gobsmack

Hi Guys, my passenger door is locked closed and when i try to open from the inside the silver handle just moves and i can feel that it is unhooked from the rod that connects to the lock. Please advice me on how i can open the door to unscrew the panel to see what is going on?
i will appreciate your help on this one guys.

clancy

Silly question, but I will ask. Can you unlock it with the unlock button on the driver's door or the key fob?

gobsmack

The driver's side door works fine. The problem is with the passenger door. It is closed and i wanted to find out if there is a way of opening it from the inside since the unlock button and the silver opening handle both do not work. I'm scared to cut open the leather panel on the side to pull the bar that goes to the locking device.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Try a slim jim? Not the one you eat...

indoor

Oh, man...that's very unlikely. Bad luck. The interior handle is independent of the exterior one. So they're both broken if no go from either inside or outside of car. I'm not 100% sure on passenger side! but it is independent on driver's side. The interior driver's side cable for opening handle broke in my car, but I could still open the door from outside(had to roll down the window to get out till I got a new one from dealer).

Like SloopJohnB said, try a slim Jim, but those work if the interior handle cable isn't broken inside the door. It's like pulling up the middle of a wire that is attached at both ends(yours is attached only to one end, so the pulling will be different).

Another option: I would try to remove the wood trim on that door to see if it's possible to look inside... If you have to cut somewhere I would cut there(then maybe glue back and cover with the wood trim)...

Airbag

That door panel is one giant plastic piece. This will be tough.

dgsdale

The interior door card is very easy to remove: Two screws, one each end of the door at the top, with the door open. Underneath the front end of the armrest/door pull there is a small hole - poke a flat screwdriver up into this hole & 'fish' around to unclip the switch panel at the front end then pull it out & disconnect the plugs. Lift the whole panel up & away from the door (by a couple of inches only) & then disengage the hook of the lock cable from the silver handle. Hope this helps. Please, please please, don't do any cutting - it won't get you anywhere & you will ruin a beautiful panel.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

This is true, if the door is open. OP wanted to know how to open the door.

dgsdale

Good point- in that case, try doing what I did. With the back door open, you can just see the 'U' bracket (don't know the proper name) for the front door that is screwed to the 'B' pillar, it's what the front door lock latches onto. There is just enough room to get a hacksaw blade (just the blade, not the frame) at an angle into the gap and literally cut through the 'U' bracket. It took me about 31/2 hours to do it because you can only get a short stroke on the blade but it worked, and was a massive relief when the door opened (it was my drivers door). Wrap some tape around the 'handle' end of the hacksaw blade and run a few thicknesses of tape around the edge of the front door to avoid scratching it.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

To the OP…look at the front door on the drivers side with the rear door open. Eyeball that U-shaped latch holder while you close the front door and you can see where it is. It's in a similar spot on the passenger side front door.

It might be easier to get to if you take off the rear door.

BTW, it's called a striker plate. #7 on the diagram.

Striker. STRIKER PLATE for 2002 Audi. #8Z0837033A