Door Locks, Body Seals,
Power Windows, & Trim

Open driver's door. Make sure that the window is in the up position. Remove the armrest (three 4mm hex bolts, which you may have to fish around for). Disconnect the window, seat memory, and mirror controls. This may also be a good time to replace the burned out LEDs in the respective switches. Remove the two L-shaped metal tabs which are held in place with philips headed screws. Remove a philips screw and its washer from the B-pillar edge of the door frame. Pull and hold the inside door release handle while removing its philips screw. Gently push the handle forward towards the A-pillar. Pull it out, remove the foam pad on the back, the retaining clip for the cable, and then remove the hook on the cable end from the handle. While gently pulling up on the inner door panel, pull the electrical connectors through the access holes, and remove the panel from the door.

Now the fun really begins. Take a few long pieces of tape and apply one end to the top of the window, and the other end to the upper part of interior side of the window frame. Take a permanent felt tip marker and trace around the edge of the frame to make it easy to reposition it later. Remove two 13mm hex bolts from the A-pillar edge of the door, two from the B pillar edge, and two 13mm from the bottom edge of the door. The two bottom edge bolts will also have U shaped washers acting as spacers. Note their position before moving them aside. Gently raise the rear of the frame and pull upward to provide enough access to the back of the door handle without binding the regulator cable. Use a clamp to secure part of the window frame to the outdoor crossmember.

Be careful here. If the door becomes loose while you are working on the cylinder, it is heavy enough to cause some serious damage to your arms or hands (guillotine-style). Now you will finally have somewhat limited access to the back of the lock cylinder (OK, basically the right half). Pry off the circlip holding part of the lock cam remains to the cylinder, using a small screwdriver. Carefully remove the circular spring that applies tension to the cylinder. Disconnect the other remains of the cam from the lock linkage by twisting the plastic connector and pulling out the end. Insert your key into the lock cylinder and gently pull it out. In a clean, well lit working area, use a pair of small tweezers to remove the tumblers and their tiny springs from the old cylinder. Clean them with a degreaser, dry, and regrease with either lithium or other waterproof grease.

Reinsert the key and make sure that all of the tumblers are pulled into the cylinder so that the cylinder can be reinserted into the lock assembly. Closely examine the white gear, which is part of the alarm mechanism. One of the gear teeth is only half as wide as the others. Mark the edge of the white tooth with a colored felt tip marker (more visible than black). Examine the black gearhead on the replacement cam, find the tooth that is half as wide as the others, and make a hash mark on the side of it with a knife or sharp screwdriver. The cam arm will extend toward the B-pillar, and there is a squared off tab on the lower part. There is also a squared off tab on the lock assembly. The cam tab needs to fit over the lock assembly tab, and the spring between the assembly tab and the cylinder. Place the spring onto the cam, and pretension it by putting the spring tabs on both sides of the cam tab. Then wedged a wood sliver between the spring and the cam tab to correctly position the spring and to prevent it from popping out of the cam. Gingerly take the cam/spring/splinter assembly and install it over the lock cylinder.

Remove the key from the cylinder and place some duct tape on the outside part of the cylinder to prevent it from popping out. Match the lower part of the cam (the part with the tab) to the lock assembly tab, and then turn and twist this assembly to get the hash mark on the cam to line up with the half tooth on the alarm gear. Take your time. Having both patience and an assistant reduces the aggravation. When everything is lined up properly, the cam will sit flush against the lock assembly, the wood sliver can be pushed out with a small screwdriver, and the half-toothed gears will correctly mesh. While holding this all in place, you now need to install the snap ring. Use the right-angled tips on the lock ring pliers, and hold the pliers on the right side of the cylinder assembly. (Remember that there is no access from the left half.) Reconnect the cam to the lock link.

