanism. I'll keep trying all the ideas. Thanks a lot for your advice and tjme
@@jeesjee888 Once the metal tongue under the screw is fully removed, the door is unlocked. Check to see that the plastic piece under the tongue is not jamming it. You could reconnect the inside door cable to see if opening from the inside works. The lock is operated from the cable on the outside handle or from the bowden cable connected to the inner handle. The original fault may be different than the one I outlined. It may be in the lock rather than the electrical actuator.
