[HandyAndy]

Ok Guys, these switches are now available on eBay! Search on "Vauxhall Ampera, Opel Ampera, Chevrolet Volt Mk1, Door Button Switch Repair Kit" and you'll find them. Just hope I can keep up with the demand !

Thanks for all the advice & support! Much appreciated. Profits going (slowly) into my BEV fund !

 

[CheesyPuff]

Well where to begin with fitting these today, Thanks for making them and the handy tool to get the handles appart, it was all going brilliantly, I had three in then disaster!

On the third one I managed to click the front passenger door shut and then couldn't open it again to screw the bolt in that allows the handle to engage/work?, I had to take the back door off its hinges to get a tool in to do the bolt back up, my girlfriend had to hold the rear door whilst I manoeuvred many tools in and out until I could get it done.

Thank goodness it's all back together, as I say up until that point I was thinking how well it was going and hadn't turned into one of those "why did I start this" jobs.

Still have the left rear to do but the original one does actually work at the moment, I'm sure I closed the right rear while doing it and it just sprung back open, be careful not to risk closing them when that bolt it undone as I had a very worried few mins trying to figure out how to fix it.

Anyways thanks again for a great bit of kit, hopefully they will outlast the car!

Darren.

 

[GJO]

This is how we learn what not to do!

 

[Russ]

Not sure what happened to @CheesyPuff as I closed the door many times and had to keep getting in from the other side to open it using the inside opener.
I seem to have damaged the lip that clips the cover on the drivers door handle so will have to use a bit of adhesive before I lose it completely.
Otherwise the front door buttons work faultlessly. Now I need some for the back doors as all of a sudden one has stopped working after all these years!

 

[modo]

Not sure what happened to @CheesyPuff as I closed the door many times and had to keep getting in from the other side to open it using the inside opener.
I seem to have damaged the lip that clips the cover on the drivers door handle so will have to use a bit of adhesive before I lose it completely.
Otherwise the front door buttons work faultlessly. Now I need some for the back doors as all of a sudden one has stopped working after all these years!

I was also wondering about that experience. I'm fairly certain I closed my door whilst working on my handle - but the latch was 'disabled' and the door simply didn't latch.

@Russ if you mean the metal cover plate that hides the lock release screw (on drivers door) - I simply covered the hole with two small pieces of electrical tape which match my paint colour! Far better than damaging the painted edge of the hole with that fiddly thing - and almost invisible.

 

[Russ]

@modo it is the painted handle cover that doesn't clip back on properly. The raised part of the clip snapped off as I prised it apart using the procedure as described by @HandyAndy. Must have been weak on mine but a bit of adhesive will sort it.

 

[GJO]

@modo it is the painted handle cover that doesn't clip back on properly. The raised part of the clip snapped off as I prised it apart using the procedure as described by @HandyAndy. Must have been weak on mine but a bit of adhesive will sort it.

I have some spare door handler covers - mostly red but some are in primer - just in case anyone needs spares

 

[modo]

@modo it is the painted handle cover that doesn't clip back on properly. The raised part of the clip snapped off as I prised it apart using the procedure as described by @HandyAndy. Must have been weak on mine but a bit of adhesive will sort it.

Ah I see, I used a combination of Andy's tool plus a lot a prising with a small flat screwdriver. Very fiddly but I didn't want to push my luck with overnightening and cracking the handle. Though your handle hasn't cracked either, just a clip, so I guess like you say must have just been weak. Sure some adhesive will sort like you say. If not you have @GJO offer too! Good luck with it.

 

[CheesyPuff]

My one definitely locked, I have the brown stains to prove it as I went into panic lol, I couldn't open from the inside either and that stopped me trying to take the door panel off, I have been wondering what happened because im sure the other doors wouldn't latch while the handle was locked in the out/open position.
The one thing that did cross my mind is that when I cut the original switch out I may have been silly and cut both wires at the same time as I seem to remember the locks performing a cycle, the locks were set to unlock as I wrestled with it, this lock/unlock may have defeated the anti idiot process within the lock and caused me a brown pants moment!, luckily removing the rear door from its hinges gave enough room to get a tool into the release bolt, was still tight mind, my advise is don't even tempt fate, don't close the door while doing it.

Other than my moment its been quite nice the last few days not having to get my keys out, although I may now need a tin by the door in the house to place my keys in as I've heard people try unlocking your car doors in the hope the key fobs are close enough, I live above a shop and my car is parked on the four court over night, I can only charge once or twice a week but that's another story.
Darren

 

[Russ]

The range is very short for passively unlocking the doors although the fob range for pre-heating the car (and unlocking/locking by fob) is an amazing distance, sometimes hundereds of metres as I can set pre-heat off from my office which is around a corner!

 

[HandyAndy]

I've been using a Faraday pouch for last 3 years to shield my car from being stolen by the dreaded radio-boost-interceptor method. Had a bit of a shock when I demoed it to a friend, and was still able to open the door though key was properly enclosed inside the pouch! I can only assume the constant flexing of the flap has fatigued & snapped the delicate mesh inside, so I discarded that one & used the spare I'd bought at the same time, 3 years ago.

Moral: thsee Faraday pouches need to be checked periodically to make sure they're still effective!

 

[GJO]

I've been using a Faraday pouch for last 3 years to shield my car from being stolen by the dreaded radio-boost-interceptor method. Had a bit of a shock when I demoed it to a friend, and was still able to open the door though key was properly enclosed inside the pouch! I can only assume the constant flexing of the flap has fatigued & snapped the delicate mesh inside, so I discarded that one & used the spare I'd bought at the same time, 3 years ago.

Moral: thsee Faraday pouches need to be checked periodically to make sure they're still effective!

Our Faraday cage is 62ft long and is moored at the canal wharf!

 

[HandyAndy]

A bit OTT, surely? Does it need 12L capacity?? Just how many keys do you carry around ???

 

[snapper]

Ok Guys, these switches are now available on eBay! Search on "Vauxhall Ampera, Opel Ampera, Chevrolet Volt Mk1, Door Button Switch Repair Kit" and you'll find them. Just hope I can keep up with the demand !

Thanks for all the advice & support! Much appreciated. Profits going (slowly) into my BEV fund !

Thanks very much HandyAndy for your kit. I fitted the replacement switch you supplied on Ebay in about 30 minutes and it works perfectly. The door handle dismantling bolt was a great bit of kit too. Saved me stabbing a screwdriver through my hand!

 

[Maxymoos]

Looks like you've done a great job here @HandyAndy. Could you please tell me why you had to fabricate your own switches? Is there nothing commercially available?
Cheers
Simon

 

[Maxymoos]

Looks like you've done a great job here @HandyAndy. Could you please tell me why you had to fabricate your own switches? Is there nothing commercially available?
Cheers
Simon

OK, cancel that, I just read you thread on finding replacement switches...

 

[ThePhilSProject]

Many thanks Andy - even though I've had the kit sitting on my desk for months I've only just gotten round to fitting it. As most others, it all went smoothly and took about 30 minutes.Only deviation from your great instructions that I found was that the drivers side metal bung thingy and the lock bolt were both T20, not T25.

 

[HandyAndy]

Thx, will update the guide. Haven't had to do my driver's door yet as was replaced under wty! Fwiw, these buttons are going like hot cakes in Finland of all places! Maybe it's too darn cold & awkward to extract fob from pocket when wearing snow mittens? And so the buttons get a real workout? Any Finns out there, please let me know!

 

[Jeremy Parsons]

I think only my driver door works if I have a remote on me should any button unlock the car or that door in particular

 

[black_amp]

The button only unlocks it's door on mine it may be possible to unlock all doors in the menus