This last weekend I went to pop the trunk of my Jetta and was saddened to find that nothing happened. I could hear the latch apparatus doing something so at least the electronics part seemed to be working but yeah, no dice. =(
Being that my Jetta is very important to me and I really like being able to use the trunk I decided that I would attempt to identify and fix the problem myself. So tonight, armed with a backpacking headlamp, a screwdriver and a bowl to hold the screws, I shimmied through a folded down seat in the back row of the Jetta and into the trunk to begin removing the carpeted interior.
Although it was a bit cramped in there, it didn't take too long to remove the 13 screws and get a closer look at what was going on.
This is an up close of the broken latch assembly. When working properly the arm to the left of the white locking mechanism pushes the black lever to lift the latch and unlock the trunk.
???Unfortunately the black lever is made of plastic (lame!) and finally cracked after 9 years of service. With the latch lever hanging on by a thread it was only a matter of time before it fell off completely. Boo... =(
After getting an up close and personal look at how the locking mechanism works it appears I should be able to unlock the trunk by turning the key clockwise (counter clockwise just engages the electronic lock). I'll have to replace some parts to give that a try.
I was hoping I could jury rig something to get the locking mechanism working again but it was not to be, well at least not without additional resources (like crazy glue perhaps). I also tried to remove the metal mounting from the trunk so I could see about replacing the whole thing however I would have needed deeper sockets to get around the screws. My brother has the right tools so I’m going to see if he can let me borrow them tomorrow to finish this up.
With no other options for fixing the trunk I guess it’s over and out from Jettagirl for now. I’ll write more when I have an update on the status of my car. =)
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