Broken cargo door handles is one of the most common problems with Vanagons. The cause is a very preventable loose screw that is unfortunately hidden by the interior panel. This screw must be kept tight. I will post to this blog a digital photo of the exact location of the screw, but it is located at the upper right corner of the interior panel, on the back of the exterior door handle mechanism. On my non-GL Vanagon, I have a cardboard (non-upholstered) interior panel, and I've actually punched a hole in the panel to access the screw head.
I should probably put a drop of fixing compound on the threads to lessen the chance of the screw coming loose again.
You can feel the freeplay in the handle mechanism when you open the cargo door from the outside. As soon as you feel this sloppiness in the mechanism, TIGHTEN THIS SCREW. Otherwise, you'll be combing the junkyards for a replacement mechanisms or paying the exorbitant prices at the VW dealer (if they are still available).
2 comments:
Golly!! My cargo door has been messed up for years. Duct tape did not do the trick!! Now I know, who knew
Duct tape normally works for everything! I can't believe it didn't work on the cargo door. Good thing mod1 knows his stuff! I saw the Vanagon in the parking lot today - with the cargo door closed tight!
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