door switch location

n9lhm

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Location
South Bend, IN
TDI
2005 Jetta TDI
2002 Jetta, dome light only comes on intermittently when driver's door is opened, and never when passenger door is opened, and door ajar warning does not illuminate. When either back door is opened, dome light comes on and door ajar is displayed on the dash. Where is the door open sense switch for the front doors located? Any suggestions on how to access it easiest? Or does anyone have any experience with this symptom being something else? (I did see the thread about broken wires in the flex boot in the door jamb)

Brian
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Search yea the "$3 door fix" thread... it's about a hundred pages long and has great pictures, discussion, etc. :)
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
... Where is the door open sense switch for the front doors located? Any suggestions on how to access it easiest? ...
The referenced thread is very good. It should point you to a couple of threads on this problem (on vwvortex, no less), with lots of discussion on different sets of symptoms and what to do to fix them.

In short, the switches you need are in a latch mechanism buried inside the door. There's 4 switches, but the upside is that most of the time, it is bad solder joints rather than switches going bad, that cause most of the problems encountered.

Good luck, and hopefully you won't have to buy anything unless you don't already have a soldering iron.

Cheers,

PH
 

eb2143

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
None
but the upside is that most of the time, it is bad solder joints rather than switches going bad, that cause most of the problems encountered.
I dunno Eric, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of failures are the switch itself. The little plastic nub that the door cam rotates against is basically a miniature version of the Whac-A-Mole game and it just can't hold up in the long term.

But you're right there is a solder joint problem on the circuit board in the lock module, but I only hear it being an issue infrequently compared to the switch.

If the OP doesn't feel like reading a mountain, here's a printable HOW_TO I put together, mostly with existing information:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=3134443&postcount=379

PS: Salisbury! Good to see the wheel bearing tools moving closer for the next time one goes!!
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
True that the switch itself can fail. I am not going to claim I know about all the failures and how many are due to switch failures or just solder joints. There are 4 switches inside the module, and hopefully visual examination will tell whether a switch is dead or that intermittent problem is a flaky solder fracture. Mine so far have all been solder fractures.

Yeah, I'm probably 10 miles closer to New London than previously. But while I can work where the cars are parked now, I still don't have a garage, so ...

Good thing coming from that direction (north) is that a GPS will work. They don't have my address correctly mapped, so if you are coming from the south, you will be led onto a virtually impassable road. Sometimes new technology isn't quite everything it is supposed to be!
 

n9lhm

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Location
South Bend, IN
TDI
2005 Jetta TDI
Thanks for the replies, I do electronic repair for a living so replacing the switch is not a problem. Just curious -- what actuates the switch mechanically? Something has to sense whether the door is touching the door jamb or not -- it's not a door lock sensor, per se..........
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
There's levers and other moving parts in the latch/lock mechanism that actuate the switches. You are correct in that the switch itself isn't hitting the door jamb. Some engineer had to think about that mechanism for a while.
 

wetskier2000

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Location
NH
TDI
Gone: 05 Jetta GLS Wagon Current: 2015 GSW SEL 6MT
Quality of these parts??

2005 Wagon. Some years ago I had the flaky lock issue and replaced the mega door switch thing to solve it. Now I have the "car doesn't know the driver's door is open issue"... It's the same module, right? Any replacements better quality than others? I've seen the information about replacing just the switch, but would prefer to put something in there that might last...
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
2005 Wagon. Some years ago I had the flaky lock issue and replaced the mega door switch thing to solve it. Now I have the "car doesn't know the driver's door is open issue"... It's the same module, right? Any replacements better quality than others? I've seen the information about replacing just the switch, but would prefer to put something in there that might last...
Yeah, same part.

What did you go with the first time?

I got my modules, new OEM, for $125 ea from GermanAutoSupply.com
 

wetskier2000

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Location
NH
TDI
Gone: 05 Jetta GLS Wagon Current: 2015 GSW SEL 6MT
Thanks for the confirmation. I don't recall where I got the part the last time. I do know it was 2012.
 

UhOh

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Location
PNW
TDI
2000 & 2003 Golf GLS (2005 Mercedes E320 CDI)
Thanks for the confirmation. I don't recall where I got the part the last time. I do know it was 2012.
Do you recall whether it was OEM? Price paid would kind of point to that if that's the case.
 

wetskier2000

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Location
NH
TDI
Gone: 05 Jetta GLS Wagon Current: 2015 GSW SEL 6MT
Do you recall whether it was OEM? Price paid would kind of point to that if that's the case.
I don't recall either.. With all the vehicles and project vehicles in my garage, if I don't happen to write it down in the maintenance log, it usually doesn't get remembered..

I see talk about the harness instead of the switch/module... Something about the 05/06 door harness is too short and pulls apart... True? Where does it pull apart?
 
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