Door lock problem
 

My door lock is not working with the key. I’ve read some older posts but none of them seem to have a resolution to the problem posted. This is not an electronic problem, it’s mechanical. When I turn the key, there is no resistance, it just spins a quarter turn to the left or right. I called a locksmith to unlock the door and it was unlocked by pulling the inside door handle. A body shop guy said it sounds like the rod that connects the tumbler to the rest of the door lock fell off. I looked at my Bentley guide an noticed there really isn’t any kind of rod other than the one that runs from the inside door handle to the lock. I’m wondering if this could be something as simple and a part needing to be put back into place, or if I’m going to have to replace the whole damn thing? Any help is appreciated!

Having been inside my door panel for some work, I believe the locksmith is correct. There is a rod that clicks into a rod holder that allows the door lock mechanism to work. I found that removing the door panel was easy so it is fairly easy to access, but you have to be careful not to force any of the plastic parts apart or they may break.

Good luck.

Thanks. I'll post what I find.

When it happened to me, the car was locked and my key stayed in the door at 3 o'clock. The dealer in St Pete was kinda enought to do the repair for only $800. They were honest, so I can't complaint about the dealer. I have more of a complaint with Porsche engineering the door locks.

update
 

So I got inside the door panel and it looks like the problem is in the lock cylinder. I grabbed the little bar that connects the cylinder with the rest of the lock and then turned the key. The bar never moved. I've posted the part I'm talking about. My question is, it looks like I can only buy the lock cylinder with the support which is $300. Does Porsche then have to key the Cylinder to my key? Can they do it and then I install it? Is there an alternative solution?

Not sure what you can buy, but no matter what your going to have to buy it from the dealer. I know I had to get a new key cylinder and a key blade came with it. I needed and extra key, so I also got a cap for the key.
Everything I needed had to come from Germany... took 10 days.

Looks like I have the same problem. Were you able to find a solution to this broken part without spending $300+ for the entire mechanism?

I had the same thing happen to me today. Did anyone find the solution to this?

Thanks,
Jason

I found a solution. Total cost was about $20

There are two little tabs on a metal piece inside the door lock mechanism that are destined to break at some point in time. The metal they used is extremely poor quality and doesn't react to stress very well.

I did a lot of research and found out that the piece found in this kit for VW on ebay contains the same part needed for your porsche.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320655523377&viewitem= &sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

The piece you want to replace is in the bottom-right corner of the image.

Taking apart the door lock mechanism isn't as hard as it looks. By pressing down on the pole that sticks out the back, you can remove (slide out) the disc that holds everything together, getting access to the broken part inside.

I should really post some pictures, since this seems to be a common problem and paying $300 for a .10 cent part is.....unfortunate.

Since it wasn't immediately obvious how to take the thing apart, I accidentally broke the little pole that connects to the lock actuator (also cheap metal) in learning all of this. So, I replaced one .10 cent part and now I need to replace the other.

It took a little less than 2 weeks to get the part shipped from the UK. It's possible you could visit your VW dealership and find the same part available, but I'm not sure what you would ask for and I don't think it's sold separately. Your only other option is to visit a junk yard and hope they have that model of VW that carries this component.

Given the durability of this thing, I wouldn't recommend buying a used one if you can fix it yourself with a new part. The used one will certainly have a limited amount of life left in it and may not last much longer.

Let me know if you have any questions. Also, if someone has one of those little poles connected with the cotter pin, I'd be willing to buy it off ya!

-Ted