Keyless...
 

Apologies it's a little long...Originally when I got the car the driver's door handle wasn't working for keyless entry or locking so I managed to get another in my colour (LZ9Y) and replaced the faulty one. The car has been laid up for near a year and I've only recently started driving it again but with the new handle all was good and I would only have to go near the door and it would unlock. Then this stopped working and I would have to pull the handle once and then it would unlock. Now no matter what I do the driver's door will not unlock with the keyless system although the button on the handle does still lock the car OK. When I tested, NS front and rear open keyless just by touching the handle, rear OS will not open if I touch the handle but will open if I pull the handle once, front OS will not open unless I use the remote. After starting the car yesterday and setting off I got a key icon warning on the dash and as the engine didn't cut out, I kept travelling and took the key out of my jacket pocket and put it on the centre console - the warning icon disappeared.
I did a scan last might and got faults in 13/36 modules and more than one in a few!! :(
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 05: Acc/Start Auth. Labels: 4E0-910-131.lbl
Part No SW: 4E0 910 131 HW: 4E0 907 181 A
Component: FBS AUDID3 H12 0200
Revision: 02005112 Serial number: AUX3Z0H1342405
Coding: 0412672
Shop #: WSC 02311 785 00200
VCID: 58E98B751E15DC87D17-800C

Subsystem 1 - Part No: XXXXXXXXXXX
Component: ELV XXXX

1 Fault Found:
00190 - Driver's Door Handle Touch Sensor (G415)
007 - Short to Ground
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 01100111
Fault Priority: 3
Fault Frequency: 14
Reset counter: 64
Mileage: 210800 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2019.11.08
Time: 20:03:56


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm replacing the driver door window this weekend as the outer pane has a crack, so while I have the door apart, what night I be looking for as regards my malfunctioning door handle or are there any tests I could do on it?

Check the wiring to the door handle, not far from the handle itself, I'm sure someone had frayed wires/ damaged insulation, Possibly Ray (tc4332 if you don't mind me saying so). There is a thread with a photo somewhere.

These comfort access door handles are great when they all work as intended but are a major weakness in the d3.

I have replaced all of mine during my ownership and its something I would recommend you do as faulty units have a tendency to keep the car awake when it should be sleeping.

I have had to replace the car battery twice because the door handles had the battery discharged to the point where it no longer performed well.

Since getting on top of the door handles I can now leave the car for many weeks at a time without any problems with the battery being flat.

8 weeks has been the longest so far without use and it fired up straight away with the battery at 100% on mmi and no faults in battery management module

Delboy is correct, the chance you bought a new faulty one is high, the newest D3s are 10 years old and these handles are not a very reliable at all so on the balance of probability the new ones have one of the several faults they are prone to.
Can you test your old one or did you bin it?
If not you can probably swap with the passenger one permanently or for testing.

My Driver's handle has not locked since I had it, button is hard so most likely broken microswitch. It opens as it should however I'm sure it drains the battery as after a few days of non use, the keyless doesn't work due to battery being low. It's on the list, will probably go for a new one in time.

Replaced all my handles too, and then the battery (trashed by the handles keeping the car awake). All good now, zero issues.

What is the approximate cost of replacing all the handles please. Did you diy or pay labour.

This will tell you what is involved

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=13793

Thanks for the link.
Two switches, drivers and nearside rear work on mine, however no hand sensors work, well the drivers works once In a blue moon, usually on a very cold day. Marvellous when it works, I love it.

Sorry Snap, not guilty this time.
My D3 was not keyless.

Sorry, it must be your previous convictions for fixing things that arose my suspicions :D

Guilty as charged

How could the replacement have been faulty? It was working perfectly fine after it was installed. The only thing I can say about it is that it wasn't a new part and failed within around 500 miles of fitting. What's the vulnerability in them - is it the fairly extreme-angled routing of the cables?
The other thing is that shouldn't the car unlock without me ever having to touch it, shouldn't it unlock with me just approaching the car?

No, it should only unlock when you touch the handle

No, before my driver door handle had it's latest issue, it would unlock as I approached the car. This then reduced to unlocking only when pulling the handle once, and then reduced further its current state of not working at all.

I checked the owner's manual since -

https://i.imgur.com/J39k2Kdm.jpg

Interesting. So prior to the fault, if you walked towards the vehicle (and was close by), did the car unlock and indicators flash without you having to touch the handle?

If this is the case, I wonder if there is a setting in the MMI for this. Even though I have keyless entry/start on the S8, I rarely used it, and never gave the car a chance to use it if available, as I would use the remote to unlock the car as I approached it. I think I only ever used the Start button 2 or 3 times to see it in operation, as it doesn't lock the steering column when you press Stop (you have to press and hold it for a few seconds).

In my experience with fully working door handles the car doesn't unlock when you walk by, it only unlocks when I put my fingers under the door handle.

This is not pulling the handle, it sense proximity.

If you need to pull the handle its not working as intended and if it unlocks as you approach the car i'd say that it thinks your fingers are below the handle, also not good.

That's how mine works...... When it works.

Exactly how mine is.

I would agree that the sensor thinks something (the OP) are touching the handle and so unlocks when near by

I have a D4 and that is how mine works.

The D3 and D4 should function exactly three same, but three D4 improved the handle design as the "sensor" is a separate part, meaning when it goes faulty it can be fixed for about a tenner and boot need ant paint. Sadly in three D3, it gets expensive...

My car "wakes up" (you can hear the Bose amp fan in the boot start up)
when you walk by the handle with the key,

But the car won't unlock until you put a hand under the handle.

The lock buttons fail often but the button has only one moving part.

I have found these handles can be reanimated if you unplug them, and clean the plug and handle contacts with contact cleaner. Water gets into the plug, and screws with the very small electrical resistance range the handle uses to work.

Under the rubber button is just a spring and a metal plate the touches a contact on the handle body.

Mike

Interesting. Does it require removing the handle first or can anything be done without stripping the door?