VW A5: Driver Door Wiring Harness Replacement (Part 1) 

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Nice to hear... thank you for watching!

ecsman88 Thanks for watching & taking the time to comment!

Unless you (people in general) have a service manual... you (people in general) wouldn't know about it. =) Thank you for watching!

I have a door lock module video for the A4 / mk4... let me find the link.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kHjTGLqZX3w.html M8 triple square, T15, T20, T25, Phillips, 10mm socket with ratchet come to mind.

Repairs in that area don't last long... but it can hold for a while.

Disconnect the suspect door wiring harness plug and see what happens.

17:00 onwards... how are you going to disconnect / get at those connections with the outer panel in place?

Julia Dominguez If the electrical issue is a door lock actuator tgst doesn't lock or unlock, you can put it off for a while. You judt have to make sure the door is locked when walking away from the car. If the door open / closed switch isn't working, that can cause no alarm activation when the door is opened or a door open warning when driving (depending on which way it failed).

Contact www.ecstuning.com/ and give them the vin number of your car. They can then give you the part number or sell you the part if they have it in stock. www.ecstuning.com/ContactUs/

@@EXOVCDS great thank you very much.

Dealer part... if you have any doubts about your diy repair capabilities, have someone else do it. It is a straight forward process.

1.8T? Check all your fuses. Does it get spark? Does it get fuel? Is the check engine light ON when you turn the key ON?

Bobert Remove the bolt completely and then manipulate the locking ring with a pick or screwdriver until it releases the key cylinder. If the locking ring falls down... that's OK, you can find it once the panel is off.

I'll be working on the door again tomorrow (had to call it quits for the night). I haven't tried your suggestion yet, but I'm just thinking ahead to round two; now let's assume I'm able to get the cable holding the door handle off and can pull out the door handle. Will the skin then come off but with the lock cylinder still in place? How exactly is that tensioner bolt holding that lock cylinder in? I've been searching the internet with no success for a schematic of the lock cylinder in relation with the tensioner bolt.

Bobert The mk4 /A4 vw's have a similar setup: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-juU8IhH0KKs.html

Thank you for watching!

Should be the same as in this video and this one... as the locking tab is folded down, the plug should start to lift out of its seat. Use a screwdriver to lift the plug if the locking tab is folded down. It could be that the locking tab is not lifting the plug, because the locking tab is not sitting under the plug correctly.

@@EXOVCDS Thank you for your immediate response. It turns out the wires where to short preventing the locking tab from folding down far enough. I had to cut the locking tab allowing the plug to come out.

@@hoobered1232 Thank you for the update... good detective work!

Anything that is in the door can be affected by the door wiring harness... depending on which wires break. If a fuse blew, then interior lights / gauge lights can stop working. Don't think it will set a check engine light... probably a separate issue.

If you're having issues with the door harness and you lose the lower controls for Trunk and Gas door, use your key to open the trunk and remove the upholstered panel covering the passenger side of the trunk. Reach back in there (look outside of car to see where it is located) and pull on the arm that controls the latch.) Scary when you realize that you need gas but can't get that fuel door open.

Johanna Larsson same process... don't loosen the screw more than 13 turns. The locking ring could come loose and fall down. It's not really an issue since you'll be taking the door panel off. Screw the screw back in until it stops. Pull the handle out and then loosen the screw 12 to 13 turns. Use a plastic wedge to pry against the key cylinder to remove it.

Thank you so much, it worked! Now i just have to get the handle out, but it seems way more trickier than it looks on your video..

I have a couple other videos that might show it better. Search exovcds A5 to get related videos. Pull the handle towards the rest of the car to pop it free... then, tilt the handle out of the door and pull it out of the front where it hinges.

Thank you, i Will check it out 👍

+Ruh Aktr Something could be preventing fuel pump activation or spark... safety / protection after a crash. That's my best guess. Do a whole system scan, not just ECM.

Thank you for watching. What I lack in commentary, I make up by answering questions and supplying service info.

