Driver's door latch microswitch failure

**Das Stig** · 26-03-2009, 11:55 AM

My Golf MkIV 2.0 GLE has suffered what appears to be failure of the microswitch inside the latch mechanism that tells the car when the door is open or closed. It's the switch that triggers the illumination of the interior lights and the courtesy light in the bottom of the door trim when you open the door.

I've recently had the window regulator fail as well, but I've managed to fix that myself with a new regulator kit from Lintrex. While the whole door trim is off, I thought it worthwhile to fix everything else that is wrong inside the driver's door at the same time. I've fixed the scratched window tinting, and the vibrating mirror surround trim as well as the window regulator mechanism so far. The last thing is the interior lights microswitch. Is this a common or known fault with these latch mechansims? Is there a well known solution for replacing just the dead microswitch without having to pay the expected ~$300-$400 for a complete new latch assembly?

The car is in at Quattro Motors in Perth today but I wasn't overwhelmed with confidence that they would be able to fix the latch without simply replacing the whole thing, but they told me they would look into what's possible without spending ludicrous money. I figure the enthusiasts in here might be more likely to have experienced the same problem and maybe found a cheaper solution?

Any ideas? Thanks.

**Jmac** · 26-03-2009, 10:37 PM

Common problem that one mate, a new module will fix for sure but a bit dear. You can strip the module down and fix the dry solder connections, have a look around mate there are some DIY threads on that on other forums, not sure if it is here , try the search function.
Cheers
Jmac

**Das Stig** · 27-03-2009, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by Jmac

Common problem that one mate, a new module will fix for sure but a bit dear. You can strip the module down and fix the dry solder connections, have a look around mate there are some DIY threads on that on other forums, not sure if it is here , try the search function.
Cheers
Jmac

Thanks, I've found the tutorial on how to do it on VWvortex now. My brother even has one of the required microswitches he's salvaged out of an old computer printer too, so I've got that as well to fix it with. Quattro Motors told me they've never fixed one, so they couldn't offer any advice. Pretty typical of a workshop these days though. If it isn't a simple case of unscrewing a dead part out and screwing a new $600 one in, they just aren't interested. They quoted me a new lock assembly at $389 vs $3 for a new microswitch (or in my case, free). I shall give it a go this arvo. Cheers.