[Spantara]

It was bound to happen sooner or later. With any piece of machinary as complicated as a moden vehicle there is bound to be something that will go wrong. Well, this morning it happened.

Arriving at the garage at 05:30 and intending to drive to Porto airport, I click the button to open the car. I open the door to the bagage compartment and toss in my suitcase and then go to open the driver's door and hop in only the driver's dor does not open. I try unlocking the door in the old way by inserting the key in the lock and turning it. As before, the door pin popped up but the door remained firmly locked.From the back seat, I put the key in the ignition and opened the window to try opening the door using the inside handle but, again, nothing happens. Try as I may, the door refuses to unlock.

I cannot get in on the other side as the car is just an inch or two from the garage wall and climbing over from the back is not on for a person of my dimensions. All that remains to do is to get my bag out of the car, lock it (no joke) and walk home having missed the flight. As I wrote, it was bound to happen sooner or later but why at such an inopertune moment?

Come Monday, I will be giving the local Opel dealer a bit if flack.


Edited by: Spantara

 

[Grumps]

What a nightmare.

Well at least you know the dead locks work if that's any consolation!!.

 

[TheCoosTail]

You obviously considered this I'm sure, push or roll it out the garage if possible?

 

[Spantara]

You obviously considered this I'm sure, push or roll it out the garage if possible?

The car is garaged at work, two floors below street level. Better go to the gym id I am to push a couple of tons up two steep ramps.

Thanks for the tip though. In a "normal" garage that would have worked.

 

[TheCoosTail]

Anytime

 

[Antarius]

Sorry to hear about your woes Stephen

It was your own car that you tried to open and not someone else's Antara ?

Edited by: Antarius

 

[Spantara]

Sorry to hear about your woes Stephen

It was your own car that you tried to open and not someone else's Antara ?

Hi John,

I wish it were someone else's then I would not have the problem.

I am pretty pi**ed off about it but, as I mentioned earlier, something is bound to happen sooner or later with such a compelex bit of kit as a modern car. What angers me most is that it chose exactly the wrong time to happen. I suppose that is sod's law or something

 

[Antarius]

"Sod's Law" will determine that on the day that you arrange to take your car to the Opel garage, the door will somehow mysteriously "unlock" itself and when you try to show the mechanic the problem, it will work perfectly thus making a liar out of you

 

[Spantara]

"Sod's Law" will determine that on the day that you arrange to take your car to the Opel garage, the door will somehow mysteriously "unlock" itself and when you try to show the mechanic the problem, it will work perfectly thus making a liar out of you

Then I need to get a witness. But you are right, that's the way things will probably go

 

[Off Road Doc]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, I had this on a Peugeot 307 sw, I disconnected the battery, when I reconnected the door unlocked, but I think your problem is more mechanical than electric if using the key doesnt work. Could you not have pushedthe car farenough for the passenger door to be clear of the wall?

 

[Spantara]

I tgink you are right Doc as I heard the electrical mechanism do its job but the door still did not open so I too suspect the mechanical bits.
I could not push it clear of the wall by myself as it has to be turned and is on an uphill gradient at the same time. Pretty impossible to do with the drivers door closed as steering would be difficult throiugh the open window and, more importantly, I would not have been able to reach any of the brakes.

Happy days!

 

[Antarius]

I tgink you are right Doc as I heard the electrical mechanism do its job but the door still did not open so I too suspect the mechanical bits.
I could not push it clear of the wall by myself as it has to be turned and is on an uphill gradient at the same time. Pretty impossible to do with the drivers door closed as steering would be difficult throiugh the open window and, more importantly, I would not have been able to reach any of the brakes.

Happy days!

Fingers crossed Stephen that its something very simple and you'll be back on the road very soon.

Do you have the equivalent of the AA or RAC over in Spain who could come to your assistance ?

 

[8342mat]

Had this on my first 2009 Antara.Rear offside passenger door.


Turned out to be the door lockactuator.


Replaced under warranty.


Mat

 

[Spantara]

Thanks for the info Mat. I am sure that it is nothing serious but I need to get it fixed asap. I just wonder how the mechanic will get to the problem if he can't open the door?
John, there is a Spanish equivilent of the RAC but, aside from the fact that I am not a member, I would be very wary about getting a quick fix done by them on a car under warranty as it may invalidate the waranty.

