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Technical URGENT! :( panda 4x4 central lockig - doors open warning light on

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Technical URGENT! :( panda 4x4 central lockig - doors open warning light on

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tjw78

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Jul 4, 2009
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Hi all,

I have a Panda 4x4 (2005) - the warning light reporting that a door and/or tailgate is open is lit, and I therefore cannot lock the car! :( I've tried reclosing all doors etc. If locking the doors manually then locking the drivers door with a key, the central locking reopens all locks. Can't find a mechanic available at this time on a Saturday night and need to get the car secured, any help would be much appreciated!!

TIA, Trevor
 
It must be an issue with the button things that activate when the door closes and opens. I've had a look but can't see anything obvious, sorry.

Is it a problem with all the doors/boot or just one?
 
Hi, Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure which door it is or whether it's the tailgate, there's no indication and it stops all doors from closing. Where are the buttons/contacts ? Thinking I could try pressing them manually to see if I can at least narrow the prob down to a particular door.
 
tjw78 said:
Hi, Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure which door it is or whether it's the tailgate, there's no indication and it stops all doors from closing. Where are the buttons/contacts ? Thinking I could try pressing them manually to see if I can at least narrow the prob down to a particular door.
Click to expand...

I had a look, there seems to be a black bit that might push in on the drivers door near the bottom of the b-pillar, but i'm not convinced, because when I looked at the rear door, I couldn't see anything so can only guess that the switch is to do with the angle of the door and built into the door.

If you get stuck, I think disconnecting the battery and manually locking it ought to get you sorted for tonight.
 
Thanks for your replies all - I've disconnected the battery for now and that's done the job for now. Off to a garage tomorrow I guess!
 
Good point..having phoned around this am, looks like I'll be waiting until Monday. I've read about an issue with the microswitch on the panda tailgate a few times since posting on this forum - does this sound like the culprit?
 
A very likely source of the problem, especially on a relatively early model Panda such as you have.
Try to remove the cover on the inside of the tailgate that is made of fibrous material. The studs retaining it can be gently prised out with a screwdriver.
Then, unplug the electrics to the boot release.
Finally, reconnect the battery and see if the locking system works again.
You then have to decide whether to pay good money for a complete replacement boot lock, which will need painting, or if you can live with a boot that only unlocks with the key.
 
I had exactly this issue - boot lock microswitch (not the one that opens the boot, but one inside the latch that detects if it is properly closed, and also controls the boot light). It was damaged by slamming the boot shut with something in the way of the catch!

Short term cure was to remove the fuse to the central locks (off top of head, can't recall which that was but didn't seem to affect anything else). Longer term - buy new latch (expensive!) or disconnect plug as described above - the plug Dr Chris mentions has three connections -- there's one wire to each of two pins and two wires (black I think) sharing the third. Only trouble is this also stops the electric switch in the boot handle from opening the boot (but you can still use the button on the key, or put the key in the lock to open it) so its only a short-term fix. In the end, after careful work with bits of wire to test what was what, I cut one of the single wires from that plug (on the lock side so when I do eventually replace the latch, the wires in the car are still in tact). This cured the problem and didn't seem to stop anything else working. If you wish, I'll pry back the trim and confirm which wire I cut...

Pete
 
Herts Hillhopper said:
I had exactly this issue - boot lock microswitch (not the one that opens the boot, but one inside the latch that detects if it is properly closed, and also controls the boot light). It was damaged by slamming the boot shut with something in the way of the catch!

Short term cure was to remove the fuse to the central locks (off top of head, can't recall which that was but didn't seem to affect anything else). Longer term - buy new latch (expensive!) or disconnect plug as described above - the plug Dr Chris mentions has three connections -- there's one wire to each of two pins and two wires (black I think) sharing the third. Only trouble is this also stops the electric switch in the boot handle from opening the boot (but you can still use the button on the key, or put the key in the lock to open it) so its only a short-term fix. In the end, after careful work with bits of wire to test what was what, I cut one of the single wires from that plug (on the lock side so when I do eventually replace the latch, the wires in the car are still in tact). This cured the problem and didn't seem to stop anything else working. If you wish, I'll pry back the trim and confirm which wire I cut...

Pete
Click to expand...
Hi Pete ,

Would appreciate if you could let me know - have the same issue on my 4x4 and would like to stop the boot opening on it's own ( and keep the remote / key as options to open it).

Thanks
Nick
 
Panda4X4_Skydome said:
Hi Pete ,

Would appreciate if you could let me know - have the same issue on my 4x4 and would like to stop the boot opening on it's own ( and keep the remote / key as options to open it).

Thanks
Nick
Click to expand...
Boot opening on its own is a different problem, caused by the microswitch in the tailgate handle operating the electric release when you go over a bump, etc. Cure here is complete new handle, or to unplug a different plug inside the bootlid, accessible as before but its a bigger plug and harder to reach. Note that disconnecting this plug removes power to the electric release all together, so button on key will not open boot either - only way to open is to turn key in the lock. (This is the more normal boot latch miroswitch failure covered in several previous posts)

P
 
I have also with the boot that it's open automatically if i open one of the other door or just i am going some meters with the car.
question: can the low charged car battery cause of this problem,
(thats mean 12,5V that i have mesured on the car battery) or it will be the microswitch?
 
On examining the switch mechanism in the boot lid, the little micro switch was detatched from the unit. Couldn't see how to put it back in place without removing unit so just tied the switch closed.
Warning light no longer works of course but lets the central locking be switched back on again.
 
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