T5 Sliding Door Rubbing

[superchoward]

I noticed the bodywork near the sliding door runner has been scraped/rubbed down to bare metal which has begun rusting over. On inspection when the electric sliding door is put into manual mode, it appears the underside of a swing arm which travels across the area has possibly dropped or is misaligned and is rubbing when the door opens/closes. This hasn't been actioned and has now got the rub on it you can see in the pictures.

The pin with spring and nut on the right hand side of the 2nd and 3rd picture look like they could align the height of the door perhaps but I'm not sure whether this would affect the height of the swing arm which is causing the issue.

Has anyone had this issue and resolved it? I couldn't find anything on a search with a similar problem.

 

[VW Guru]

I noticed the bodywork near the sliding door runner has been scraped/rubbed down to bare metal which has begun rusting over. On inspection when the electric sliding door is put into manual mode, it appears the underside of a swing arm which travels across the area has possibly dropped or is misaligned and is rubbing when the door opens/closes. This hasn't been actioned and has now got the rub on it you can see in the pictures.

The pin with spring and nut on the right hand side of the 2nd and 3rd picture look like they could align the height of the door perhaps but I'm not sure whether this would affect the height of the swing arm which is causing the issue.

Has anyone had this issue and resolved it? I couldn't find anything on a search with a similar problem.

View attachment 36758

View attachment 36760

View attachment 36759

Hi there are two things that happen with this fault either the hinge roller itself has failed the part is approximately £450 for the part. The other thing that may have happened is that the guide rail has become loose and will need the trim panel removed and tightened back up. Normally on removal of the panel the trim clips break there are 7 of them that hold the panel in as well as two torx 20 screws one is behind the rear light unit.

 

[ArunAlec]

Hi there are two things that happen with this fault either the hinge roller itself has failed the part is approximately £450 for the part. The other thing that may have happened is that the guide rail has become loose and will need the trim panel removed and tightened back up. Normally on removal of the panel the trim clips break there are 7 of them that hold the panel in as well as two torx 20 screws one is behind the rear light unit.

There's a good video on YouTube showing replacement of the door cable (powered door). In that he shows the technique for getting the trim panel off without bending it.

 

[VW Guru]

There's a good video on YouTube showing replacement of the door cable (powered door). In that he shows the technique for getting the trim panel off without bending it.

It can be tricky I’ve made a piece of wood with foam glued to it to prevent it bending when refitting.

 

[superchoward]

Oh dear. I’ll have a watch of that video and see if it’s something I could tackle. Sounds like quite a tricky job though

 

[superchoward]

Update: I watched the video and then removed the trim panel without bending it although at least 4 of the trim clips have broken unfortunately.



There seems to be a large amount of play in the middle roller bracket, is this normal? I think the 2 horizontal rollers might have worn down which is now allowing this play in the bracket. This could be causing the bracket to be closer to the bodywork hence the rub as it goes round the corner.



It's hard to get a picture of the roller as it is inside the bracket. If you look at the video below, you can see the vertical roller in the middle has white plastic on it whereas the two horizontal rollers the entire white plastic part has worn away down to the metal core.

Possibly need this or similar?

 

[VW Guru]

Clips breaking is normal happens all the time the rollers do ware but also check the guide the m5 securing bolts have a habit of coming loose causing the whole assembly to drop and create the damage

 

[superchoward]

I checked the guide rail and this seems tight with no play at all so don’t think it’s that. That would have been nice and easy!

Thanks

 

[superchoward]

I'm having a bit of trouble locating a part number for the door hinge. Concurring with VW Guru, I think the rollers on this hinge have worn down which has caused the hinge to drop slightly causing the rubbing on the bodywork so I am going to replace it. I haven't wanted to take it off to inspect it because to keep the van secure, I'll have to put everything back together whilst I wait for the replacement parts to arrive.

Looking on 7Zap for the part number I have found a diagram showing it as part number 23:


And this part number corresponds to this list:


But the list only gives part numbers for manual sliding doors and not the electric version?

If the list is the same for manual and electric sliding doors, I presume the drivers side door is classed as the 'right' hand side of the car so the part number would be 7E0 843 336.

The electric sliding door wires connect onto the hinge to pull the door across so I'm concerned that the part listed for the manual doors won't have fixing points for these wires to connect onto.

Thanks
Chris

 

[VW Guru]

I'm having a bit of trouble locating a part number for the door hinge. Concurring with VW Guru, I think the rollers on this hinge have worn down which has caused the hinge to drop slightly causing the rubbing on the bodywork so I am going to replace it. I haven't wanted to take it off to inspect it because to keep the van secure, I'll have to put everything back together whilst I wait for the replacement parts to arrive.

Looking on 7Zap for the part number I have found a diagram showing it as part number 23:
View attachment 37404

And this part number corresponds to this list:
View attachment 37405

But the list only gives part numbers for manual sliding doors and not the electric version?

If the list is the same for manual and electric sliding doors, I presume the drivers side door is classed as the 'right' hand side of the car so the part number would be 7E0 843 336.

The electric sliding door wires connect onto the hinge to pull the door across so I'm concerned that the part listed for the manual doors won't have fixing points for these wires to connect onto.

Thanks
Chris

Hi the sliding door hinge roller on the electric door is not a separate piece like the manual door. it actually comes complete with a new guide rail as the wires are built in so look up the roller guide for electric door.

 

[superchoward]

Right, I see so that’s why it’s so expensive then.

