Ping Nigel

Hi Nigel

I reckon you are the most likely person to be able to help on this one. I have pasted below the contents of my posting "406 Stuck Rear Door Again". Is there any way to open the door, or has the hybrid beaten me this time?

Thanks

Keith

Original Post: I posted back in September when this first happened but it cleared itself. It has now happened again and whilst I now know the cause I am stuck as to a fix.

Last Thursday I parked in the Eurotunnel Terminal in France with cases of wine piled on the back seat so, for added security, as well as locking the car I pressed the smaller button to deadlock it so that even if a window was broken the doors would not open. Since then the rear N/S door remains deadlocked. When the car is unlocked the motor can be heard moving in the door along with a satisfying clunk as the lock lever moves to the unlock position. However both inside and external handles remain as if it were still locked.

I have managed to remove the inside panel and can see and touch the lock and see all the linkages from the handles working but I am stumped as to where to go from here. Has anybody had dealings with one of these locks and know how to release it? The cure after that is to never use the deadlock facility, but I have to get the door open first.

Reply to
Keith W
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Sorry been away for a couple of weeks. Never done one stuck that bad on a 406, but have done quite a few on a 307, and the answer there was a bit brutal! Basically break it up in the door until the door opens. I used a screwdriver and hammer carefully so that the door itself was not damaged. Eventually the door will be able to open and you end up with a load of bits in the bottom. Fit a new lock and all is normally well. Easier than it sounds on a 406 cos at least you have the panel off. Not possible on a closed 307 without damaging the panel and has to be done from the outside with the outer scraper seal removed and a long thin screwdriver down that gap!! Good luck Keith.

Reply to
Nigel

Ah! I had horrible fears that this might be the case. On the strength of what you have said I will have words with my friendly neighbourhood repairman (he is a one man business that we have used for many years and found to be extremely good and reasonable).

As an aside, I opened up the other rear door to see if looking at an operating lock would throw any light on it but would you believe, that lock is different. I expected a mirror image but it looks as if it is a different design altogether. The dodgy one appears to be in a black plastic casing whereas the good one looks to be some sort of casting.

Thanks ever so much for getting back Nigel, I will post back with any further news.

Keith

Reply to
Keith W

I said that I would get back with the outcome. My repairer, in whom I have great faith, managed to smash out the old lock although it turned out to be harder than a 307 would have been because with the panel removed it is still difficult to get to and, because the 406 has a fixed quarter window, you cannot approach from above as you described for the 307. Took him around four hours in total. Anyway, it seems my diagnosis was right, the deadlock had failed to release. The new lock is a totally different design to the old one which would seem to indicate that there may have been problems before. Thanks for your info.

Reply to
Keith W

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