Stupid door Switch!! $3 Fix!!!

baoknguyen

New member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Location
bloomingdale
TDI
none
If anyone is looking for a switch, I have a few extra for sale in my ad here. Save a few bucks from buying direct from Allied (they tack on a $5 handling fee + shipping + tax for orders <$20).

I have a few extra as well that I won't be using. $10 each shipped in the USA.
 

sxristi

New member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Location
LA
TDI
VW GOLF
I recently purchased my 03 Jetta and had the door switch problem from day 1. I performed the $3 radio shack fix yesterday and it worked great, today it started turning the door light on only. It slowly comes on after door is closed. When I trigger the latch with my finger I can hear the new switch clicking and operates the dinger and dome lights properly but door light slowly comes back on after a few seconds. Anyone els ever have this problem. Bad switch maybe?
Maybe there is a connection problem to that light?

I did the $1.8 Frys fix Same switch for $1.2 less. But I had to purchase the dremel tool for $71 at a hardware store (But this tool will be handy for years) and the little tiny screws $5!!! (my mistake not to go to a cheap hardware store). Anyhow my switch works fine now.

I just wish people on the forum had mentioned (at least on the original write up) that in order for the switch to be tested, you need most of the electrical connections back on and not just the module connection.
 

mk3

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta GLS 5-speed
Still do not know why most people go for changing the switch out first instead of spraying most of a can of cleaner in earlier posts.:confused: ...
I've replaced one module and one switch. I can say with 100% certainty that spraying cleaner would not have solved either problem. Count yourself lucky and in the minority.

The design is flawed; it has a plastic nub of the switch riding on a plastic cam and the cam is softer than the nub. This goes against very simple mechanical design rules. The cam should be harder than what rides on it. On my locks, the cam got a groove worn in it and then the nub of the switch catches and rips off. I now have one more switch to repair and I am going to try putting on the style of switch that has a metal lever on it so that the lever can ride the cam.

I am glad you were able to repair yours for now with cleaner but many people will not be so lucky.
 

sxristi

New member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Location
LA
TDI
VW GOLF
Still do not know why most people go for changing the switch out first instead of spraying most of a can of cleaner in earlier posts.:confused: It does not take more than 10 min and saves all of the labor, has been most of a year and original switch is still working correctly. I think the switches just get dirty on the outside and can not release all of the way. The cleaner brakes up the dirt and allows the switch to function properly. Mine did take the night to set and worked fine in the morning.
Well yes I agree that you can try to spray, but that will be a temp fix if your switch is still functioning right. Eventually the plastic will wear out. My problem, like most other people who have posted here, was that the switch had a broken plastic pin that presses on the switching spring. If you can get a similar metallic pin to replace it then that would solve the problem for a long time. Unfortunately they are all plastic.

Anyhow this problem gets a temp solution for few years. I wonder if the metal lever switch approach works any better? But again does the extension of the metal lever allow the switch to fit in the place of the old switch and still have room for the screws?
 

Mehrl38

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Location
USA
TDI
2000 TDI, 2003 BORA TDI & 2003 Jetta TDI
Maybe im stupid but what does "This is detailed in the Bentley." mean....what is the BENTLEY
 

Mehrl38

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Location
USA
TDI
2000 TDI, 2003 BORA TDI & 2003 Jetta TDI
AH HA!! thats what i thought but i did not know where to find it and what not. THANK YOU! lol
 

Mehrl38

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Location
USA
TDI
2000 TDI, 2003 BORA TDI & 2003 Jetta TDI
okay instead of paying $110 for a manual can someone tell me or post pictures of the "Tear the door down to the door lock assembly. This is detailed in the Bentley." i have the door panel off the car but do not see anywhere that this "switch" could be....do i have to take the second door panel off? (the metal one that will allow access to the window)
 

79TA7.6

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Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
Live: Wilbur/Creston; Work: Moses Lake Washington
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta, 2002 TDI Golf, 2005 TDI Golf
It has been a while since I have read through all of this thread but I have been keeping up on the new posts. Anyway, when I first read this thread I figured I would give the contact cleaner a try. It worked, sorta. Most of the time my door switch would work. Well after a while it stopped working again. Well this morning I decided to try it again, this time both drivers side doors were not working. I have the rear switch working pretty good, but the front door is still acting weird. The switch activates the interior lights and the puddle light, but does not work for the alarm. I noticed this because I started to walk away from the car after I had unarmed it and opened the door a few times when I heard the alarm reactivate. So I opened the door, all lights including puddle light were lit up. I hit the arm button on the remote and the alarm armed itself. It is not supposed to do this when the drivers door is open. Does anyone have any clue as to why the lights work but not the alarm?

