rolandrat Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 This information has been requested before but didn't bear any fruit. Does anyone know who the manufacturer is I think they are imported? There is a niggley problem with the door latch mechanism and if it isn't greased inside it can fail. The result being unable to lock the door from the inside. Replacement parts are slow to access. My own door latch failed but I was lucky to get it replaced very quickly. The models concerned are current, not the Excel range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody. Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 If i were you i would either contact my dealer or autotrail themselves , when i had an autotrail and had a problem or two , i contacted them by e mail and found them very willing to co-operate with me in one or two instances . ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I have a 2008 Tracker, and the door handle has failed twice already. I don't think lubrication (or lack of) is the cause of the handle breaking. It is weak plastic/poor design. I understand that the doors are assembled in France and the parts that break are made in China!! The dealers feel that the parts now being provided for the repair look stronger and there is the possibility that it won't fail again (I'm not so confident). Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Funny you should say that! Our mechanism failed recently at the begining of our holiday in the Isle of Wight. We telephoned to request that the part be ordered ready for the work to be carried out as we passed that way on our return 3 weeks later. The part had not been received! We can only get out of the van via the cab (assuming we are not using the silver screen) or by reaching through the window to open the door from the outside. Let's hope we don't have to exit in too much of a hurry! We were also told that they tend to fail quite quickly but once rectified they are ok. Why can't this be done correctly at manufacture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted October 6, 2010 Author Share Posted October 6, 2010 Like I said previously, the mechanism needs to be well greased. It's no idle gossip, I was told by one of the fitters at the Autotrail workshop at Grimsby where the repair was done that the door mechanisms would benefit being greased up when assembled from new. They arrive at the factory in a dry state. Knowing that you would think that Autotrail would have issued an instruction to their supplier. I can now open and close the door with my little finger so ten out of ten to the fitter who took the trouble to grease it all up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porky Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Yep ours went one week after ariving in Spain and 6 months after taking delivery of new van, so it was a further 5 months before we came back and Chelston fitted a replacement under warranty. So we had all that time having to reach through the window. It is definately a fault in manufacture, as the first question an Autotrail owner would ask us is "has your door handle broke yet"?*-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteCheyenneMan Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Did any of you do the repair yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armstrongpiper Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Ours was repaired ar Brownhills, Birtley, and has been OK since Oct 2010. I wouldn't know if any lubrication were applied, but it works smoothly enough. Neil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike P Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Repaired mine myself (second failure) with parts supplied by Autotrail. Need to remove the door liner (not too difficult if you study how it's attached) but ESSENTIAL to lubricate the top & bottom latches beccause lack of lubrication here causes the stiffness which results in the handle breaking. Mike P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 From time to time I have a problem with my door but in the opposite direction - I can't get in! This is particularly noticeable in damp, cold weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 We had a 2008 model and had a problem with the door catch. The factory said it needed lubrication at each annual service to stop it breaking. Our original dealer Brownhills at Newark didn't even know it was a problem yet the factory knew straight away. Draw your own conclusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteCheyenneMan Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Mike P - 2012-07-08 9:28 PMRepaired mine myself (second failure) with parts supplied by Autotrail. Need to remove the door liner (not too difficult if you study how it's attached) but ESSENTIAL to lubricate the top & bottom latches beccause lack of lubrication here causes the stiffness which results in the handle breaking.Mike PDoes yours look like mine and, if so, how is it attached? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike P Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Window is slightly different shape otherwise it's the same. There's a small tork screw behind the chrome lever which allows you to remove the black plastic cowl behind it, this exposes the screws holding the lever assembly. The rods connecting the levers to the latches are held by plastic clips. In order to lubricate the latches themselves it is necessary to remove the door inner skin. Pop out the screw covers in the door handle, take out the screws and remove the handle. The door inner skin is attached around the edges with a profiled rubber strip (a bit like that used to put windows in vans) which is easily removed. The skin can the be eased forwards (look out for the wiring loom that links the door to the body. The latches can then be lubricated properly although after this susequent lubrication can be carried out by squirting 3 in one through the latch orifices, Re-assembly is the reverse. The whole thing is fairly simple after a bit of head scratching. Hope this helps. Mike P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteCheyenneMan Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Thank you Mike, that helps a lot!!!!Probably won't get a chance before next week, but will definitely have a go with some confidence now ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Would there be any benefit in drilling a couple of small access holes(blanked with grommets),so that the top & bottom catches could be oiled more easily in future...? Just a thought.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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