Sliding door opening problems update

[pondweed]

I found that a lot of the old threads are now pictureless and the links to third party web storage now removed/out of date. No youtube videos of use either.

This thread has pictures in post 5 which are useful https://www.berlingoforum.com/thread-21048.html but I found the following which arent written up anywhere I found:

1. the door pins which break are commonly advertised and I found the proecedure relatively easy with the right Torx star drive to get the external door latch off. I had to file the little pin off the ledge half way down my casting to allow it to push into the hole.
I removed the 2 long wire links to the lock mechanism in the centre of the door. The shorter of these attaches to a rotating L shaped metal piece which can go in two positions - only one allows you to connect it up correctly! The pictures above help for seeing the line of these wire links when it goes back together.

2. Both doors were difficult to open from the inside (from the seat) after 14 years. (56 plate, 101k miles) After reassembly of the lock, trimming the wire links and getting rid of the slack was easy by pushing the threaded sections in agains after pulling up slack. I levered these out of the clips with a screwdriver. After getting rid of the slack, the doors open easily from inside, and from outside there is no slack in the handle before it starts working. Like new.

I've ditched my inner door cards until the other drivers side pin casting breaks, and in case the adjustment causes problems. I'm presuming it wont be an MOT failure having the exposed mechanism there, but it is good to be able to get at everything easily!

[benoliver999]

Thanks for this, if I get a chance I might try myself. I have noticed on one side there's a trick to using the handle, you have to sort of catch it just right, perhaps I've got the same issue as you did.

[pondweed]

further update: if you remove the slack too much, the central locking doesnt unlatch things, but when open they are fine. So there is balance to be met. Now, to fix my squeaky steering. I'm starting to think that removing all the plastic trim and leaving it permanently off may be a good plan for the future of this vehicle....