Second part of this, is there anything I can put on the mechanism, latch, to help prevent this again? I know I do not want to use a regular lubricant because dirt will adhere to it, but I was thinking like a graphite or something. Any ideas?
 

kilimats

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
2005 Wagon TDI
Ok, so I was going to do this job this past weekend. But I was able to fix the problem without taking anything apart.
I had an extra door latch from my passenger side door that was replaced from my accident last year. I got all the tools ready to tear apart the door, but thought I would check out the spare latch I had first. So while inspecting it, I noticed a buildup of grease & dirt around the switch. So I wondered if that may have been causing the switch to remain stuck in the "door closed" position. So I took out a can of contact cleaner and went to town on the area below the latch where the micro switch is. While squirting the cleaner & working the latch back and forth, my light started flickering. So I closed the door and tried to open it. The light didn't work, but if I kicked the door, bingo, I had lights. SO I kept spraying and working the latch and now I have a fully functional door switch:)
As a side note, if you look in the first two pictures, you will see the plastic cover over the door latch. It is worn and not seated properly around the latch. This caused the latch to not open fully when the door was opened. It opened enough to allow the door to open, but did not go down enough to close the switch. I used a small scalpel (SP?) knife to cut that plastic cover off the latch so it would not interfere with the full travel of the latch. This also could cause the switch to not become engaged? Maybe try forcing the latch down with a screwdriver to see if it will close the switch that way.
Here are some pictures for reference:
This is the spare door latch that I was going to remove the switch from. The switch is located at the bottom of the latch

Here is a better shot of the plastic cover on the latch interfering with the full travel of the latch:

Here is the back side of the latch. You can see how dirty it was. The gunk was keeping the switch from opening & closing properly:

Here is where I sprayed the contact cleaner. I also used a screwdriver to lock & unlock the latch to get the cleaner working.

Now this is just my experience. I realize that this may not work on all cars as the switch may actually be defective. But it is worth a try to see if yours is also caused by a stuck latch or stuck switch and not a broken switch.
I can't thank you enough, The driver side door always had that problem since i own the car (3+ years) and I often left the light running at night due to the missing alarm sound when you open the door and lights are running (drained battery in the morning of course). thank you thank you, didnt have to take the door apart :)

I used brake cleaner though, just as good i guess, worked after 2 or 3 spray
 
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ScottyP

New member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Location
Federal Way, Wa.
TDI
Golf TDI 2002
I repaired the latch and put everything back together, when I was hooking up the exterior handle (front passenger door) I tightened up the set/locking screw and the locking ring fell inside the door.
I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW FRUSTRATED I AM RIGHT NOW, I only have one arm and this is my second day on it.
I took the door back apart and retrieved the locking ring but can not figure out what keeps it in place.
I've tried to search but I guess my frustration level is too high, or maybe it's just me, and gave up.
Can anyone please tell me what I'm doing wrong or am I missing some pieces?

Thank you
 

towforce

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Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Location
West Coast, Canada
TDI
Jetta Wagon, 2005, Red
Does anybody know where I can find a link to the "Cold Solder" problem? (weak/faulty solder points in the lock module) I thought I saw it over in the Passat forum but after a whole bunch of searching I've come up empty handed. I do recall there were some excellent photo's and information.

With the cooler weather, my door gremlin has started back up, might have to get in there and "have a look"..... :rolleyes:

Cheers

Martin
 

d-man

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Location
alberta
TDI
05 jetta PD
Has anyone modified the door, or found a switch that can be actuated by the b pillar.
 

mrflashy

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May 29, 2009
Location
UK
TDI
Stage 2 Hybrid TDi and a couple of 24v VR6's for the noise
thanks to original poster and wing nut for the plastic sheath trick, mine was gummed up and it looked like black metal to me, but once i read this thread, i gave it a "blast" not a kick :) and low and behold i found the plastic had warped slightly, cut it off with a knife and bobs your uncle, the switch works again!
 

JC_1992

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2010
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS, 2001 Jetta GLS
While I am driving my 1999 New Beetle occasionally the interior lights will come on and the ding ding ding ding will go off, in addition I many times will be unable to lock the car using the remote, This all started happening after I had a nail pulled out of my passenger rear tire, the tire shop jacked the car up, and I am wondering if flexing the body of the car could damage the door lock switches??
/

This is the exact same thing that happened to me. Same darn tire was repaired and everything!
 

bill.k

New member
Joined
Nov 23, 2011
Location
Coastal NC
TDI
2005.5 Jetta mkv
MKV, don't think it was the switch.

2005.5 Jetta TDI. My symptoms relate to the car thinking the door is open, i.e. chimes, dome lights, MFD indication... The door switch fix sure seemed like the answer.

I (incorrectly) removed the inner door panel then had to drill out the woofer rivets to get access to the door lock mechanism (DLM). No worky; finally figured out that the door skin comes off (much easier, but turned out difficult to get back on). After removing the DLM, access to the switch was easy.

