Door opens by it self on bumpy roads ?

[mark d]

Yes i used search. There were 39 hits. If the answer is there I missed it.

1972 Westfalia (the one in the photo) she opens the drivers door on her own on bumpy gravel roads...maybe she is trying to tell me something ?

also occasionally when i try to close the drivers door it acts like it is hitting something solid. the piece that goes in the striker is in the correct position when this happens

as always any help would be appreciated thanks,

Mark
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1972ish westfalia

"what good are tractors without violins ?" jose figueres

[busdaddy]

There really isn't a better way to describe door latch and striker check and adjustment than what is in the Bentley manual, it describes not only the latch's interaction with the striker but the part that pull rod and inner handle position plays, it even has pictures.
If you get all those properly dealt with and it still does it then latch wear is the next suspect.
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[mark d]

[mikedjames]

Lubrication might have something to do with it, I have had a sliding door that bounced and failed to lock until I lubricated the whole lock.
Alternatively the whole lock and striker are somehow adjusted so far out of alignment that it is only catching on the first detent..

All the locks on a VW originally have two detents for safety, quite often a front door can fail to go to the second detent if the rubber seal is stiff and it is closed too gently.

I have also had the striker on my sliding door worn half through causing the lock to bounce or fail to shut..I built it up with weld metal and filed it down.
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Ancient vehicles and vessels

1974 VW T2 : Devon Eurovette camper with 1641 DP T1 engine, Progressive carb, full flow oil cooler, EDIS crank timed ignition.
Engine 1: 40k miles (rocker shaft clip fell off), Engine 2: 30k miles (rebuild, dropped valve). Engine 3: a JK Preservation Parts "new" engine, aluminium case: 26k miles: new top end.
Gearbox rebuild 2021 by Bears.

1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
1973 wooden Pacer sailing dinghy

[KTPhil]

Order seat belts ASAP.
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Current Fleet:
- '71 Fastback
- '69 Westfalia
Retired:
- '67 Beetle
- '65 Beetle (x2)
- '65 Bus
- '71 Squareback

[Bnanwel]

x2 on above. This is especially true with a lot of the replacement rubber. Sometimes you get rebound before the second detent catches. Close the door from outside lightly so only the first catches and then again harder so that you can “see” the difference. I would bet that is your problem.
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[mark d]

Thanks guys, will try all when I get home next week
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1972ish westfalia

"what good are tractors without violins ?" jose figueres

[Abscate]

Check the M plate to see if the Bus was made with the MIL code' for the military market,
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[Bnanwel]

Out of curiosity, do mil spec doors open by themselves to allow faster deployment?
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‘72 Karmann Ghia Conv.
‘73 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘74 Karmann Ghia Coupe
‘70 Deluxe
‘72 Deluxe

[Abscate]

No, but they operate to command “ fall out”

Thanks for playing!
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