Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong area of the forum - I'm new to posting on these things. Well I'm in a pickle and not sure what to do: my drivers door (on my 2002 L322) was acting up a bit over the past few days and then it just refused to open altogether. After reading a few other articles on the internet, it seems that my lock unit has failed.

Now it seems from what i read that most people just resign themselves to heading to a dealer who butchers off the door card to get access to the innards, but i see a possible other approach and am wondering if anyone else has tried it:

I took the interior trim off the B-pillar and see that i can access the back of the screws that hold the U-bolt which the lock mechanism grips onto when the door closes.

Click image to enlarge

I think you will find the two screws holding the lock "U" bolt in place are too tight to undo using slots cut in the rear.
If it was me I would be inclined to use a small grinding wheel in the chuck of a 240V drill and grind away the fixing plate in the B pillar into which the two screws are threaded complete with the screws themselves.
I think then whats left of the screws would drop out of the face of the "U" bolt face plate and the door could be opened complete with "U" bolt in the lock.
Presumably then you could remove the door card etc.
To refit the "U" bolt you could just make a backing plate for inside the pillar and use washers and nuts on replacement longer screws.

WOAH !! Stop!

Don't start cutting your car up please!

I don't know the fix, but I can offer advice.

1. These things can often be fixed with a squirt of WD40, the lock may have seized up and just need lubricating - clearly you need access to it first
2. A door card is relatively 'soft' and can be flexible if needed.
3. If you or the dealer trashes the door card beyond repair, it can be replaced, and you haven't had to start cutting your car up, which is a very final step to take
4. The dealer may have seen this before and have a 'knack' to getting it open with a lot less fuss and drama.Sometimes it pays to pay them. Discovery 4 HSE
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1982 Series 3 Hard Top

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Can't see any great problem grinding off the fixing plate inside a B pillar.
Once you have the door open and the "U"bolt fixed back in position you'll never know it has been done.
Have you seen the cost of a replacement door card?

Ruadh


You should bring it down to Kings in Wicklow Town they could probably sort this in a few seconds they are Landrover Specialists . Hope that helps.  Present :2008 TDV8 HSE
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Many thanks for the replies - a problem shared is a problem halved etc!

Well I persisted with the coat hanger and got the lock to open! I pried out the rain seal against the glass on the outside and had about a 2mm gap where i could shine down a torch and managed to force down mart of the mechanism which released the door lock and open sesame! I WD40'd and then greased the lock and it's worked flawlessly 30 times now, so fingers crossed...

However, my original solution is worth considering and i'd love to know if anyone has attempted it in stead of butchering the door card (RRUK, i've seen posts saying that a new one is around 700 quid ). I'm also deeply suspicious of any dealers, and can't help wondering if they just open it with a hanger - like i did - and charge ignorant customers for a new card...

nicedayforit: i think you are spot on - i also had my suspicions over the possibility of being able to turn those torx screws from behind, or even if it was possible to cut a screw thread into them in such a confined space. I also had resigned myself to just grinding the backing plate off and replacing with a new plate and screws afterwards.

RRUK: thanks for your reply, but my proposed cutting was less Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre ish than the mess i'd have to make of the door card if going at the job that way. Plus they are ridiculously expensive to replace! The card might seem flexible enough, but because it's not flat, it has a moment of inertia and would be impossible to bend without breaking. As for WD40: there's two cans gone in through every orifice in the door, but to no avail. I's left some smell in the car!

googsy2: thanks for your input. Yes i've heard that Kings are not the worst if i need a dealer. I try to do all work on the car myself if possible though and have luckily managed to avoid ever having to book it into one of those awful places so far

Again, I'm delighted with all the help from you guys considering i only signed up!

James
PS: as an afterthought, I've decided to remove the torx screws while everything is working fine and put proper screwdriver thread on the ends for the future - maybe you should all consider doing the same...

I had a similar issue with my passenger door a couple of weeks back. Door locked shut and wouldn’t open. I was about to take it into a local RR specialist but decided to "tweak" with the fuses which operate the doors locks which opened the door! Don’t know if this was just a one off / a bit lucky but it worked to open the door (although the lock was still broke). Ordered a new lock from Dan at Duckworths and had it fitted for £35. Works great now.