Upon examination of the switch it looked good and felt like it was working. Probing at the wires and pins 7 & 8 indicated an normally open circuit that closed when the button was depressed. It appeared to work properly both in and out of the DLM. I plugged the DLM into its connector on the door and actuated the cam, could hear the click and everything but all symptoms remained. Finally decided to go ahead and switch the switch, installed RS switch in per this thread, still no worky!!!

(As a note, with the RS switch installed and adjusted, the cam was very difficult to operate; it was dragging on the button of the RS switch)

I had read that with the switch out and wires loose, the circuit would be open and the car would think the door is closed, NO WORKY!!! The DLM is re-installed without the switch and the dome light remains on, the dinger dings and the MFD says the door is open.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

TIA, Bill
 

aymen_a22

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Location
Bournemouth, UK
TDI
Seat Leon SE TDi 110hp (ASV Code)
This might possibly have been asked already but when the door is open and the puddle lamp is on is the switch making contact or not making contact.

Basically I have 3 pins on my replacement switch, common, no contact and contact. I don't know which two need to be connected, either:
1) Common and No Contact
2) Common and Contact
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
Basically I have 3 pins on my replacement switch, common, no contact and contact.
I'm not familiar with your terminology.

The 3 switch pins are Common, Normally Open, and Normally Closed, usually labelled C, NO, and NC respectively.

Use the Common (C) and Normally Open (NO) pins.

Simon
 

aymen_a22

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Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Location
Bournemouth, UK
TDI
Seat Leon SE TDi 110hp (ASV Code)
Simon,

You are right that is what is says on the switches, so I will use them two. Thanks for the help and sorry for being unclear. Hopefully I will have working puddle lamps soon and my passenger door will lock and unlock as it should.
 

mk3

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta GLS 5-speed
another way to fix the door switch

Here is another way to fix the door switch. It should be under $30 depending on your shipping cost and what kind of supplies you keep on hand. I use this switch from Allied Electronics (USA) - a bit under $16 plus shipping.


V4NSY1-UL


At the moment my writeup isn't totally complete but here is the gist of it.
The original VW design is flawed - the pin plunger digs into the cam and in turn the cam wrenches on the tip of the pin plunger and both of them get damaged and we all know it eventually fails.


by using a lever action switch, the switch is protected from the sliding action.

The steps

- remove lock module
- cut the old switch away leaving nearly all the wire with the module
- Clean the area, possibly even scrape paint away so that adhesive will stick.
- Carefully change the lever on the lever switch to the opposite side.
- Reference my picture and your own parts to cut away enough plastic to make room for the wires
- VERY carefully determine the position for the switch. My pictures are an ok reference but you know the goal - reliable actuation without crushing the switch.
- After you have a good location, glue the switch with a tiny drop of superglue to secure the location
- Finally, use epoxy to hold the switch in location
- connect wires as you wish. I used solder and heat shrink tube
On my car and with my parts, I matched the wires color-for-color and that worked.

Depending on interest level, my time and what questions my come I can upload more pictures. I have bunches more..

If this doesn't work I may know rather soon because I did this on 3 doors, we use the cars a lot and winter is coming - should be a pretty good stress test


[url=http://pics.tdiclub.com/showphoto.php?photo=81738&title=the-switch-needs-to-be-slightly-twisted&cat=5403][/URL]





I also have an album on photobucket


Photobucket album of Door switch Repair


PS - really sorry if my username confuses you - it is not a repair for an MKIII car - I chose my username when I was a noob and didn't know about the VW naming system. ..
 
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nvr-enuf

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Location
West Bend, WI
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon 01e 6sp
Driver door switch from H#@L!

Hello everyone - For month I have been dealing with getting into my car without any interior lights and decided to finally fix this nagging issue. A friend sent me this post in which I followed the instructions from the first poster on page 1. I will say that my car works with the switch opposite of what the poster states on page 1 - with respect to normally open / normally closed. My lights work great now - go on when the door is open and go off when the door is close - same goes with the door indicator light in the dash.

I have 1 issue that I need help with. I can not open my door with the outside handle after the door has been locked. If I unlock my door, I can open and close my door wtih the outside handle with no issues. I also can open my door with the inside handle whether or not the door has been locked and unlocked.

Again, to clearly explain my issue. when my door is closed, I lock the door with my key fob then unlock the door with my key fob. If I do this I can not open my door with the outside handle. The handle will pull / swing like you expect but will not open the door. Sometimes the door will open partially (first stage of the lock mechanism, but not fully.

Any suggestion how to fix would be greatly appreciated.

Merry christmas and happy new year!
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
Again, to clearly explain my issue. when my door is closed, I lock the door with my key fob then unlock the door with my key fob. If I do this I can not open my door with the outside handle. The handle will pull / swing like you expect but will not open the door. Sometimes the door will open partially (first stage of the lock mechanism, but not fully.

Any suggestion how to fix would be greatly appreciated.
Try adjusting the cable which connects the outer handle to the door lock module - see steps 17 through 23 here:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1015107

Simon
 
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