Sliding door doesn't work? That'll be $1,000.

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/09/2018 at 11:01 • Filed to: None

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The family truckster at White Sands back in 2013

The left sliding door on my 2003 Odyssey isn’t closing properly. Replacing two junction switches and one door lock will set me back $1,000, roughly half and half parts and labor. So I’m having my service guy investigate the possibility of just locking the door and turning off the power to it. Then we will have a van like the old days, with just a door on the right side. Perhaps a tad inconvenient, but we’ll give it a try on our summer drive and, if it’s just a pain in the ass, I’ll have it fixed when we get home. My only concern is that this might present a safety hazard by limiting a point of emergency egress. Thoughts?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:09

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“Isn’t closing properly.” How not so?

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:11

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Slides shut, but during the last portion of the motion, where the door “sucks in” and latches, I get a fault, the door stops moving and the alarm sounds. Pushing the door shut will get it to close, but alarm continues, even though dash indicates door is shut. It’s an intermittent problem, of course.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:11

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I have a friend whose Pontiac TranSport Montana was (bizarrely) optioned with a captain’s chair middle row and only one sliding door. *That* was a limited egress. I’d expect the Odyssey to be kind of the same - difficulty of getting out dependent on both the middle row configuration and the number of doors.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:13

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Does pulling the handle during closure disconnect from the power closing mechanism?

“Pushing the door shut:” Do you get the sense that the latches happen as they should when you do?

facw > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:14

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Two sliders is definitely an improvement. Is it just the power sliding that’s not working, or is it not latching? Losing the power wouldn’t seem like a big deal (though as someone who’s had a sliding door slammed on his hand, maybe I should care more.)

$1000 seems pretty steep for a repair though.

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/09/2018 at 11:14

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When we travel long distances, we take the right second row seat out and put coolers, etc. there. Our three boys sit two in the back, one in the middle left. The right second row seat can also be positioned right against the left seat, so you have more room to climb in. However, if the middle pax has a seatbelt on, you have to climb under the belt. It’s a bit awkward to be sure.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:14

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That’s how all vans used to be, so I wouldn’t consider it unsafe. Definitely a pain though.

Future next gen S2000 owner > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:15

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Many people survived having only one door in emergency situations. I don’t see it as an issue. People will get out if they have to. Crawl over the driver/passenger to use their door, go out the back.

It’ll be fine I think.

ttyymmnn > facw 05/09/2018 at 11:16

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I agree, but apparently it’s labor intensive to pull the door off. You can operate the doors manually, but it would have to latch properly. My service guy said he has never heard of anybody doing this, so he has no experience with it. I’ve got a great service guy, and I know he won’t charge me more than necessary. So, if he says it’s $1,000, I’m confident that’s the cost. I don’t think I want this done by anybody else.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:18

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Once door is moving, you can stop it physically (safety feature) but pulling the handle does nothing.

Pushing the door shut doesn’t necessarily lock it. I think it has to be powered to actually lock shut. Which is why I’m thinking of getting Honda to make it latch (if possible) then leaving it. However, the more I think about it, the more I’m concerned about safety and egress.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 05/09/2018 at 11:18

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That was my thought, and it’s even the curbside door that is functioning properly, as it was in the beginning.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:21

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I think your plan is a good one. Try doing without it for a while, and see if the PITA it causes is worth $1000 or not.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:25

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Sounds like you’re no worse off than some things that were allowed to escape the factories of Honda’s competitors at that time. Ought to be okay for a while.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:25

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Our sliding door has been problematic almost since day 1. A couple warranty bandaids, but now we’re out of warranty and it’s still not 100%

If our 2015 lasts as long as your 2003, we’ll be in good shape. Half this car is held together with double-sided tape. No, I’m not exaggerating.

One day when I have the time, I’ll actually show the 20+ design flaws that we never noticed until after purchase. Inexcusable.

greasemonkey235097 > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:27

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get non automatic mechanism from a junk yard. no more auto slider, but you can use the door

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:27

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In other self-closing vans I’ve seen, pulling the door handle disconnects the door from the mechanism and the door operates manually. Whenever I drive a car with lots of features, and as I maintain all my vehicles, I think, “Well, there’s something else to maintain...”

