Central Locking - Security or Safety?
#1
07-01-2008, 04:02 PM
Central Locking - Security or Safety?
Hi all
I have recently been experiencing problems with my Central Locking system. Two of the doors (passengers and rear nearside) fail to 'safe' (according to vag-com). After much research I now know that 'safe' means 'deadlock'. Once a lock is 'safe' it can not be unlocked or opened from the inside also. I have checked this is true by locking the car with the windows open and attempting to open the doors using the internal door handles. Sure enough, the two door mentioned can still be opened from the inside while the others can not.
The arrangement inside the lock assembly is shown in the first attached pic. There are two separate motors, one controls the Locking and Unlocking and one brings in a mechanical interlock that, once 'locked', prevents unlocking unless it is first 'De-safed'. The second pic shows the unit in the 'locked' but 'unsafe' state. The third in the 'locked' and 'safe' state.
The problem I have is the better of two scenarios involving this 'safe' motor. The first is that it fails to 'safe' in that it won't deadlock the door. The second is far more worrying. It won't 'De-safe'. This means that it won't remove the interlock preventing the unlocking of the door. This essentially means that the door can not be unlocked or opened by any means.
My question is simply this, at what point was security allowed to take precedence over safely?
A door that can not be opened by any means can have grave safely implications. Manufacturers, including Audi, have gone to great lengths to include a feature that automatically unlocks all door in the event of an accident. However, if the 'safe' motor in the door lock assembly has failed in the 'safe' position, this door will NOT unlock as the interlock is mechanical, controlled electrically and can therefore not be overridden.
I asked Audi about this and they couldn't give me an answer. Worrying? I think so. What do you think?
Incidentally, if anyone is experiencing similar problems and you have the engineering ability and time, the 'safe' motor can be exchanged for a similar one available at Maplin Electronic (Cat No. YG13) at a cost of £2.79 each. A new lock unit from Audi is between £111 and £116. I haven't tried swapping the motors yet so please don't quote me on it and the existing internal 'wiring' arrangements (metal strips!) will need a little modification to make them fit.
My motors do actually work when applying a voltage directly to them (after a refirb) but won't work from the Central Locking Control Unit. Having checked the voltage output from the Control Unit as being correct I was left with one question, Is the Control Unit faulty (as I have problems with multiple doors) or have both lock assemblies suffered the same failure?
I was able to answer this by tracing the wiring back to the control unit, removing the cover to reveal the pin out of each connector only to learn that the controller controls two doors from same pin on the circuit board. In my case the two rear door safe motors are wired in parallel and that, because only one rear door is affected, it can not be the controller. Happy Days!
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/525DA0ADEA7B45168DF7D3574E3457DD.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/922483B9FEB348B289C58F66256A2AA9.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/6F9CC85E4BF74F33BB9730938B2B5633.jpg[/IMG]
I have recently been experiencing problems with my Central Locking system. Two of the doors (passengers and rear nearside) fail to 'safe' (according to vag-com). After much research I now know that 'safe' means 'deadlock'. Once a lock is 'safe' it can not be unlocked or opened from the inside also. I have checked this is true by locking the car with the windows open and attempting to open the doors using the internal door handles. Sure enough, the two door mentioned can still be opened from the inside while the others can not.
The arrangement inside the lock assembly is shown in the first attached pic. There are two separate motors, one controls the Locking and Unlocking and one brings in a mechanical interlock that, once 'locked', prevents unlocking unless it is first 'De-safed'. The second pic shows the unit in the 'locked' but 'unsafe' state. The third in the 'locked' and 'safe' state.
The problem I have is the better of two scenarios involving this 'safe' motor. The first is that it fails to 'safe' in that it won't deadlock the door. The second is far more worrying. It won't 'De-safe'. This means that it won't remove the interlock preventing the unlocking of the door. This essentially means that the door can not be unlocked or opened by any means.
My question is simply this, at what point was security allowed to take precedence over safely?
A door that can not be opened by any means can have grave safely implications. Manufacturers, including Audi, have gone to great lengths to include a feature that automatically unlocks all door in the event of an accident. However, if the 'safe' motor in the door lock assembly has failed in the 'safe' position, this door will NOT unlock as the interlock is mechanical, controlled electrically and can therefore not be overridden.
I asked Audi about this and they couldn't give me an answer. Worrying? I think so. What do you think?
Incidentally, if anyone is experiencing similar problems and you have the engineering ability and time, the 'safe' motor can be exchanged for a similar one available at Maplin Electronic (Cat No. YG13) at a cost of £2.79 each. A new lock unit from Audi is between £111 and £116. I haven't tried swapping the motors yet so please don't quote me on it and the existing internal 'wiring' arrangements (metal strips!) will need a little modification to make them fit.
My motors do actually work when applying a voltage directly to them (after a refirb) but won't work from the Central Locking Control Unit. Having checked the voltage output from the Control Unit as being correct I was left with one question, Is the Control Unit faulty (as I have problems with multiple doors) or have both lock assemblies suffered the same failure?
I was able to answer this by tracing the wiring back to the control unit, removing the cover to reveal the pin out of each connector only to learn that the controller controls two doors from same pin on the circuit board. In my case the two rear door safe motors are wired in parallel and that, because only one rear door is affected, it can not be the controller. Happy Days!
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/525DA0ADEA7B45168DF7D3574E3457DD.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/922483B9FEB348B289C58F66256A2AA9.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/55248/6F9CC85E4BF74F33BB9730938B2B5633.jpg[/IMG]
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