Do you know whether it is possible to remove the hinge and just replace the rollers? I have seen replacement rollers on eBay but without taking the hinge off can’t see whether they are removable or not.

Thank you for all your replies and help on this, it’s much appreciated

 

[VW Guru]

Right, I see so that’s why it’s so expensive then.

Do you know whether it is possible to remove the hinge and just replace the rollers? I have seen replacement rollers on eBay but without taking the hinge off can’t see whether they are removable or not.

Thank you for all your replies and help on this, it’s much appreciated

To be honest I don’t know I normally just replace the whole unit but I changed one a couple of weeks ago and the old part is at work I can have a look in the morning and let you know.

 

[superchoward]

Yeah if you wouldn’t mind that would be brilliant. The replacement rollers are £10 so if it saves buying a whole new unit for £450 it’s a no brainer!

 

[VW Guru]

Hi so I have had a look this morning and as you can see from the pictures below the metal pins which ho through the body of the roller are Peened over, looking at the picture you added earlier in the thread it looks like they will fit. You will have to drill the old ones out and then peen over the ends of the new ones and you should be all good

Yeah if you wouldn’t mind that would be brilliant. The replacement rollers are £10 so if it saves buying a whole new unit for £450 it’s a no brainer!

 

[methley]

I have just discovered I have the same issue. Electric roller is slightly different as you can see.

 

[Route66]

Thread resurrection - superchoward (or any others who have had this issue) - did replacing the hinge remove the rubbing? Thanks

 

[superchoward]

Thread resurrection - superchoward (or any others who have had this issue) - did replacing the hinge remove the rubbing? Thanks

I never got round to replacing the hinge. As VW Guru stated above in his responses you have to replace the entire unit. This was also backed up by my local independent VW garage who said they have done them before but it's a pain as you have to take some of the trim off the inside of the van to access the fixings. I got a quote of approximately £350 for the part plus £400 labour, in total including VAT it was around £900 from memory. I never replaced it though, I put some 3M helicopter tape along the guide rail so when the door reaches the bit where it swings round the corner of the body work it just lifts it up enough to stop it catching. A temporary fix but one which works whilst I build up the courage to pay £900 to fix such a tedious problem!

 

[Route66]

Thanks superchoward - how did you get the panel off? I tried to find the YouTube video mentioned in this thread but I could only find T4 side door videos

 

[superchoward]

Thanks superchoward - how did you get the panel off? I tried to find the YouTube video mentioned in this thread but I could only find T4 side door videos

Which panel are you referring to? The only one I took off was the external rail cover panel which was with some screws accessible from behind the rear light which needs removing and one at the other end where the sliding door opens. Then you need to pull it away from the van which inevitably breaks some plastic clips which I had to replace. I didn’t benefit by removing the panel though as nothing behind there was the issue in the end.

Hope this helps!
Chris

 

[Route66]

Thanks Chris, yes I was meaning that one. I was hoping to try the bolts on the guide rail which VW Guru mentioned in the thread above. I’ve read that this didn’t work work you but I’m thinking it’s worth a try on mine. We’re the plastic clips easy to get? Thanks, Mike

 

[Ian Brown]

Hi - what was the fix here please? I have a 2013 SE with paint rubbing similar but not as bad as shown in this thread. Originally it was just the outer of the two marks and VW replaced the rear central (it's a manual door) roller but now it rubs and makes the inner mark. Is there any adjustment that can be done to lift the door so this doesn't occur? Many thanks..

 

[Adam O]

Which panel are you referring to? The only one I took off was the external rail cover panel which was with some screws accessible from behind the rear light which needs removing and one at the other end where the sliding door opens. Then you need to pull it away from the van which inevitably breaks some plastic clips which I had to replace. I didn’t benefit by removing the panel though as nothing behind there was the issue in the end.

Hope this helps!
Chris

Hi Chris,

Will give the helicopter tape a go myself as got the same issue. I presume you need to take the panel off to access the rail to do this - can you send me a link to where you got the spare clips from as I'll get some in advance.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[BenPcaliman]

Update: I watched the video and then removed the trim panel without bending it although at least 4 of the trim clips have broken unfortunately.

View attachment 37244

There seems to be a large amount of play in the middle roller bracket, is this normal? I think the 2 horizontal rollers might have worn down which is now allowing this play in the bracket. This could be causing the bracket to be closer to the bodywork hence the rub as it goes round the corner.

View attachment 37243

It's hard to get a picture of the roller as it is inside the bracket. If you look at the video below, you can see the vertical roller in the middle has white plastic on it whereas the two horizontal rollers the entire white plastic part has worn away down to the metal core.

Possibly need this or similar?

View attachment 37252

View attachment 37245

Can anyone confirm whether the sliding door middle roller mech should rattle around like this normaly or whether this is a sign of worn rollers?

 

[Route66]

Can anyone confirm whether the sliding door middle roller mech should rattle around like this normaly or whether this is a sign of worn rollers?

It needs to ‘wobble’ to make the turn in the rail. Additional wobble is possible although it would be the result of the two horizontal rollers (parallel to ground, which guide the roller within the rail) wearing, rather than the vertical roller. It’s wear of the vertical roller which can cause the paint rubbing issue.

 

[steve_b]

There's a good video on YouTube showing replacement of the door cable (powered door). In that he shows the technique for getting the trim panel off without bending it.

sorry for the thread resurrection, but I don't suppose you have a record of what that video was do you?

I have a T5 cali manual door where the middle roller scrapes the bodywork at that point, may as well tackle it whilst I have time on my hands... Thanks