Central locking pump repair.

[DJG]

My central locking stopped working a few weeks ago. I could still hear the motor whirring, but the doors wouldn't lock/unlock. After doing some research it turned out to be likely that rather than a leak that the graphite impellor had probably brocken up. I didn't want/couldn't afford to pay the £££s that a stealer would want for a new pump, fitting and recoding the central locking. I know some of you guys on here have have fixed it yourselves, but I didn't feel confident enough to try this. When I Googled the problem I found a guy mentioned on a message on the VWAUDI Forum who reconditions the pumps. Even better as luck would have it he was also based in Reading.

I gave him a call, arranged to meet him and he removed my pump, replaced the motor with one with a thicker graphite part, re-installed the pump and tested it while I waited. It was quite amazing how chewed up my grapite impeller was. The reason for the thicker graphite part (9mm as opposed to 6mm) is to prevent a re-occurance. It seems to be a fairly common problem on 90s cars due to good old Audis cost cutting.

He charged me £160 which I feel is money well spent as I had got totally fed up with having to remind my family to lock the doors and repeatedly setting the alarm off. He has also given me a 12 month guarantee on the repair. For those who are further away he is happy to offer a postal service and can also supply parts to do a DIY repair.

Even better he was also a very pleasant and friendly guy and a fellow Audi owner. So far he has fixed about 170 pumps and keeps a stock of the common pumps and parts. He has Vagcom and if he has to swap the pump he can recode it to your keys. I am very happy to recommend him and suggest if you have a similar problem you give him a call and have a chat. Hi name is Fawad and his mobile number is 07876 542430.

Next job - Sort the air conditioning... not helped by a regas

Cheers,

David

[PhilT]

Do you think he'd know why my RS4 unlocks when I press lock on the key fob, and visa versa?

[DJG]

It would be worth a call Phil. I had a good chat with him when he was doing mine and I think I remember him mentioning someone with a similar problem, but I can't remember the detail.