Back door latch price/reliability

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Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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Hey all. Just bought a 2010 cube with the rear door stuck closed. Was wondering if any of you know a better price than the $140 remanufactured ones on eBay. Also wondering how reliable those would be. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks


amc49
Posts: 1183
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:24 pm
Car: '11 Nissan Versa
'17 Nissan Altima

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Just some general ideas as I have no exact info there.

The latches tend to lock up from corrosion if the car is up north. Common to more than one brand now. I rebuild the ones on my Fords that do it, haven't had to tear into a Nissan one yet but it's likely coming. The latches are made to destroy to get inside them commonly and you have to figure out a way to get them back together and reliably. On the Fords It involves drilling and tapping for small screws to hold the outside case together as you had to grind off rivets to get inside it. The major issue is lack of or dried up grease, and there are sometimes tiny limit switches inside that can complicate things when the weathershield on them is flawed to leak water in. The Ford ones even have a small transmission inside them if you can believe that (believe it!).

I've fixed issues like that and the cost per latch maybe $5 each but of course you have to work out the methodology of how to make the repair consistent over more than one and easiest way, and then do the work itself. That compares with the at the time price of $150 for the Ford ones and likely higher now. Every one I fixed has stayed fixed, I haven't had to do them again but I can now take them apart if needed to do it again. Much of the issue is that they don't put nearly as much grease in there as they could, it shortens the life doing it to make you buy more parts and to lower their part cost. Commonly a latch may have up to like 50 parts inside it now to do all the things they have to do. Like with anything, the more parts you have the more fails you get.

So now you have some idea of why they are high, there is a certain amount of labor going on to rebuild them, close to the same amount as making them, not hard but people tend to want to stay away from things like that and doing so you must pay to do it.

Similar to window regulators, I fix those on Fords for maybe $10 and they are better than the OEM at $130 each, but it takes personal involvement to go there. I'll likely go there on Nissan as well before it's all over.

Your biggest issue may not be part cost so much as getting that rear door back open with zero damage........

Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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The guy on eBay is asking for the core in return for life time warranty. The problem is that it looks like I would have to destroy the one on the car on order to get it to unlock.
There's a poster on another forum that mentioned something about a little lock piece located on the actuator, but did not point the location of it.
Do you think it's possible to get more grease inside the existing lock or the remanufactured one?

Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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The inside guts on this one is covered by a plastic case.

amc49
Posts: 1183
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:24 pm
Car: '11 Nissan Versa
'17 Nissan Altima

Post

Whatever, each design is different. The Ford type are a combo of plastic and steel plate, there must be steel in there somewhere to hold the assembly together under crash forces, plastic alone won't do it.

You MAY be able to get some grease inside but if like the Ford ones they are compartmentalized to not allow that, those have 3 separate compartments inside.

Even if the grease hits your critical parts you still have to work the latch to get it back working again and the problem. Although I don't care for WD40 there (it gums up into a sticky bubblegum like residue when the VOCs evaporate in summer heat), using it would help to get the parts loose and the thin spray will vaporize and disperse far better at shooting into an unknown cavity with unknown parts in the way. Then once latch key is loose and working again you get some white lithium spray grease and spray it all inside at multiple angles in every hole you can find there. VERY important to shake the can up a LOT as the lube tends to separate and then you don't spray anything in there except the lube carrier which will NOT last very long. You have to stir up the grease in the bottom of the can to fully mix and how most of that product gets used with no effect.

Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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Yes, it's mostly metal but I think about 60% the other is plastic, enough to break down and get at it. But I will try to spray it down really good see if it moves at all. You mentioned rust, do you think I should try the blaster spray on it?

amc49
Posts: 1183
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:24 pm
Car: '11 Nissan Versa
'17 Nissan Altima

Post

Anything WD40 like, that means like PB Blaster, etc. Two slightly different intended uses there but both work there. The thinner the lube is the more it wicks inside the corrosion to possibly loosen parts up.

Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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I'm reluctant to use the blaster just because it smells like all hell.
I doused it in WD-40 to no avail so far.

amc49
Posts: 1183
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:24 pm
Car: '11 Nissan Versa
'17 Nissan Altima

Post

Assuming latch is out. Simply dousing and working the electrical won't do it, you have to work the latch key back and forth with a screwdriver while holding the release lever actuated, and even maybe bang the assembly on hard surface a bit if the unlock link inside is gravity located to move simply by its' own weight.

Romvert
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:13 pm
Car: 2010 cube s

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The latch is not out, it's stuck in the lock position, door stuck closed. I'm spraying it from inside the car, through the holes behind the cover panel. All I can do is work the latch and actuate the lock. When I press lock on the key, it makes a loud, high pitched screetch.


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