At this point it is prudent to check the function of the alarm, otherwise,you will have to repeat this repair. Engage the lock cam that usually captures the B pillar striker, twist the key, and listen for the sound of the alarm engaging. Repeat this operation for a few cycles so that you can be sure that the alarm is properly being armed/disarmed. If it isn't, the two half-width gear teeth are not aligned with each other.

At this point, given the open access, you should lubricate the guides and pulleys of the window regulator with some water proof grease. Then bolt the window frame assembly back into the door. Take care to first align the frame using the tracing that you made with a marker prior to the removal. Close the door and check the window fitting to the door seal. Try putting a piece of paper between the window and the seal, closing the door, and then trying to pull out the paper. Realign the window if necessary. The rest of the reinstallation is the opposite of removal.

Trunk/Hatch Lock Fix
(Tim Atwood, Tom Jelecanin, Phil Rose)
If the lock for your trunk or hatch does not lock/unlock with the central locking system when the lock is in the horizontal position, the mechanism is likely jammed. There is a little steel ball recessed into the lever that pivots in the plastic (difficult to see). This ball is what causes the lock to click into position when vertical. For some reason the ball can wear a groove into the slider plate and become jammed. When this happens, the lever that the central locking system uses requires much more force to move between the locked and unlocked positions. The vacuum plunger can't provide enough force to move it, but you may be able to move it by hand. Adding lubricants will usually not fix this problem.

You have two choices: either replace the lock (big $ from Audi) or just remove the ball and live without the little click telling you when the key is in the vertical position. To remove the ball, use a thin but sturdy knife between the plastic and the lever under the ball to pop it out. Safety glasses are a good idea here because that tiny ball will fly out. If this doesn't work, you may have to disassemble the lock to get the ball out. For detailed instructions on disassembling the lock, check out the Trunk Lock Fix on Chris Miller's 200Q20V web page. That info is for the type 44 cars, but our type 89 cars are probably very similar in this area.

Sunroof Removal/Gasket Replacement

1. Tilt the sunroof open and push the liner down.
2. Remove spring between liner and sunroof then slide liner back into roof.
3. Close sunroof.
4. Remove tin rod w\spring from underside of sunroof then remove the other track tilt finger thingy. One is attached to the tin rod, it's mate has to be removed separately.
5. At this point I think there are four screws holding the sunroof in.
6. A large socket aids in rolling the new gasket onto the sunroof.

Hood Gasket Replacement (front edge of hood)
The rubber gasket that runs the length of the front edge of the hood has a tendency to loose its shape and become wavy with age. The fix is a simple matter of replacement with new pieces:

1. Order a new gasket (P/N 893-823-737E, about $25) and about 16 plastic rivets (P/N 893-823-740, about $0.56 each) from your favorite dealer.
2. Open hood and use pliers to remove plastic rivets that hold the gasket.
3. Reinstall new gasket by carefully tapping in the new rivets.

1. Loosen threaded pin (2) with a 4mm Allen key (hex key).
2. Pull detent slide (1) out by approximately 3mm.
3. Carefully close the tailgate (without slamming it), until the lock engages audibly.
4. Open the tailgate and pull detent slide (1) out by two notches.
5. Tighten threaded pin (2) to 1.7 Nm.

• Adjustable body stop 895 827 347 & 348 - Goes on body, each side
• Adjustable asymmetrical rubber stop 895 827 499 & 500 - Goes on hatch, each side
• Striker Plate 895 827 507 - Goes in latch area

