0oes anyone the part number for the piece that always breaks in the door
0ocks. My lock cylinder just spins around and will come out if I just pull
0n the key but I made sure not to pull it out. I tried to search the
0rchives with no luck so any help would be appreciated.

0ay 
95 GTI (Always opens the door for the passenger edition)

0t 05:22 PM 12/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
0gt;
0gt;This morning (it was cold ~25F) I went out to my car and tried to turn the
0gt;key in the driver's-side door.  It wouldn't budge, so I stuck my thumb
0gt;on it and held it there for a minute.  I turned the key to the right
0gt;(what was I thinking-it's already locked...) and it turned fine and the horn
0gt;chirped.  Then I went to turn it to the left to unlock and *SNAP*!!  The
0gt;cylinder broke!!  Anybody know what it costs to get this fixed?  I'm a
0gt;month outside of the 2/24.  Damn cars.  All of 'em break as soon as the
0gt;warranty is up.
0gt;
0Same thing happened to me the lock actuators are made of cheesy pot metal
0nd are very weak, I broke it twice before I learned my lesson. Your dealer
0ill probably take care of it since the part costs like $2 retail and takes
0ery little time to install.

0aason Whipple
0urn2

0-
0or info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
0   list archive, etc.  see:   

0f you've had your door lock cylinder quit funtioning, then you'll probably
0now what I'm talking about.  For those that haven't, there's a cheap
0iece of pot metal that connects the lock cylinder and the door lock
0ctuator.  Well, it likes to break.  Anyways, it's a really simple fix.
0 just took care of mine.

0ere's a couple tips for you other guys out there with out-of-warranty
0ars...  After you remove the bolt from the inside of the door
0hat fixes the handle and go to pull the handle out(after first sliding
0t towad the front of the car), it will come out a little ways then
0top.  There are two pieces of white plastic that frame the opening in the
0oor panel.  Remove these.  Then you can pull it out far enough to fix it
0ithout tearing into the door(they serve no other purpose than keeping
0ou from pulling the handle all the way out, so I didn't put them back
0n.  While you're in there, there's a spacer(also cheap pot metal) on the
0ack side of the lock cylinder that has some tabs that wear off.
0eplace that, too.  Each piece is only like $3.00 from the dealer, for a
0otal of $6.oo.  Just ask the parts guys to let you look at the diagram
0n the microfiche, and you'll see how easy it is.

0Dave
0-
0or info on: how to subscribe & unsubscribe, the list's mailing errors,
0   list archive, etc.  see:   

0ark Kilty wrote:
0gt;
0gt; The door handle on my 94 GLX broke the other day.  When I turn the key there
0gt; is no resistance and the lock nor the lock motor is engaged.  I started to
0gt; play around with it to see what was wrong and the lock cylinder pulled right
0gt; out of the handle.  I then decided I would take the handle off to see if I
0gt; could fix it or if something broke that I would need to replace.  Anyway, I
0gt; unscrewed the 1 torx screw on the inside of the door, but I can't seem to
0gt; get the handle off the car.  It seems that within the door, the handle is
0gt; attached to something that is larger that the hole in the door.  Is there
0gt; something I am missing here?  How do I get the handle off of the door?  I
0gt; have done this multiple times on a 85 Golf.

0TW, nice first name.

0W changed this part to something a bit beefier.  How this thing
0orks is there is a loop on the back of the lock cylinder.  Should
0e easy to see now that you're holding it in your hand <grin>.
0hat loop engages with a shaft that has a hook on the end.  The
0ther end of the shaft is &quot;flat&quot; and fits into the door lock mechanism.
0he hook is too thin, and breaks.  The new part has a larger loop
0n the cylinder, to accommodate a BIGGER HOOK.  Do both doors, 'cause
0f one broke, likely the other one will sometime soon.  Probably most
0nconveniently :)

0o, how do you fix it?

0ISCLAIMER - Working on cars is tricky business.  If you screw something
0p, it's not my fault.  If you don't understand the instructions,
0sk questions.  If I give bad instructions and you screw up, it's
0till not my fault.  These instructions are only provided for
0nformation.  If you spontaneously combust, the door gets scratched
0r meteors fall from the sky, again, not my fault.  Have you
0otten the idea so far that you're an adult and can decide whether
0o try this on your own or not and accept the consequences?  If so,
0ontinue on.  If not, buy a Honda <ducks>.

0tep 0 - (OK, I forgot one)  PUT THE LOCK CYLINDER IN A BAGGIE
0O YOU DON'T LOOSE ANY OF THOSE LITTLE PINS OR SPRINGS!  Also, you
0O NOT want them falling out of the cylinder, so don't play with it
0ither.  If you've lost pins, or they're not in order, you'll be
0head to have a locksmith fix up the cylinder for you.  Just
0emember how much you spent when you also replace the other side's
0ock stuff, and don't loose the stuff!

0tep 1 - If you don't already have it, Get the Bentley Manual!
0check old threads for sources or just get it from the dealer
0or about $20 too much)

0tep 2 - Read the Bentley Manual.  Your revision will likely be
0ifferent, but in mine the diagram and pertinent text is on pages
57-6 through 57-8.  The drawings help more than my description
0ill!

