Outer door handles 'sticking'

[The Axeman]

Hi all,

Thought I would ask about something that is really bugging me.

I have had a Golf and a brand new Passat CC (frameless windows) in the last week as courtesy cars - one a year old and the other brand new and the outer door handles are perfectly solid. They are 'pulled' in and are flush with the other part of the handle when you let go of them (as you would expect).

However, since new my Rocs door handles - both sides, seem to 'stick' and not fully return flush to the door once you let go of the handle. I have found that this is the cause of the random opening of the windows in the night as the ECU gets confused as to whether the door/window should be open or closed.

I have no push the handles in about 5 mm or so everytime i get out of the car and close the door. This is obviously a problem. I have cleaned and greased the outer slider part of the handle with white lithium grease from VW and it has only VERY SLIGHTLY helped.

Ideas? Anyone elses door handles like this? It's almost like the cable on the inside isnt tight enough (kinda like a loose handbrake cable)

Cheers, Axel

[carlpea]

Have you asked the dealer to take a look? I have a 58 plate and the handles return to roughly the correct position (1 maybe 2mm out if I'm being picky) so yours may need some adjustment.

[The Axeman]

I will do soon I think. How do you adjust them?

[carlpea]

I will do soon I think. How do you adjust them?

As you said they must be on some sort of cable/spring in order for them to return to the original position.

[RW1]

They can't be adjusted very much, not 5mm slack as above.

Has this always been the case or since the epsiode with the doors just gone?

C.

[The Axeman]

Always been the case. I assumed at first it was just down to lack of lubricant. Service guy said bowden cable? The locks and handles as I said have been fulled cleaned and lubed with the same grease VW use.

How can you adjust them slightly then RW1 so the 'snap' back?

[RW1]

Its a door card, inner shield cover and winding mechanism part out job. In other words, most of the door inards are in the way.
Then adjust the door handle carrier/bearing plate in the upper inside rear of the door (inside of the door skin where the outer handle is) and the hook end at the door lock latch unit.

I suspect the bowden cable on each door handle to lock latch unit has stretched or the hook end of the bowden cable on the door lock latch unit has been strained. You might concentrate on the hook end to get some gain with the 5mm. Passenger doors are always trip sensistive on the microswitch. Driver's is slightly more travel before the micro-switch trips.

(BTW, the correct method to open these handles is not the pull on the handle.

- Initially, place the fingers round the handle so that the door handle can be forced outwards using the handle's inward face.
- Place the thumb on the handle little end cap, hold the door in position closed with thumb pressure while using fingers to lever open the door handle using the inside door handle face.
- As the door handle releases the lock latch mechanism and the window drops ......
- Pull the door open while still holding the door handle in the outward position.
- As the door parts the body, let your fingers and door handle be returned to the at rest position and open the door as required cleanly.

Puts a lot less strain on the mechanism and also allows the window to drop out of its upper rubber seal slot before the outward door movement is made.)

C.

[The Axeman]

Thanks RW1 - I'll be honest this is rediculous for a 30k car from new. How on earth can it be so far out from new??

I'll speak to dealers as theres no way i'm going to attempt that!

I think I have a melon here guys...

[RW1]

If you read back somewhere in the period of 2008/2009 on here, there are one or two incidents where the early Sciroccos were poorly set-up in this aspect and members took their Sciroccos back to the dealers. Particularly the passenger door mechanism. Your's is poorer than most by the sounds of it. That suggests something has happened in the mechanisms.

C.

[The Axeman]

I would say that both my passenger door and drivers door are exactly the same in terms if their lack of 'pull back' to their rest point. I still have a passat cc at the moment and the door handles are identical and have the same type of frameless window drop as the scirocco. My car was registered August 2010 on a 10 plate. The passats door handles are PERFECT. Perfect springiness back to their rest and do not cause window issues. Surely the handle can be removed from the outside?

[RW1]

Yes you can get the handle off from the outside but its literally that, no cable or mechanism. There is a screw on the back door frame behind the little rubber bung. And a second slightly under the door seal. Both on a level with the door handle.

They let the door key lock out after releasing it by removing the screw, inboard first. Pull the lock out. Then with a hook tool through the inboard hole, release the handle. The pull the rear part of the handle handle through a horizontal arch by 90 degrees outwards. Then the visible handle with its plastic finger at the forward end which engages the bowden cable end fitting inside the door can be extracted. The cable, internal re-inforcement plate and latching lock are a inside the door, so its inside door card cover off etc. As described above.

C.

[The Axeman]

Thanks again RW1.

Ill have a fiddle and see what I can sort out. Ill keep you posted.

It would be nice it it was just a sticking finger on the outer handle.

Axel

[atce]

Same problem on my Roc on the passenger side. My dealer says it needs a new carrier so has ordered one to be fitted under warranty. Unfortunately the drivers side is also a bit iffy so might have to get that looked at too.

Interesting to read RW1's instructions how to open a door - perhaps VW should put it in their drivers handbook! It seems incredible to me that a manufacturer such as Audi/VW design a mechanism that suffers from these kind of problems. Not really impressed with frameless windows either tbh, had problems with them sticking during the recent cold spell despite a good application of Gummi-Pflege on the rubber.

[The Axeman]

So you've got to have your door (or doors) stripped down then? I really don't like this idea as VW always break something when they are supposed to fixing it!

Probably worth selling I think. I'm getting close to having enough with this car.