Hi guys, sorry about this but I need more advice ! I posted earlier about an issue with the key not opening the drivers' side door, but the key fob works fine. Unfortunately, I have to look for further help as the problem has become worse.

I went out in the car today and the door, which I left unlocked, opened fine. I traveled about 10 miles and got out of the car, walked away, but then realised I had left something in the car and returned. I opened the door door, which again I had left unlocked, but when I closed the door it didn't fully close but it was locked, as were all the other doors. I couldn't open it at all, but, with the remote, I could open all the other doors. So long story short, I climbed in through the passenger door and drove home.

I had someone fit a new latch about 12 months ago, but, looking, back, I have my doubts that it was new. So I am thinking that the micro-switches are acting the maggot, and I now need to fit a new latch myself.

So the biggest problem now is - how do I open the drivers' side door ? I can open everything so I can lower the window. I read a topic here on the forum about getting a metal spike and breaking the top of the latch, but I wonder whether there is clearer advice on how to do this ? Or a video showing how to do it ? I think that Richard [Gilbert] has some good advice and maybe he could give me some more help !!!

All suggestions really appreciated.

Pierre3.

First thought was that the horseshoe shaped plastic bit that the cable from the inner handle has jammed at one end of the travel. That will cause it to not be possible to open the door from either inside or outside. They do tend to go stiff after a while but then I read that you'd had a new latch fitted so that wouldn't be a possibility. Unless, when the latch was fitted the cable wasn't connected properly and it has snagged. With the window fully open you should be able to see it by looking down the window and cause it to move by pulling on the inside door handle. If it doesn't move and that handle has gone floppy, then that will almost certainly confirm the problem.

Hi Richard, I will check the inner door cable this morning. But, I don't think that is the problem because I can feel the handle pulling on something when I try to open the door from inside. I did fit a new cable last year, after the end at the latch, pulled off. I also fitted new plastic clips, and a new outer handle release rod, plus the funny little metal clip that holds the rod to the back of the key barrel.

I do suspect that it is down to the micro-switches. The sequence of events would lead me to this conclusion. I used to lock the car with the key because I have recently been concerned about the key fob locking me out due to stray radio signals. So, I would lock with the key, but last Friday, after three weeks not being used, I found that only a new key fob would unlock the car. The keys had no resistance when being turned so the latch was not responding to the turn of the key. However, the inside door release worked fine.

Finally, yesterday I opened the car door, it was not locked, and went for a drive. The door opened from the inside when I got out, and I closed the door, and everything was OK. I didn't lock the car. But I went back to the car as I had left something in it that I wanted. The door opened OK, I collected said item, but as I closed the door it suddenly locked and the door was at half latch, so not fully closed but not open either. However, I could no longer open the door. Neither from inside or outside. Even when I pressed the remote and the door lock button hopped up the door stays locked.

The only way in is from the passenger side. Both rear doors will open briefly, as does the passenger door, which allows me to get into the car, but the locks almost immediately return to lock condition. So I press the remote, jump into the car, close the door and all the locks and the boot are then locked.

This looks like the very same thing when the micro-switches stopped working, about a year ago, and I had to have the car towed to e RR repair guy that I knew. It was he who fitted a new latch at the time, but I did always wonder whether he fitted a new latch, or one that he had from a scrapper in his yard, who knows ?? The only difference between now and then is that the alarm kept going off the last time, whereas this time, when I open the car with the key fob the doors open, except the drivers door, but the alarm doesn't go off, and I can start and drive the car, which I couldn't the last time. The system had the key locked out as well as the alarm going off every time the door was opened.

So that is where I am at, this morning. My main issue is how to get the door open, so that I can take off the door card and see what is going on. But I suppose if I have to destroy the lock by lowering the window then I won't actually know what happened !! At the moment, however, I'm not that concerned about that, I just want to get the door open. So any advice is heartily welcomed. I am standing by with a very large screwdriver in hand.

Pierre3.

OK, I have solved the door locking problem. I managed to get the drivers side door open, luckily I guess, by getting a piece of steel pipe, putting it on top of the plastic body of the lock and giving it a whack. It didn't do any damage to the lock but I heard a click and the door handle on the outside suddenly released the door. Result !!!

I have no idea what caused the lock to release, but when I opened the door, pulled off the door card and water shedder I put a torch in and found that the rod from the back of the lock barrel had fallen out of the spring clip that is on the lock barrel arm. The spring clip had opened slightly and it was enough for the locking arm, to the door latch, to pop out and set the BeCM in the lock condition.

As luck would have it I had bought about 6 of these funny spring clips about two years ago so I was able to get everything back working as normal. I am very pleased not to have to shell out for a new latch. And it looks like the garage guy did actually fit a new latch after all !!

So everything is now corrected, the keys lock and unlock the doors, and both key fobs lock and unlock the doors, all having normal service restored.

Pierre3.