 

[Spantara]

SITREP!
I called the garage after lunch today as I was much too busy this morning. Of course, they were closed for their siesta and opened again at 15:30 so, expecting to be fobbed off as it is Labour Day this week, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear that the mechanic would call om me within 30 mins. This he did.

Down in the garage he produced a battery as he was under the impression that I had just let the battery run down and so the doors would not open. What a numpty! Where did he get that idea from? Especially after explaining carefully that the door would not open even using the mark 1 manual keymode.

Anyway, he creeps in and drives the car off to the main dealer's garage. Rather worryingly, he calls about 1½ hours later to tell me that the car will be ready tomorrow morning. "oh", says I, "what was the fault?"

"We don't know yet" replies the mechanical wizard.

"Then how do you know it will be ready tomorrow?" reply I, questioning his impecable wisdom.

"Because it is Labour Day on Wednesday and we must get it out before then." he says.

Not wanting to risk questioning the good man's logic, I simply reply that that is nice and I look forward to speaking to him again tomorrow.

To put it bluntly, I was less worried about the problem than I am about the fix! Well, time will tell but I will be surprised if I see the car again this week.

I will keep you posted

Edited by: Spantara

 

[Antarius]

Thanks for the info Mat. I am sure that it is nothing serious but I need to get it fixed asap. I just wonder how the mechanic will get to the problem if he can't open the door?
John, there is a Spanish equivilent of the RAC but, aside from the fact that I am not a member, I would be very wary about getting a quick fix done by them on a car under warranty as it may invalidate the waranty.

Evening Stephen, my question was generally out of interest but since you mentioned about the warranty aspect, I am sure that I read somewhere on here that Motability cars in the UK come with AA or RAC membership as part of the package.


That now has me wondering if the level of cover is governed by the warranty

eg they will "rescue" you and tow you to a garage but won't do a repair at the roadside etc.

 

[Ianoak]

Hi John, all motability cars have RAC membership provided for the 3yr term. If you are unfortunate to break down they will try to repair, but if unable to fix they tow to main dealer and it is the Rac that then arranges for a replacement vehicle to be delivered to you, not the dealer. I,ve had to call the rac out twice to two different motability cars one they fixed at roadside the other they followed me to dealer, brought me back home then arranged another car which you then drop off at dealers and they arrange for it to be collected.

 

[Antarius]

Hi John, all motability cars have RAC membership provided for the 3yr term. If you are unfortunate to break down they will try to repair, but if unable to fix they tow to main dealer and it is the Rac that then arranges for a replacement vehicle to be delivered to you, not the dealer. I,ve had to call the rac out twice to two different motability cars one they fixed at roadside the other they followed me to dealer, brought me back home then arranged another car which you then drop off at dealers and they arrange for it to be collected.

Thanks Ian, I knew that I had read it somewhere.

 

[Spantara]

To put it bluntly, I was less worried about the problem than I am about the fix! Well, time will tell but I will be surprised if I see the car again this week.

I will keep you posted

Normally I hate to say, "What did I tell you". In this case I absolutely loath saying it as I am the one suffering in the end.

As you probably understand by now, I am still car-less. The mechanic called me at about 16:45 to say that the lock is broken. Well, to be honest I had a pretty good idea that this was the case when I found myself unable to open the door. Nevertheless, based upon his expertise and more than a full day's work he was able to diagnose a broken lock.

Spare part needed? Yes

Spare part here in Spain? No.

So now he orders a bit from Germany (he says). Hopefully it does not have to be sent from Korea.

Earliest I can expect to see my car again? Friday afternoon - and that is probably being very hopeful.

So, now on Walpugis Night I find myself car-less when the garage said, "We would like to offer you a courtesey car." I was just about to thank them and take up the offer when I heard the mechanic adding, "however, I am sorry but we have none available just now".

Great. Tomorrow will be a day of forced idleness. At least I will have time to ponder over when I will see the car again.

 

[Antarius]

Hi Stephen, sorry to hear about your further woes. It is just incredible that a country the size of Spain and a company the size of Opel, don't have spare parts to hand.

At least you can sit by your own bonfire, have a wee dram and think about your family back home in Sweden.


Does Sweden celebrate Saint Walpugis night on 30/04 or 01/05 ?