Was that car available without electric sliding doors? Perhaps retrofit for less than a grand?

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 05/09/2018 at 11:28

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I read your exhaustive review back in the day. Damn fine Oppo, that was.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:31

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There is a switch on the dash to turn off sliding feature. The door then operates manually (albeit with difficulty), but I think it still uses a bit of power for the last phase of the closing process.

We bought the van one year old off a lease. It was significantly less expensive than a new one would have been, so we didn’t have a choice in the matter. We had the right side door repaired a year or so ago, but that was for a broken roller. It was not nearly this expensive because the parts weren’t as pricey.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:32

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I’d just leave it shut.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 05/09/2018 at 11:33

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Is yours a Honda? Along the same line, I bought a 2012 Nissan Versa from a friend at church for $1,500 last summer that needed an engine. I made some posts here about the adventure and perhaps you saw some of them. I could not — cannot — believe how delicate that car is. High-concept beer can. Drives very nicely and is very comfortable, but everything under the hood that isn’t the engine block is plastic.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher 05/09/2018 at 11:34

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Or retrofit some bits to make it a manual slider, possibly. And maybe for less than a grand.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:35

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You can operate the doors manually, but it would have to latch properly.

I think that’s your answer, Bro.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:36

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Too many Boyos. That’s your problem.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:37

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I’d ask Mr. Honda Service Manager if they could do a hack and just make it a manual door.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:37

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I’ve never removed the slide door from a van and I hope I never do because I expect it’s a PITA.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:37

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That’s why I’m going to see if Honda can make sure it’s latched, and turn off the power to the door, perhaps by pulling a fuse.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:38

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Amen, brother.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:38

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Whenever I drive a car with lots of features, and as I maintain all my vehicles, I think, “Well, there’s something else to maintain...”

The electronically latched, app-operated glovebox on the Model 3 strikes me as the height of this. I mean was that really necessary Elon?

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:38

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It’s a $510 PITA.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:39

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Perhaps I misunderstood your original post. I thought you were speaking of leaving the door closed all the time. If you can hack it so it’s just a manual door, then problem solved.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:39

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Waiting to hear back on just such a thing. I’ve got a truly great service rep. He’s pretty much open to anything, not the least of which is saving me money.

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:40

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I am speaking of leaving it closed all the time, since it seems that the locking mechanism is one of the parts that is on the fritz.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:47

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Thanks...I could nearly double that with new additions in the past 3.5 years :D

Ash78, voting early and often > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 11:50

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I believe it for the Versa...totally engineered to a price point, but I bet it turned you off of Nissan a bit (maybe totally).

To me a company should put the same degree of effort and quality into their low end products as they do to their high-end stuff. The differentiation is in the running gear, features, etc. NOT the build quality.

That’s one thing I always admired about VW. A lot more manufacturers do it now, which is a good sign. Your entry level cars should make me want something nicer one day, not piss me off :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 05/09/2018 at 11:51

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You know what? In the age of Trump, Mr. Musk gets a pass from me.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:52

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That’s good. And there are no doubt good shops who specialize in Honda as well. I’ll ask my shop owner pal about it later.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 11:53

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My guess is that the latch most likely works fine and it’s the servo — or whatever — that’s not pulling hard enough. Oughta be able to disconnect that somehow and just operate the door manually. Not feelin’ the leave-the-door-closed configuration.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 12:00

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Yeah, if you get the catch to stay in the final closed position, then cut power, you should be able to open and close it manually without the latch moving out to the catch position before it does the final retract. Did a similar thing with a trunk pull down. Just got the pull down into its final position and pulled the power to it. Worked fine.

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 12:12

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Vans used to come with only one slider.........

Long-Voyager > shop-teacher 05/09/2018 at 12:14

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I’ll take one slider and benches for ease of use over 2 sliders and captains chairs any day of the week.

ttyymmnn > Long-Voyager 05/09/2018 at 12:16

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Yup. Drove one as a work van for a few years, and my parents had a Chevy conversion van with the split doors on the right side. However, when my twins were little, and still riding in car seats, the ability to open both sides and put them in their seats was priceless. Now that they’re teenagers, they can climb in on their own.

