intermittent driver side door lock

[maxrob200]

This happened only two days ago. Unlocking the car, the driver side stays locked. It unlocks after I lock/unlock a couple of times or use the key. Any ideas as to the problem?

[snerlo]

Door locking mechanism is on its way out mate. Mine went a couple of years ago and I got a replacement one from a wreckers and installed it myself. It will get to the point where it fully stops locking and unlocking so look into it sooner rather than later. You access the lock by taking the door skin off from the outside. There are videos online to show you how to do it too so have a google for them too. Once you know what you are doing, you can have the door skin off in five minutes.

[Umai Naa!!]

Replace it with a new one. You can get them out of the UK for around $120 shipped.

Hardest part on a Golf 5 is the installation. The outer skin needs come off.

[maxrob200]

Thanks for the information. I will do a search for door lock module for a seller

[BillKirk]

Had the same problem on the passenger side front door. It eventually refused to unlock permanently. Would have been so much easier to do if I had replaced the lock assembly when the fault was only intermittent, as removing the plastic trim and torx T20 set screw for the door handle thumb piece was difficult with the door locked shut. You will want a long thin T20 wrench, the little ones in sets for ratchet handles won't fit without drilling out the small access hole. If you buy a set of torx 'allen wrenchs' then you'll also have the T30 one to remove the 12-sided (triple-square) main lock bolts.

As snerlo states, this procedure is well documented here: DIY: VW Golf MKV/MK5 door locked/stuck - FIX!!

Removing the door skin is necessary, but not as onerous as it might initially appear. But a damn sight easier before the door decides to stop playing games and refuses absolutely to unlock itself...

BTW, my daughter works in a major dealership service department (non-VW). She rang her counterpart at VW and was told that this is the way they do it, too. Just quicker, because they have lots of practice.

Best of luck,

Bill

[polski_ogurek]

First one will take you 45 mins, when the next one goes, its like a 10min job.... in the dark...

Not a hard replacement to pull off if you haven't delved into the DIY realm previously. Give it a crack.

[Johnnojack]

You can get a new lock or you can fix it. If you follow the link above (this one) DIY:
VW Golf MKV/MK5 door locked/stuck - FIX!!

Look at the photos and the 7th and 8th pics show two red plastic parts attached to a steel part there is a round spring there about the size of a 10cent. Try just removing the spring and see if the lock works again. Mine has been faultless since I did that. That was after dismantling the entire lock and the micro switches to find nothing wrong with any component. The locked worked but not all the time. after removing the spring (which just seems to add load) it has worked every time.