Drivers door skin removal - door handle stuck

[Chris_R]

Was looking to replace my drivers door module today, but got stuck at the first hurdle.
I followed the guide here - http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34343.0 - but after removing the lock unit and the little clipped in cable I couldn't move the door handle out to go any further at all. At the lock end it appeared to have a hard limit on the ability to move it any more than it would normally do.
Have I missed something? Or are the locks different on different models?

[TAPPY]

With the door handle pulled open a little bit pull it towards the back of the door. Sometimes they can be sticky so you will poss need to give it a small bang it the right direction. The locks are all the same on these mk5's

[Chris_R]

That's the thing, I spent about an hour on moving it this way and that. The handle wont pull backwards (into the opening left by the lock being removed) at all - as in I had one of my plastic lever tools applying pressure to it and it still wouldn't budge!
Will see if I can give it another go in the morning and give it a wack with my rubber mallet, it just felt like it was still attached to something. There was maybe 5mm of free play backwards and forwards which wasn't enough to move it out of the black plastic bit which the cable clips into.

[TAPPY]

That's weird but there is nothing else that should be holding it in there

[4ndy]

Pull and hold the handle while screwing the torx screw anti clockwise  keep releasing the handle every couple of turns until you don't feel the spring pressure on the handle

[r5gtt]

I think you need to screw the torx back in a bit to release the handle or it will not budge

[Chris_R]

Ok, well that didn't help at all, I backed the screw in and out a bit at a time while moving the handle and the thing is stuck good. To top it off the lock retaining ring also fell out while I was jiggling the handle and now I am completely stuffed until I can get the door skin off to put it back in place.

Looking at the mechanics of it there is simply no way to move it more than that few mm as it's restricted at the front by the pivot point fouling the door skin and at the lock end it is held by a plastic spring loaded mechanism - which I also tried levering out the way with no luck.

Have watched videos of it being done, read the manual, looked at guides and pictures and mine simply will not move in this manner.

Here is what I am talking about - this is as much movement as I have after messing with the screw over and over.

&feature=youtu.be

[r5gtt]

You need to pul the handle put as much as poss and then it needs a hard tug and I've done these before as with tappy most likely has and they do come away just a bit stiff and locked in place

[Chris_R]

I wailed on it for hours now it and it just doesn't come out the way it should at all LOL. I understand how it should come out, but I assure you, it's not through lack of pulling at it. I even hit the front end of the handle with rubber hammer - it just won't pull towards the back/lock area.


The torx bolt appears to have no influence on the handle, it simply turns the lock retaining ring out the way so you can get that out, it makes no contact with the handle mechanics so it's not through getting the position of that wrong.
Example - though from a mk4.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Imagewerx/Picture-048.jpg

I may just get another handle and cut this one so that I can get at the bolt behind it to remove the skin. I really do appreciate the help posted, but it's just not working as it's being described or what I have seen in guides or videos - I wonder if it has broken inside somehow?

It should just come out like this  - similar enough to everything else I have seen/read. Which leads me to believe there is something wrong with mine preventing it moving to the back

=51

[r5gtt]

It's definitely stuck in the clip. Your not in london by any chance

[Chris_R]

It's definitely stuck in the clip. Your not in london by any chance

No, wish I was, really could do with a hand with it. I may give the other side a go later so that I can compare

[r5gtt]

It's definitely stuck in the clip. Your not in london by any chance

No, wish I was, really could do with a hand with it. I may give the other side a go later so that I can compare

good luck mate, I know the feeling when it's not happening you're like what the 

[Chris_R]

All done at last!
Bit of a pain in the rear to do on your own when you are trying to get the door skin on/off to realign with the bolt holes.
Rubber o ring that holds the carrier fell apart when I removed it so improvised with a small cable tie after the carrier fell off for the third time without anything holding it while I put the skin on LOL.

So yeah, it was stuck good and proper at the end towards the front of the car, I ended up cutting a slice off the end with a hacksaw to access the screw behind it and then had to cut it again on the inside to get that end of the handle off. Was putting up a hell of a fight and there wasn't enough room in the handle with it on the car to give it a good enough wack! I am pretty sure that the amount of pulling it led to the lock carrier ring coming dislodged.

As thought I had a good look at the lock carrier and the bolt that you access to remove the lock cylinder has no impact at all on the handle itself - it does just turn that retaining ring backwards and forwards.

Cost me £15 for a breaker handle from eBay and £21 for a new lock module and it all works lovely again now. Can hear the difference in the drivers lock activation and it works every time with the remote again now. Result.

[4ndy]

pleased you got it sorted    I had to buy 2 new inner bows for L and R rear doors.  The blue band always snaps, not sure it serves any purpose other than holding the bow in place for fitting.  Strange how the rears on mine packed in before the more used fronts

[r5gtt]

Well done mate funny how it didn't want to come off easy but I've had this with the Q7's too