Good thread and advice. I am also having the same issue.

 

Greetings,

I've gotten some good information from this site so I wanted to repay. On another thread about the prone-to-failure door-open microswitch someone mentioned Radio Shack but another person couldn't find the correct switch. I just undertook this repair so I can confirm that you can obtain an appropriate part there.

Not sure how the picture posting is going to go, so I'll describe what I haven't seen described on this thread. Padog's advice is helpful: slide that bar to loosen the handle assembly enough to back out the lock sender where it meets the latch. On my allroad I had to also remove the window frame - four Torx-45 bolts on that. Mark the shims before removing so they go back the same way easily.

First, stick a short and very narrow screwdriver inside that hole underneath the armrest to release the window switch assembly and disconnect it. Then it's simply the two phillips screws on either side of the top of the door card and the card lifts off. Disconnect 4 connectors forward on the card, one rear. Pop the cable for the inside door handle off the latch. I was unable to remove the inside cable connection until I loosened the latch assembly (2x Torx-40).

Removing the window frame involves disconnecting the 2 connectors to the mirror and then the four T-45s, all obvious - one in each corner, facing different ways. There is another very small phillips at the weatherproofing at the rear of the top of the door, then gently peel the front and back form-fitting weathertight material. You must disconnect more connectors (door latch, window motor) and release all wiring harnesses from the window frame before lifting the frame off the door. Place on a moving blanket to prevent scratches.

Now you can flip down the keeper to release the external door handle connection, slide that plate as Padog mentioned, and wiggle the latch mechanism out.

You will see why this switch fails routinely: it's rubbing directly on the cam formed by the swinging retainer in the latch mechanism. Bad design. Of course, you can't buy this switch from Audi, but you can buy the $300+ latch mechanism. If you go that route, just reverse the above sequence, installing the new latch.

If you're cheap like me, go to Radio Shack and buy catalog #275-0017. It has a roller at the end of its lever. You can also buy one with just the lever, but I was hoping to make use of the roller to extend its life and reduce wear on that cam, which was showing damage from the OEM switch.

I experimented with the lever facing each way and decided that one orientation gave me greater headroom between open and closed for more accurate action. I spent a good deal of time checking when the switch engaged and disengaged to determine placement.

I was able, using a very sharp knife that I kept my fingers away from, to first remove the piece of plastic with two nibs on it from the OEM switch. I call this piece the 'locator'. This made it easy to confirm the exact position of the new switch on the latch mechanism ahead of time. I glued the locator to the new switch first, then placed the switch on the latch mechanism, confirmed open/close operation, then hot-glued the switch to the latch. I've read about people drilling new holes to mount the new switch, but I was more comfortable with something less drastic. It doesn't deal with a lot of stress. Then solder the wires on (tip: clip the wires off the old switch very tight to the switch, as I had to extend one wire 1/4" because it was short) and reinstall.

You'll see in my photos (hopefully) that the locator is aligned just below the semi-circle outline of the new switch but above the hole. I'd err a little towards the locator being close to having its edge snug up to the hole (moving a little left in my photo relative to the switch) as I had to use needle-nose pliers to tweak the lever a bit for a more 50/50 operation where the switch engaged half way as the latch closed.

Oh, one more detail: with the switch configured like this, in case you can't read on the switch, you are using common and normally open.

It was music to my ears as I plugged the wiring harness onto the latch mechanism during reassembly and heard the door chime due to the key being in the ignition. It had been a while.

One more tip: if you haven't replaced the 'sliders' in your window regulator, this is a perfect opportunity since the window frame is out. They were $27 each from my dealer, whereas the entire regulator is about $268 or something like that. My parts guy said the sliders themselves are not available for all models, so you may wind up needing the regulator. If your sliders are blue, prepare to replace them. I got the pink ones as replacements and they are clearly tougher.

Good luck with your project.