A while back I posted on the trouble I was having with both front door locks on my P38. Last week I took out one of them and pulled it apart. It's actually not all that complicated inside and it could be repaired quite easily. The little electric motor that powers the actuator was burnt out. Everything else seemed to be in good order, and there were no signs of moisture inside. The motor is a small Mabuchi unit (Mabuchi are the worlds biggest manufacturer of small DC motors) which simply snaps in with no solder or anything. But, of course, these motors aren't available separately. It's a cryin' shame, since a new unit is £130 and the motor could sell for maybe 1/10th of that and still turn a profit.
I ordered new latches, but keep the following in mind:
I'm guessing here, but I bet that most actuator failures are caused by a burnt motor. This, in turn, is probably caused by a sticky mechanism. Especially the interior button for manual operation seems to be a poor design. If you ever venture inside your door, check that this moves freely or fiddle around with it and lubricate until it does. It could keep your locks working much longer and save money and trouble.
Also, without having checked this, I'd be surprised if the rear units don't use the exact same motor. If that's the case, it should be possible to cannibalize the motor from a rear unit (breaker's or new) and fit it to the much pricier front latch.
Maybe someone who knows someone could get new motor and gaskets available as a service kit, like those you get for the key-fob and EAS pump.
Regards,
Henrik
I ordered new latches, but keep the following in mind:
I'm guessing here, but I bet that most actuator failures are caused by a burnt motor. This, in turn, is probably caused by a sticky mechanism. Especially the interior button for manual operation seems to be a poor design. If you ever venture inside your door, check that this moves freely or fiddle around with it and lubricate until it does. It could keep your locks working much longer and save money and trouble.
Also, without having checked this, I'd be surprised if the rear units don't use the exact same motor. If that's the case, it should be possible to cannibalize the motor from a rear unit (breaker's or new) and fit it to the much pricier front latch.
Maybe someone who knows someone could get new motor and gaskets available as a service kit, like those you get for the key-fob and EAS pump.
Regards,
Henrik
