Another window drop thread...
 

My specific situation is this:

Passenger side window drops the required amount to clear the convertible top when the inside or outside door handles are pulled. However the second you let go of the door handle the window pops back up instantly.

So the only way you can close the passenger door after exiting the car is to shut the door while keeping the exterior handle pulled open.

I tried the ziptie trick for the regulator but this seems to be something different. I noticed that if I play with the door lock latch when the door is open, I can sometimes get the window to drop and stay dropped - not sure if that info is helpful here.

Thanks in advance for any help, I couldn't find any threads with this specific scenario.

Your issue is the door latch. The door latch tells the window if the door is shut or open (e.g. keep the window down until the door is shut). The door latches are pretty expensive. Some have fixed them by re-flowing the solder. Although I haven't tried this, it looks like you can rebuild yours with the less expensive VW part too - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/tech-tips/porsche-986-996-door-latch-replacement-with-vw-part/151397/page1/

Those weren't the symptoms from my door latch going bad (mine just wouldn't dip down at all). But I tried the vw latch first and it didn't work. I got a URO lock after that and worked perfectly. Make sure to put the wiring harness back in the right place because a year after that the windows going up and down against my improperly placed harness sheared some wires and the same symptoms came back.

If it doesn't drop at all, that's the handle micro switches. The handles tell it to lower the window, and when the door is closed, the latch micro switch tells it to raise the window back up.


OP - your issue is the door latch. More than likely, there is a surface the switch rides on that has a coating/plastic surface that wears. Both my driver and passenger doors failed in this regard. I replaced the driver with a junkyard part, works great now. Passenger yard part was defective unfortunately, so am waiting on the replacement.


One note - if you have the 535 alarm option, the parts are ludicrously expensive, and the cheap VW part will not do. $1100 or so for the pair of door latches. Hence, me using yard parts.

I've just had the doors apart multiple times for this in the last. week so feel free to ask any questions.

Exactly the issue at play here. I spent several months trying to fix the issue before I gave up. Fortunately for my, the cheap latch was the necessary solution. Now, why the passenger side latch was the one that failed (the car is primarily driven with just the driver in it), is a bit of a mystery…

Well replacing the entire latch fixed my issue. Also- I have 535 and the URO part worked. it was ~ $120 on amazon I think

Thanks so much for the help! Mine is the passenger side ( on a US left hand drive car ) so I assume I'm looking for a RIGHT door latch?

Looks like part number 3B1837016P for my 2002 base 986. I honestly have no idea if this car has the 535 alarm option... :confused:

I'm also hoping to use either a cheaper aftermarket solution, or get a used ebay part, the $600 original part isn't going to work for my wallet. :) I found this one on Ebay that looks like it is the right one?

It seems like the super cheap VW part likely won't work for my model?

Thanks again everyone for all the help, this forum is amazing.

Look under your driver's seat - the black module under the seat should have a sticker with the number. BTW, it might be worth taking the passenger latch out and trying to repair the cam with something like JB Weld as a temp fix.

Thank you, I'll take a look when I'm home. As for the temp fix, do you have any more details about what's involved there? The passenger door very rarely gets used so a temp fix would likely last a while. :)

I kept my old latches and can send some pics of what I'm talking about. I live just North of you so I'll send you a DM.

This is the exact part that fixed my right side passenger door latch issue.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JMWB8TG?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_1

My alarm box says M535 and I have no errors despite the description saying it isn't compatible. Give it a shot and return it if it doesn't work. Easy to swap out the latch once you do it once anyway.

The part depends on if you have the alarm or not. The option code is on the underside of the frunk, so start there.

3B1837016P is the passenger if you have the alarm option, 8N1837015A for driver.


Your link doesn't load. You need 3B1837016P if you have the 535 option.

This appears to be the working link: https://a.co/d/5aexf3S

$114 is still a bit more than I hoped, but doable at least. My car does have the M535 option according to the black box under the seat.

Yeah that’s the one sorry. Worth a try at least.

Negatory, Ghost Rider. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (ie, got a new latch).