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 12:19

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I prefer the single slider/middle bench layout for kids in car seats. It makes entry to the 3rd row much easier than dual sliders and captains chairs.

brianbrannon > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 12:25

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Tech just recomended all the parts instead of actually diagnosing it

ttyymmnn > Long-Voyager 05/09/2018 at 12:25

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Agreed. But when my twins were in car seats, their older brother was small enough to climb to the back easily. It worked well. Now, when we travel, we take the right captain’s chair out and use the space for coolers etc. It’s nice having that extra interior space.

ttyymmnn > brianbrannon 05/09/2018 at 12:26

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Perhaps. I will ask my rep when he calls me back.

Long-Voyager > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 12:28

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When we road trip I take out the middle bench and move the 3rd row bench forward. It opens the whole rear up for storage/cargo, while still seating all of us comfortably.

Otherwise have the 3 kids and the wife’s parents, so climbing through the middle isn’t an option, it’s far easier to walk next to the middle bench to get into the 3rd row IMO.

XJDano > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 12:39

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Step one: go to local sheriff office ask for free gun lock.

Step2: visit home improvement store of your choice that has fence hardware

Install as shown.

ttyymmnn > XJDano 05/09/2018 at 12:45

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shop-teacher > Long-Voyager 05/09/2018 at 12:46

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I’ve never owned a van, but the two benches does seem a lot easier to me.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/09/2018 at 12:47

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Also good idea.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > shop-teacher 05/09/2018 at 13:30

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This. AFAIK Dual sliders were not created for safety reasons.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Ash78, voting early and often 05/09/2018 at 13:32

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VW did the exact opposite of that to me. A car that people should rely on to make a living, should be somewhat reliable.

Yes, this was in the bad old days of the B5, but I will never own another combustion-engine VW.

E92M3 > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 13:53

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You could probably buy used parts on ebay from a totalled one for under $200, and follow a youtube video on how to replace them.

Ash78, voting early and often > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 05/09/2018 at 13:55

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I still DD a B5 (I’m actually at 17 consecutive years of B5 ownership!). Many of them were a PITA, but when I put my 2001.5 against my wife’s 2015 Honda — same price point, same target market — it’s like comparing a 1990s Mercedes to a 1990s Chevy.

Keep in mind that I’m talking build quality, NOT reliability. The Honda has been reliable where it matters, I will give it that.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 05/09/2018 at 14:20

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Good point.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ash78, voting early and often 05/09/2018 at 14:25

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It was cheap and it drives very well. 75k on the car and 35k on the engine/trans for about $3500 and a lot of my labor and a few choice words and a mechanic’s scar on my arm.

I always liked VWs in spite of their Gremlins, but I haven’t driven any in recent years.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc 05/09/2018 at 14:27

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You see what Tsuter said down there? That’s how I’d approach it.

ttyymmnn > E92M3 05/09/2018 at 15:04

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Perhaps, but replacing the latch in the door might be pretty challenging, at least for me.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > ttyymmnn 05/09/2018 at 23:38

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Only one sliding door? Barbaric.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > brianbrannon 05/09/2018 at 23:42

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Honda tech? Probably. They’re not exactly known for being able to handle complex issues. However, it’s possible that all of those parts are common and the tech doesn’t want to do one thing just to have the problem come back a week later. Or that one of those parts took out the others (i.e. lock actuator draws excessive amperage and takes out the switches, or a switch got stuck internally and caused excessive run-on time of the other parts causing them to overheat and fail).

brianbrannon > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 05/14/2018 at 23:17

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Nah, I was a Honda tech. He probably doesn’t know how the door even works.

brianbrannon > ttyymmnn 05/14/2018 at 23:20

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It’s really common for the center roller to go bad and cause issues.

ttyymmnn > brianbrannon 05/15/2018 at 07:27

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I had the roller replaced on the other door about a year ago. This problem is due to poor contacts with the sensor that tells the car that the door is closed. I’m just going to live with it and save my money.

brianbrannon > ttyymmnn 05/23/2018 at 23:16

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I have just cleaned the round contacts with a wire brush with good results 

ttyymmnn > brianbrannon 05/23/2018 at 23:23

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Ultimately, that’s what the Honda mechanic told me to do. Clean the contacts then, if the door doesn’t close all the way, just push it closed. If the alarm sounds, turn off the sliding mechanism from the dashboard switch.