• Solution #1: Spray *a lot* of liquid silicone into the rubber and felt portions of the door strip, making sure that the rubber is completely saturated. Do it in 15 minute intervals until the rubber doesn't suck up any more silicone. After a few days, the rubber will expand a bit, and hopefully your leak will be gone! You also might want to do all the other rubber weatherstripping around the car, taking care not to spray the paint.
• Solution #2: Try adjusting the latch that is affixed to the body inside the door area. Raise it up about 1/8". Be careful! Moving the latch too much will make it difficult or impossible to close the door.
• Solution #3: The two above didn't completely solve my problem, so I tried adjusting the window position relative to the door. This was easier than I had feared. Once you remove the door trim panel, there are six bolts that hold the glass and regulator mechanism to the door. I marked the current position of the window by running a pencil along the bottom outside edge of the glass. Once the bolts are loose, the regulator/window frame can be moved a few millimeters up so that when the door is closed, the window will be slightly higher and make better contact with the rubber seal. You need to pay attention to the entire edge of the glass when you close the door to check the fit. Moving too much in one direction will cause a gap at the other side. If you push the glass too high, the door will have problems closing or the glass will not fit into the rubber seal correctly.

If you need to replace the regulator assembly, you might be able to find a rebuilt unit for significant savings. The remanufactured regulators will run about $175-$200, if you can find one. The driver's side window is the most common one to fail, so it'll be harder to find a passenger side (or rear) one. Try European Parts Specialists, or Mountain Auto. A new regulator assembly from Audi will cost around $500. Either way, the design of the reman/new ones are improved. The pulleys are still plastic, but the metal supports are beefed up. The picture below is a comparison of the original and new designs. The original is on the right, and the plastic pulley is gone (broken), but you can see the difference in the size of the metal support.

If you've just got a frayed or broken cable, Audi will sell you just the cable assembly for about $70-$100. The driver's side cable assembly P/N for the CQ is 895 837 725 B. However, be sure to inspect all of the pulleys, because a frayed cable will put extra stress on them, making them more likely to fail.

Here is a link to Regulator Rebuild doc. Thanks to Peter S and author Tony B. Rebuild Me

Rear Taillight Leaks
Symptoms: Water visible inside taillight, water seeping inside trunk/hatch, water collecting in right side storage bin (Coupe). The foam adhesive between the taillight and the body can be a source of the leaks.

1. Remove interior trim, then unbolt tailight assembly from inside the trunk. (This may require removing the license plate and center panel -- be careful not to crack the panel.)
2. GENTLY persuade the tailight assembly to separate from the body. Patience is a virtue.
3. Pull off the old gasket, and clean the adhesive and gasket bits off of the body and tailight assembly.
4. Find an auto parts store or autobody supply shop that carries 3/4 inch butyl window "tape". It's sticky black and playdough-like. Try 3M 08614 for about $10. Apply it to the tailight assembly and remount on the body.
5. Reassemble all parts in reverse order.
6. Or CHECK OUT THIS DETAILED (w/BIG! Pics) ACCOUNT BY Jer right here

Door Trim
These cars are getting to the age when certain trim pieces are starting to deteriorate. One of the common ones is the door trim. Here are some instructions for removal and installation:

1. Open the doors. On each trim piece, there is a little plug in the front which pops out with a screw driver.
2. Grasp the rear of the trim and pull it rearwards. It should slide straight back and off the white clips which are hooked to the door on little studs.
3. To put the new one on, spray the inside of the trim piece with some lubricant and then slide it onto the clips.
4. Pop the plug back in the front and you're good to go.

To replace the cable, you can buy one from Audi, or you can get a cheaper one by going to a bicycle shop and getting a shifter cable for a tandem bike. If the original sheath is damaged, you can get one of those, too. You'll probably have to cut down the length and put some crimps on the ends, but the finished product will likely last longer than the original.

Headlight Washer Jets (Coupe)
(George Kostiuk)
For some reason, the Coupe's headlight washer jets are prone to disappearing. If you ask your local Audi dealer for replacements, he'll have you buy the entire washer assembly for ~$100, and you'll have to have it painted to match the bumper. Thankfully, there is an alternative: You can buy the headlight washer assembly for a Canadian '96 VW Passat for ~$30, then pull out the little black jets, and plug them right into your existing empty assembly! The P/Ns are:

3A0 955 101 = Left side washer jet
3A0 955 102 = Right side washer jet