DIY Door Check Strap Replacement

[SteveRosenlund]

Here’s a comparison of the front vs rear.

Front on the left. Rear on the right.

 

[TheSkeptic]

Here’s a comparison of the front vs rear.

Front on the left. Rear on the right.

Does the difference in length translate to a shorter overall open position or slotted positions? I just got 2 rears off eBay, haven't installed yet.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[TheSkeptic]

For those interested, I just tackled this project today, and you can in fact use alternate methods to secure the speakers once the rivets are out.

Attached is a picture with an 8/32 size 3/4" length screw going into the thread-sert, a washer in-between. Specifically, you can see where I widened the original hole enough to fit the thread-sert (you'll want to only widen it enough that it requires a bit of tapping from a hammer to ensure a snug fit) in the second photo. The third is for visual aid if anyone decides to go this route.

Soooo stoked to have 3 stopping points on my 2-door now! Those doors are heavy and this really eliminates that pain point!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[etrips]

Well this sucks, there aren't any up for sale on ebay that aren't insanely overpriced.

 

[southpawboston]

Well this sucks, there aren't any up for sale on ebay that aren't insanely overpriced.

I have a fifth one that I don't need (long story). If you don't mind having just one for the driver's door, it's yours for free. PM me if you want it.

 

[slow12s]

I have a fifth one that I don't need (long story). If you don't mind having just one for the driver's door, it's yours for free. PM me if you want it.

if etrips doesn't want it, I'd love it!

 

[etrips]

I have a fifth one that I don't need (long story). If you don't mind having just one for the driver's door, it's yours for free. PM me if you want it.

PMing!

 

[southpawboston]

Just wanted to give a shout out to George Ab for providing this outstanding DIY. I just finished replacing all four stops ($48 shipped all four, ebay). Why did I bother with replacing the rears? My kids had the same issue with the rear doors that my wife and I had with the fronts. Our driveway is on a steep hill, and if we parked facing uphill, the doors wouldn't stay open except at the farthest stop. If we parked facing downhill, it was too easy to let go of the door and have them slam into full open, undoubtedly stressing the stops. The problem is entirely solved with the Jetta stops. The doors stay put at any of the positions!

I went with Jetta rears all around. The stock Golf rears are different. They are longer than the Jetta rears, to allow the rear door to open wide, and they are thinner and less beefy overall (either cost savings, or designed for the rear door being lighter?). The beefy Jetta stops fit just fine, however. One installation note for the rears: you do not have to remove the speaker! Just pull out the plastic insert that the door latch cable runs through. You can easily fish the door stop through there by hand and the plastic insert pops back in place.

While I had the door cards off, I did a few other things:

Installed door warning lights on all four doors (fronts hooked up to the door controller, rears hooked up to power window constant +12V from the window regulator connector and door-switched ground from the door lock connector. Not quite OEM, since there are no rear door controllers, but I made my own looms with OEM connectors and new pins and wrapped it all with Tessa tape.

Dynamatted the inner door panel, and noise-insulated the door cards.

When I reinstalled my front speakers, I ran a bead of silicone caulk over the existing foam gasket. These are prone to leaking water into the interior after the foam breaks down after a period of time. After the speakers were riveted back in, I put a second bead of caulk around the speaker frame where it meets the door. Since I didn't need to remove the rear speakers, I just did the outer bead of caulk on the rears.

Anyone want some OEM Golf door stops? Going cheap, lol.

 

[Erikomk7]

Thanks for this DIY! Just did my 4 doors last night! First door took awhile, but the next 3 was fast! Now it feels like any other car! Lol

 

[George Ab]

Deserved bump. One of my favorite mods.

 

[bagged_hag]

Subbing to this so I can do this mod later! One of the things I hate most about my GTI is the lack of a second door check stop point!

Thanks for the great information!

 

[southpawboston]

Subbing to this so I can do this mod later! One of the things I hate most about my GTI is the lack of a second door check stop point!

Thanks for the great information!

Deserved bump. One of my favorite mods.

+1 to the bump. Can't state enough how excellent this upgrade is. So glad I did all four. What was VW thinking? Those stock checks work horribly.

 

[George Ab]

bump

 

[bobloblawGTI]

Apologies for resurrecting an older thread, but planning to tackle this this summer and wondering if anyone still has any spares they'd be keen to part with (no pun intended) before I go eBay spelunking? Looks like they're running about $25-$30 each these days :\

 

[Cuzoe]

Apologies for resurrecting an older thread, but planning to tackle this this summer and wondering if anyone still has any spares they'd be keen to part with (no pun intended) before I go eBay spelunking? Looks like they're running about $25-$30 each these days :\

Prices have come back down kind of. I think I paid half that (OP price range) for one side and more than double that for the other... not that it ever made much sense for used check straps to go up in price .