Originally Posted by normal

OK went out and tried it again. Here is what I did/observed:

- checked central locking fuse and it was fine
- tried pushing lock button: heard and 'electrical click' which seems to come from back right (pump) area, but did not hear the pump run.
- I do now recall that locks (pump) had been a bit delayed (pump ran longer) when they last worked.

- I also believe that the 'electrical' part of the central system must be working fine because: 1) the horn chirps if I hit the lock button on my remotes and 2) I observed that click sound when sitting in car and hit lock button and 3) the little red light by driver lock appears to arm/disarm as normal when I'm outside vehicle and use FOB to arm(lock)/disarm(unlock) (even though lock do not actually move)

So, at this point I'm assuming my pump must be the culprit. NEW QUESTIONS:

- Are there any domestic USA options for rebuild parts for the pump? I've found a guy on ebay that offers parts, but he is not in usa an it seems a bit spendy.

- If I opt for a used pump, will it be plug and play or will it require any programming type complications to make it work?

- Any other suggestions/options?

Originally Posted by normal

see updated post for more detail, but no I don't think it is running.

how did you repair yours? any suggestions for rebuild parts/kit?

Originally Posted by bradtyler02

Inside the pump is what are called "vanes." They are made of carbon/ graphite and are pretty brittle. I repaired mine by finding a B5 at an auto salvage (while looking for other goodies) that had a pump still in tact. I took the vanes out of that one and put them in mine.

Take the pump out of the trunk, open up all the padding, open the box, and you'll find three screws for the pump itself. Open that up, carefully, and you'll probably find the graphite pieces all busted up. Google images for B5 A4 central locking pump vanes and you'll see what I'm talking about. For some reason, I can insert pictures into my post right now.

Originally Posted by normal

thanks for your post. I found this write up that describes (with pics) process of swapping out the whole pump.

VWVortex.com - How to: Fix your B5 A4 central locks on a budget

Can you please describe process for 'replacing the vanes' vs. swapping out the entire pump. Wondering about the 3rd to last pic, would the 3 brass colored screws have accessed the 'vanes'?