Door Lock Actuator vs Door Lock Assembly

M

Mkozie

Member
Location
Kentucky
IS,

I have seen numerous posts about the DIY for the door lock actuator failing as well as numerous quotes on the parts- some links are not accessible anymore. I called the Scottsdale dealership and also talked to my dealership and they don't sell the lock actuator itself, but rather the whole door lock assembly complete with new cables on the outside. I was quoted just above $200 in varying amounts based on the door, which I have been getting a 20% discount on parts from my dealership.

My question:
Should I just go ahead and replace the whole assembly or is the actuator itself ok? I have been searching parts.com, infinitipartsusa.com, etc and have only found a part that claims to be an actuator that's around $60. If replacing the whole lock assembly, would I be following the DIY for replacing the actuator, just adding the change of the cables?

If this has been addressed in a different thread, let me know...I don't want to double it up.

Any help is greatly appreciated,

Matt
 
I've never seen anyone replace only the actuator. The piece from the dealer comes with all the cables. Usually it can be found from.$160-$200 depending on the dealership. Try and get a hold of Tony from ocinfiniti, he gave me a really good deal on 2 actuators when he was still in Riverside. I can't remember his member name right now.

OK found it....

member - Tony@ram - " best pricing on any OEM Infiniti part and aftermarket call us at OCINFINITI!
714 850 8586

located in Westminster we'll match / beat competition pricing"

Tapatalkin'
 
Last edited:
Thanks, toy4x.
I'll have to give him a call. Saving $$ is ok with me:good:.

---------- Post Merged at 03:43 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:40 PM ----------

tchuck said:
Jeff (fxlr8) has a DIY on replacing the actuator alone iirc. If I was home I'd search it out for you...
Click to expand...

Thanks, chuck. I'll try to look it up.
 
Thanks again.

I haven't found an answer to this one...

Are the locks linked together in some sort of sequence or am I safe to do the drivers' side alone for the time being? I'm almost certain that each lock is wired to a central control unit since my tailgate, fuel door and DR door still cooperate?

Thanks again and sorry if this has already been answered- im prepared to take the heat.
 
Last edited:
Yes they are independent. You can change out which ever door lock failed or which ever one is more convenient at the time. I changed my rear passenger door first, then later my front passenger door.

Tapatalkin'
 
I believe the are in sequence. My front passengers door doesn't lock and noticed my rear hatch doesn't either. So I was messing around with it and when I lock the front manually the rear closes too. They work when they want with the remote.
 
Although different answers, I'm going to do it anyways. All 4 are broken anyways...nothing to lose. Thanks for the replies.
Driver's door assembly comes in tomorrow. One good thing about not paying for labor is putting that money into some new tools for the garage!
 
toy4x said:
Yes they are independent. You can change out which ever door lock failed or which ever one is more convenient at the time. I changed my rear passenger door first, then later my front passenger door.

Tapatalkin'
Click to expand...

I have been having some issues with my rear hatch locking and or unlocking as well and I found that the front passenger door was not locking either.The manual plastic handle on the passenger side was not moving to the complete unlock or lock position. What I found was that if I manually made sure the plastic handle was all the way in the locked position then the rear hatch would lock and when the passenger hand manual lock was all the way in the unlocked position then the rear hatch would unlock OK. So I think Mikefx35 may be right they may actually affect each other. Since I can hear the actuators work I am wondering if the cables just need to be lubed like a throttle cable on a motorcycle. I think I will try using some specialized cable lube on the cables before changing out actuators and see if that fixes this issue.

Mikefx35 said:
I believe the are in sequence. My front passengers door doesn't lock and noticed my rear hatch doesn't either. So I was messing around with it and when I lock the front manually the rear closes too. They work when they want with the remote.
Click to expand...

I have almost the exact same thing with same results going on with mine right now

---------- Post Merged at 08:28 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:25 PM ----------

Also would like to add if I use the FOB two to three times then the doors will lock or unlock most of the time.
 
MTN FX said:
Also would like to add if I use the FOB two to three times then the doors will lock or unlock most of the time.
Click to expand...
I have the same issue with my daughter. I find that I have to repeat myself two or three times before she starts cleaning up or such. :alien:
 
IMHO; I purchase the OEM lock actuator for all my doors once the two front ones started acting up...The two front lock actuators are the brain and they are the ones that communicate with the backdoor locks and rear hatch lock with your remote or the black push button on the front doors...What I learned is that once you change the actual lock actuators, you have to go to the dealership to get them to re-program your two front lock actuators with your two remotes like it was when you first purchased the vehicle...

Even though it was alittle more expensive for the entire lock actuator units...approx... $230.00 a piece; I still considered it a bargain because I am still driving my 2004 FX35 and it still looks new...no kidding...these vehicles hold up pretty well with alittle care...

I purchased all of my parts from http://Infinitipartsonline.com They always have the exact spec part for your vehicle and that way you cannot go wrong...To be sure you get the exact part, they sometime request your VIN number and they have been spot on every time with all of my purchases...Past experiences has me taught to avoid some if not all after market parts for this vehicle especially anything electronic...The above is just my humble opinion and what some of my experiences have been with my 2004 FX35...
 
Last edited:
I'm chiming in a bit late on the door lock module issue, but I have 2005 FX45 that we bought new. The door lock module in the driver's side door became intermittent a few months ago. The problem is heat-related AND voltage related. If your car battery (not the FOB battery) is marginal, or not charged to full capacity, a ten-year-old door-lock module might work on a cold day, maybe not work on a hot day. When my wife parks at work with the driver's door facing the west sun, she will have to use the key to manually open the door, or use the FOB to roll the windows down (a feature that many of us forget that we have) and reach inside to move the manual lock to Unlock position.

The doors unlocked fine all winter during cold weather. That tipped me off that the issue is voltage related. The car battery is only a few months old, but sometimes our FX is parked for a week. These cars have significant battery drain when parked, and when you approach the car and command the FOB to unlock all doors, it is also moving the seat and steering column into your preset positions. Lots of motors and actuators go into motion, and battery voltage drops, even with a new car battery.

Today I checked the voltage on the relatively new battery, and it was 12.7 volts with no load. I put my smart charger on the battery and all door modules work fine because I have about 14.5 volts. The hot weather fits the marginal voltage scenario because the battery voltage would be a tad higher in cool weather. It's a design issue, but it would be easy to try charging your battery before spending serious money on poorly designed modules that will likely fail again over time. If your battery is good and has been charged with a smart charger, and you still have door lock module problems, the modules will have to be replaced. The modules seem to have a minimum voltage threshold requirement that dictates a higher voltage when the modules are old, tired, and cranky - like me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top