Hello!

I had a problem pop up in that I had to slam the driver's door on my car to get it to latch all the way. I looked at the door catch mounted on the body and found that there were plastic pieces broken. So, when I went to the salvage yard last week, I grabbed a couple of extra ones that looked to be in good shape, and installed one of them on Friday.

Since then, I've found that the door latches fully without too much effort, but I can feel a slight drag upon trying to open the door before the mechanism in the door completely disengages from the catch assembly. Also, I think that, while the door latching mechanism is fully engaging the catch, the door's not quite closing all the way; I get a bit of wind noise that I didn't get before, and I can sort of stick my finger in between the rubber insulation and the frame of the door itself.

So, I think it's fair to assume that I don't have the door catch aligned 100% perfectly. Are there any tricks to getting it aligned properly, or is it simply a matter of trial and error?

Thanks in advance!

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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999

If you had asked before you started , I would have said " draw a line around the one you are going to take off before taking any screws loose.... " But now you are probably down to trial and error....

Maybe the door isn't quite aligned right and that's causing your problem?

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1985 300D Turbo ~225k
2000 F350 (Powerstroke) 4X4, SWB, CC, SRW, 6spd ~148k
1999 International 4900, DT466e (250hp/660 ft/lbs), Allison MD3060 ~73k

I've got the same issue with the 126. I have spent over three hours with the driver's door and I can get it to close just fine. However, I cannot get the traditional M/B "thunk" that tells that you have it perfect. It closes like a Chevy and needs force like a Chevy. The LR door, which is probably set from the factory, closes perfectly with just about zero effort. I'd sure like to know the secret of it. It might be that the catch must be replaced.