Watch this video from 0:00 to 6:56 At 6:56 you can see the driver door actuator (covered by white / tan plastic). Remove the outer door panel with the window in the up position. No need to take anything off inside.

Here is a specific door actuator video... passenger side, but driver side is the same: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WTlHcxxY4V0.html

Thank you for watching!

Worked like a charm! Thanks again! Windows work again, but for some reason I’m still getting the Airbag Fault message. I’m thinking the message might need to be cleared by a dealer... Any thoughts on that?

@@richdelp8875 Airbag faults usually can only be cleared with a scan tool. =(

Thomas EXOVCDS kinda figured... oh well. Anyway, thanks again!

@@richdelp8875 l

T15 or T20, sorry... I can never remember! Thanks for watching!

Window up is better.

@@EXOVCDS will it be be locked in place if it's already up or do I need those suction cups like you have in the video? Thanks :)

The regulator is holding it in place. As long as you don't disconnect the window from the regulator, the window can't go anywhere. If you need to remove the window from the regulator, then yes, secure it however you can.

Yes, same process... you have to remove the "blank / plug" so that you can remove the handle.

Weyg October 1

Thank you for watching!

A5 is the 5th generation of the A platform (Golf & Jetta)... generic term for generation is mk. A5 = mk5 The Passat platform is the B platform. A mk5 Passat would be B5. So yes, your A5 TDI is the same as this video. Things can get confusing, so I try to use the actual / correct terminology to differentiate. Thanks for watching!

Thomas EXOVCDS - thanks for the complete explanation. I’m pretty active on the forums and see people even online merchants use the terms interchangeably but wasn’t sure why. The above makes total sense. We’re doing this job on Monday.

@@sat_sonic Keep me posted on how it went.

J Saun Sorry about the late reply... I'm still at work. Most of the stuff is listed in the video. Get a torx bit set, that will cover most everything in the car.

***** thanks im almost done now im trying to disconnect this last connector and its a real head ache the one thats against the outside of the door

There should be a panel / trim piece that you can remove... driver side or passenger side?

Drivers side.

I'm a bit wary of just popping trim pieces off. Do you know of a good way to get to it?

fkh161.ca/VW/A5/A5Trim.jpg

Otherwise try to fish it out with a pick / coat hanger through the opening in the door jam.

Can be done in under 1 hour... I don't know what the labor rate is. If book time (for example) is 1.5hrs, that's what gets charged.

***** i have unscrewed the inside T20 quite bit now too

***** Usually around 13 turns of the screw... no more. Pull the handle "a little" and hold it away from the door. Then unscrew the screw 13 turns. The cylinder should come out now... a little wiggle with a screwdriver between the cylinder & the door can help.

I think that's the wiring harness for the remaining switches in the door panel.

Post a video so I can see where you are stuck.

Lacy Bourbon Maybe 1.5hr if you have never done one... I don't know what the boss charges.

***** thanks. i couldnt find book time on it and i wanted an idea what to charge the customer

***** hey.. maybe you can help me out, we put the new door wiring harness and we still arent getting any power and we checked the fuses.. any idea?

Lacy Bourbon driver side? Nothing in the door is working? Other doors OK? Year & model?

Lacy Bourbon Make sure to use the VIN when ordering the harness. Some good info here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H9SiHOP6c5Y.html

Even though not everything is "listed" in the video (text overlay), there's enough visual indication & text, as to what is needed. Torx bits are usually sold in a set (meaning... odds are good that the set will have what you need), door panel tool, flashlight, small screwdriver, chair to sit on, gloves, service manual.

Guess it was worth watching after all. LOL

@@EXOVCDS Yes your videos are worth watching, but that water mark still sucks . Thanks for helping the car community with your videos. Have a great day

@@jaycvu you'll notice that the watermark is almost not visible in newer videos, thanks to input from viewers.

Looks pretty cool with no panel... doesn't it. =) Or were you being sarcastic with regards to what is involved? =(

I'm going to attempt it--I may have been telling the truth about getting it back together. I had a class action letter about this but it never failed til now. Time was up Nov. 2014