After almost 200K miles and 14 years, the drivers door intermittently started to get stuck locked. There have been some threads on this - apparently there are two locks - the mechanical one you can control with the key or the button that goes up/down next to the window, and an electronic "deadbolt" that only the central locking system can control. The only suggestion in past posts has been to bang on the door from the outside while unlocking to hopefully get it to release.

Then I got luck (went over the right bump?) it unlocked, I ordered the part (4B1837015H/G Door Lock Actuator) and happily drove around with the actuator unplugged and locking/unlocking manually while waiting for it to arrive. Yesterday I replaced the part, did some quick tests with the door open, and then to my horror found that when I electronically locked it while closed it wouldn't open (just like the old actuator). Since it's a new actuator, I'm not very hopeful banging or driving around is going to help.

For starters I'd be happy to get back to mechanical locking/unlocking, but have no clue how to do so other than drilling holes into the lock actuator until it falls apart. Of course I'd need to either do that through the door card or somehow force the door card off without taking out the little screw on each side of it.

I did a vagcom test while locking and bizarrely the code it got was 1562 - can't unlock right rear door. That door is working fine! That plus the exact same problem coming back with a new lock actuator makes me wonder if I should try replacing the central locking module? help!

 

I think I've ruled out anything electrical and am left with no good options. To rule it out I disassembled my original door lock actuator, which looks like this:


All methods of locking/unlocking (electronic, key, inside latch, button next to window) move the same topmost lever, which is part of the "electronic" side of the lock. Here it is with the two halves separated:

The brass colored lever sticking out to the left is how the electronic side controls the mechanical side. It definitely is going up and down given that I see the button next to the window go up and down when I lock/unlock.

This picture shows the mechanical side unlocked. Note the black vertical plastic piece that is in a lowered position, thereby connecting the different pieces

Here it is with it raised into a locked position, which must be where mine is stuck somehow. I'd guess that the spring next to it was broken, but then gravity should allow it to drop into unlocked:


Anyway, I don't see any alternative to cutting a hole into the door card and the front of the lock actuator in order to manually move the mechanical pieces shown above in order to open the door. Anyone disagree?