Andy33

Thank you for your help, Daveyboy. I've taken careful note of those sources for locks that you gave me but I THINK I've solved it without a new lock! I noticed yesterday that the lock was ticking when both the 'lock' and 'unlock' were pressed on the fob so this made me think (hope) that it was a mechanical problem rather than an electrical one. So I cleaned the mechanisms all out with one of those modern degreasers - actually WD40 degreaser. I put it all back together this morning after re-oiling and it works. My 79 year old eyesight and fingers aren't ideal for this sort of thing but I managed to re-connect the door handle operating rod in the correct place after a couple of false starts. I'll keep my fingers crossed. There are eight pins in the socket but only six in the plug but I'd still dearly like to know why six wires are needed for a simple open/close mechanism! I believe there are two, maybe three micro-switches in the electrics and the usual problem is that the connections to one or more of these become 'dry' or a little cracked. Very often simply resoldering the connections works apparently. They are simply (and cheaply) soldered in to the board and it's easy to imagine that they flex a little every time the switch is operated and eventually something gives. The micro-switches are, I believe, something to do with sending signals back to ECU about the status of the door: locked/ unlocked/ shut/ open etc. Thanks again.

That looks identical! Thank you. I've sent the seller the Reg and VIN number to check. It's much cheaper than the German one (that didn't fit) too!

Thanks for your reply daveyboy. One of the locks I bought already was from Amazon but not that particular supplier. It's plasticy and probably also a cheap import but, like many people, I chose Amazon because it's so easy to return things that don't work. The other was from a far more serious setup in Germany and it did look a far better lock but it simply didn't fit so it, too, goes back. The basic problem about wires and voltages still exists, however. I have spent hours with YouTube and other sites trying to get this simple info but have drawn a complete blank. This is my first exposure to Audi and I must say I'm astonished at how hard it is to get decent info off the web. This negative attitude might carry through to dealers as well: I asked a local Audi specialist garage for help on where I could reliably source a lock that worked but he was very cagey and would only offer me a garage booking. He says you need the chassis number (which I have of course) but wouldn't offer any suggestions about retail sources. I had VWs (many) years ago and found them very easy to work on and get bits for but I'm taken aback by this experience with Audi. It's a complete contrast to my recent experience getting help and info about my son's Honda CBR600 F3. I had really detailed requirements about carb settings, jets and so on and the Honda Forum was incredibly helpful, as was a local motorbike specialist who cleaned them and set them up for me.

2009 Audi A3 cabriolet sports 1.8 tfsi. I just bought this knowing it had an 'intermittent' passenger door unlocking problem. It was actually permanent and manifests itself as being unable to open the passenger door (ie left) from outside after unlocking with the fob. Once opened from inside, it can be opened from outside. I've found VAG door lock problems are common so I've looked at loads of stuff online. I first checked the door pillar wiring and it all seems intact so I bought a new lock (actually I bought two from different sources) and was willing to try swapping the lock. I removed the lock yesterday and found that neither replacement would fit! One fitted electrically but not the meachanical linkage, the other fitted mechanically but had a slightly different plug! I'm returning them. I also found it's not that easy to check the wiring continuity because the loom into the lock plug is heavily braided so you can't easily see the wire colours or even how many there are without cutting the braiding. Having got this far, it seems sensible to check the wires and the voltages so I'd like advice on how to do this. Should I carefully cut throught the braiding? How many wires are in the plug, what colours are they and what voltages are they meant to be please? If it makes a difference, mine has that auto-locking as you gain speed. I'm assuming there should be three wires: an earth and a signal wire for operating the locking motor and another for unlocking the motor? But why are there so many pins? My second question is where can I get a replacement lock that will actually fit if the wiring all checks out and I still need to replace the lock? I have found it incredibly difficult to find the correct lock and there doesn't seem to be any markng on the lock itself to indicate the OEM number which would have helped. In the pictures, the dirty white one is mine!

My 'new' secondhand A3 cabriolet had a passenger door problem: it will lock with the fob but not unlock so the passenger can open it from outside. Otherwise everything fine. I examined door frame wiring and it's all good so I bought a new lock having watched many Youtube videos where I learn it's a pretty common VAG problem. However, before changing the lock I discovered by chance that unclipping the yellow wiring connector in the lower left corner of the (RHD car) passenger door appears to solve the problem (see image). As far as I can tell without any repercussions. Door locks and unlocks properly now and the window works. I can't imagine this location is anything to do with the wing mirror or speaker. So what is it for? It has two thin wires, white and brown and there is continuity of both to the door pillar plug. Basically, is it safe to drive the car without plugging this back in?