girevik
Veteran Member
PM sent on extra switch
Try cleaning it first. Could be a very simple fix - worked for meReading through the post it seem most of the time the problem is that the switch never thinks the door is open.
My problem is my door open light will come on when driving down the road. I then need to open and close the door to get it to stop.
So door switch or broken wire in the hinge area?
Thanks for the idea so far it has work.Try cleaning it first. Could be a very simple fix - worked for me
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=811482&postcount=19
This gave me an extra two years of service on my Jetta driver door. It kept the door ajar light from coming on while driving. Now the light has started to flicker again and spray was not effective this time. Had to replace the switch. Now all is fine.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.
Not necessarily. A few months ago, I had one that stopped working completely. Replacing the batteries did nothing. The red LED on the fob flashed, but nothing else happened. I also went through the procedure to have the car re-learn the remote, with no success. The only solution was to replace the fob.If the red light on the fob flashes when you push the button, does that mean the batteries are ok and it is working?
It will no longer open any doors.
Good idea... since my door switch just went out, I may go that route if I can't locate a replacement switch / cheap lock assembly.I didn't feel like tearing apart the door and latch. So as an alternative I just used a recessed magnetic switch.
Yes, the alarm, key in the ignition and headlight buzzers all work when left on and the door is opened.I suppose the question would be: the puddle light and dome light work fine... does the anti-theft alarm and "key left in the ignition" buzzer also work now?
Glad this worked for you, but I assure you it will be a temporary fix. The problem is not electrical in nature, but is purely mechanical: a small plastic piece makes contact with a hard rubber cam. The plastic wears down or breaks off and the cam becomes rough. I have probably replaced 30 or more in the last five years, no exaggeration.FWIW, I had the sticking doors also.
I initiallyl thought of tearing the door apart and gettting at the switch.
I then put some WD-40 in the door latch to see if that worked. Better but they still stuck a bit.
Today I bought some spray electrical cleaner at AutoZone and sprayed in the jam. I then opened and closed each door about fifty times.
No more sticking and the light goes on as expected.
What do you mean by the electronics not being correct?I found the eBay latch again. It was from AM Autoparts and was $40, including shipping. ...//... I'm hoping they got the correct electronics this time.