tailgate lock

Hi,
the tailgate lock on my p38 dhse is playing up. mostly it works fine but sometimes it wont open. nothing at all happens when i press the button.
last week i also replaced the drivers door cable that connects the inside handle to the lock mechanism.

i've read some threads about this and its likely the drivers door lock is to blame. is there anything i can try to fix it or do i just have to fork out for a new one?

additionally as long as i've had the car (25000miles) the central locking has had a mind of its own - locking and unlocking whenever it feels like it. - could this all be related?
cheers

Hi
Had exactly the same problem, I have just finished stripping the door lock out of the car and (carefully) took it to bits and cleaned & lubricated everything inside. Be warned it is a little fiddly & I lost big chunks of skin inside the door , but it now works perfectly.

Steve

thanks Steve, was it just the drivers door lock that you overhauled?

Rodent said:

thanks Steve, was it just the drivers door lock that you overhauled?

Click to expand...

Yep drivers door lock, the mechanism not the bit you put the key in, if that makes sense.

Had same problems with my P38 and cured them by fitting a new driver's door
locking module. Costs about £150 and takes about two hours to fit but you'll need lots of patience and sticking plaster

i had problems with the lower tail gate not opening and the car saying it wasn't shut. turned out to be the mech in the tailgate was out of alignment. loosend it off held the button and done it back up. had this from when i first got the car so someonelse might have been playing with it beforehand. have also had to replace both front door laches (different problem) but the tailgate dosent work unless the drivers door is unlocked. new laches are £105 from brownchurch or as i did £45 from a breakers

Have you tried replacing the tailgate lock button itself I did this and it works first time every time now was very cheap to purchase from fleabay

Remove the pushbutton first, strip the switch down and give it a good dose of WD40. The pushbutton is prone to getting soaked with water & sh*te. It's also the cheapest, easiest and first thing to check before doing major surgery.

i cleaned the tailgate switch and sprayed wd40 inside.its been working now for about a week.
the central locking still locks and unlocks as i drive along!