Central Locking Problems - Please Help!

[acer1ism]

Hi All
Newbie here, hoping that someone might be able to offer some advice to my central locking nightmare...!

I have a 97 Mk3 5 door hatchback. A while ago the driver side door lock stopped working - when you put the key in it turns with no resistance at all so obviously doesnt pop open the lock. I started to use the passenger door to get into the car, until not long after, that too decided to break. This time it actually made a snapping sort of noise like something inside the lock had popped or given way.

So now i am down to entering the car through the boot by reaching through the entire car to manually unlock the doors. A right pain in the arse, especially in Tescos car park in the rain...!

At times now the central locking will activate itself whilst im driving, up, down, up down - and also when its parked, making the car unlocked whenever it feels like it. This happens at random times, and luckily it seems to have stopped doing this recently.

I have no idea where to start with this problem, and i dont really fancy taking it to a garage for them to charge me the earth whilst the spend hours messing about with it.

Has any one else here had a similar problem?
Anyone know what this might be, or how i might go about fixing it?

Many thanks for you time reading this post - Appreciated.

Acer

[pettsy]

could be one of the rods behind the door card broken?

why not take the doorcards off and have a look behind?

[alexperkins]

Solenoid motor may well have died - or the micro switch that makes all the doors unlock from the front locks has gone. Scrapyard is probs worth a visit