How to open a VW rear door that is locked and won't open at all

I posted this to show you how to open the rear door of, in my case a VW Golf Mk4, that won't open from the inside handle, outside handle or the remote key fob. It's a pretty classic fault with the Jetta/Passat/Golf and happened to both my doors at different times. You only need a small flat bladed screwdriver and T20 Torx allen key. The whole process (from removing the door card to opening the door) takes about 30 mins. I haven't seen this method discussed in the forums or posted to YouTube yet, so feel free to like this if it helps you out.

I show you how the door lock operates (to the best of my knowledge) on a brand new, yet-to-be-fitted replacement lock, and also some tips along the way.

Regardless of what the actual fault is causing your door not to open, e.g. electrical fault (like dry solder joints on the circuit board), sticky lock (intermittent or permanent), this method mechanically releases the deadlock and allows you to open the door with the handle again.

I give guidance on what to do if the childlock is engaged - DON'T GO DRILLING YOUR DOOR OR ANYTHING STUPID! If I get enough requests, I'll post a video showing how to access and undo the childlock from inside the vehicle. It's fiddly, but do-able.

If you need detailed guidance about how to remove the door card from inside the car, search YouTube as a few people have posted this already. Be aware that it took me about 5 mins to remove the door card, any longer, and you're making life hard for yourself somehow.

There are further clips on YouTube about how to replace the lock when you have the door open.

(I forgot to mention in the video that when removing the door card, you have to also remove the door handle. This is simple. Just prise off the front cover of the handle and you will expose two larger silver cross-head screws. Just take these out and the handle comes away.)

NOTE: This is NOT a video about how to break into a VW!

(Some 'blue' language!)