Golf MK4 How To Unlock Deadlocked Passenger Side Front Door

Recently the passenger side door of Golf MK4 got deadlocked and would not unlock. I had to devise a way to unlock the door without destroying the door cart. It was possible to unlock the door without damaging the door cart.

You will need a flexible screwdriver shaft. It has to be as thin as possible. I used a precision screwdriver set's shaft. You will need T20 torx bit to go with this. You will also need a drill. I used a 4mm drill bit but you may want to use 6mm.

Step 1

First step is to remove the cap which covers the screw for the placeholder next to door handle. You will need to open the rear door for this. I used my handy plastic part remover tool for this purpose.

Step 2

Use the flexible screwdriver and T20 bit to loosen the screw

I had to tape the torx bit to the screwdriver as there is risk that it falls inside the door. Also I used an endoscope camera to be able to find the screw without looking. Below is a view from my endescope camera. Make sure the loosen it only enough to remove the placeholder, otherwise it may fall into door as well.

Step 3

Remove the placeholder next to door handle. You will be able to see part of the lock.

Step 4

Drill a hole over the plastic cover of the lock with 4mm - 6mm drill bit.

Below is a more clear picture of the hole

The plastic is very thin and it is easy to drill the hole. You do not have to drill inside, just penetrate the plastic.

Step 5

This is the most important step. You should use a hard metal wire (~4mm thick) and push it inside to reach the lock mechanism. I used a coat hanger. If you have an endoscope camera, you may want to look inside the mechanism to see what you are pushing.

Below is a picture from the side with the cover removed.

Red line shows our approximate approach. The plastic piece is the piece we want to push. This plastic may be black or any other color.

Below is a more detailed picture

Normally when the lock is unlocked the part with dark blue goes down between the release latch and unlocking mechanism. So once you pull the door handle (from inside or outside) the release latch moves with the unlocking to unlock the door.

When the door is deadlocked, the electro-mechanical part won't let the dark blue part to go down. Therefore it won't be possible to unlock the mechanism.

The red line is again our approach. We need to slightly push either the plastic piece or the unlocking mechanism which is under the release latch to be able to open the door.

Obviously you need to do this carefully as the plastic which goes between mechanisms may or may not move enough to unlock the mechanism. In my case it was not very difficult, but maybe I was lucky. You should approach this with care.

Before Installing The Lock Back

If you manage to fix the lock. You can use silicone to close the hole before installing the lock.