0tep 3 - Get the New Parts.  Lock cylinder, hook shaft/connecting
0od, springs and a little cylindrical doo-hickey that I have
0o idea what it's called :)  Also needed are a tube of lithium
0rease and a spray can of the gook.  You'll need something relatively
0mall, say a dental pick, scratch awl or something to change over
0he pins from the old lock to the new one.  One of those long
0rabber tools to pick up all the parts that fell into the door
0hen they broke is a good thing too - otherwise stuff will
0attle around.  All total from the dealer should be about $60
0otal for both sides.  IOW, ~$30/side

0tep 4 - DON'T PULL OFF THE INTERIOR TRIM.  You'll just break
0lips or sumthin'.  To get at the parts in the bottom of the door,
0emove one of the plugs at the lower rear of the door.  Use the
0ong grabber to fish stuff out.  Put the plug back in at the
0nd.  If you put it back now you'll probably drop something
0ater that you'll want back <sigh>

0tep 5 - Remove the Outside Door Handle.  There's a &quot;small&quot; screw
0n the door in the jamb area, just to the rear of the handle.
0emove it.  The handle will now somewhat easily slide forward.
0ull the rear of the handle out of the door and maneuver the
0ront out.  Congrats, you've removed the door handle!

0tep 6 - Disassemble the Door Handle.  Pull off the old spring, and
0hat cylindrical thingy.  Put the handle to the side.

0tep 7 - Key the New Cylinder.  Get the new lock cylinder and the old
0ne you put in a &quot;baggie&quot;.  This is REAL EASY.  Just don't screw up :)
0hat you're going to do is transfer the pins from the old lock cylinder
0o the new one.  This is where the tube of lithium grease comes in.
0ut a little in each slot of the new lock cylinder on the side where
0here's a little hole beside the slot.  The hole is where the spring
0oes.

0emove ONE pin and CAREFULLY remove it's spring.  Put it in the
0orresponding holes in the new lock cylinder.  Work from one end to the
0ther so you don't have to count which damn slot they go in or you'll
0eel like a jerk when you goof it up.  A little bit of grease on the
0in helps hold it in the new cylinder so you don't have to.  After
0ou've
0ot all the pins and spring transferred, put the key in the cylinder.
0hat 1) holds in all the pins so they don't fall out, and 2) if all the
0ins are the same height, that is flush with the outside of the lock
0ylinder,
0ou did it right.  If not, see Step 0 - seeing a locksmith :)

0tep 8 - Reassemble the Door Handle.  Put the lock cylinder in the
0oor handle and reassemble the hook, springs, etc.  At the end, you
0hould have a hook shaft sticking out from the handle, the cylinder
0hould turn back and forth, and the spring should return it to the
0eutral position.  (see Bentley manual for diagram)

0tep 9 - Reinstall the Door Handle.  Insert the front of the handle
0nto the door and slide it forward.  Insert the rear of the handle into
0he door.  On the driver's side you'll have to turn the lock 90 degrees
0o it'll fit in that slot in the door lock stuff in the door (doesn't
0atter which direction).  Look inside, you'll see what I mean.  Also,
0ou'll notice a half moonish thing on the inside that is what the door
0andle pulls against to release the door latch.  You'll have to jiggle
0he handle a bit to get it by.  I don't remember the trick exactly, but
0 tried pulling out on the handle a little, sliding it fore and aft,
0tc,
0tc.  It WILL go in.  After all, minimum wage labor put it in, you
0hould
0e able to too :)  Slide the handle all the way back to the original
0osition and reinstall the retaining screw inside the door.  Put the
0lugs back in the door.

0tep 10 - Test the Install.  You've probably already done it by now,
0ut turn off the honking alarm and test the new locks action and make
0ure you can open the door, lock the door, etc.  (I set off my alarm
0everal time goofing with the lock with the door open, or playing with
0he latch mechanism with the alarm armed, etc :)

0f the action of the lock is a little stiff, squirt in some more lithium
0rease from the can of spray stuff you got.  Make sure you shake it up
0ell first, or you'll just get clear junk.  You want to slime the
0nside ;)  You'll be getting grease boogers on your keys for awhile,
0o be careful.  They go away in about a week.  WD40 sux on locks.
0on't use it.  It doesn't lube after the carrier evaporates. (kerosene
0asically)  Powdered graphite or lithium grease.  Accept no substitutes.

0tep 10a - (OK, forgot one again!)  Do the other side.  Trust me,
0ou won't regret it.

0tep 11 - Put up your tools, clean the grease off the outside of the
0ar, and throw a clean shop towel in the car to clean off your key for
0he next week or so :)

0tep 12 - Let us know how it goes.  I'll fix up whatever boo boo's you
0ind and offer it to the FAQ ghouds.  It sounds like these cylinders are
0omewhat prone to breakage.  Unfortunately, I don't know when they
0hanged over to the new parts, so if anyone wants to know which rev
0hey have, they'll have to look.  If there's interest I'll post a pic of
0he old style hook shaft (broken) to my lameo web page for comparison.

0ark