Switching out A4 door to S4 trouble

[audi2000s]

Maybe this is a good place to ask some questions??

I am trying to change out my damaged drivers front door on a 2000S4 with a good used one from an A4. I have a couple of issues.

First, the trim at the top of the door is a different colored aluminum. S4 smoked sliver. A4 bright silver. The S4 trim comes off easily but the A4 seems to be designed differently so that the metal can not be separated from the rubber window seal. I took the whole damaged S4 door apart with hope that it would make anything I needed to change apparent. That is one complicated door. :\ After removing the window frame and everything else I was able to drill out the rivets that hold the rubber window seal and trim strip as one piece. I do not want to take the replacement door apart to do this on the A4 door. I'm not sure I could get it back together. I could probably get the trim off of the A door if I destroy it but then I'm not sure the S trip would fit on the rubber. The A trim wraps around the bottom at the door edge where the S trip only slips on from the top and can easily be changed. People must have to change out trim occasionally so there must be an easier way to do it than taking everything apart. The way it is it would probably be a 4 hr dealer charge. Just guessing.

The second question is how do I switch out the key cylinder. Once again I took the S door apart to get the handle/cylinder out, which was also very difficult, but aside from doing that to the A door I can't figure out how to just change the cylinder.

Any help? Other better areas to ask this question? Other forums that are better equipped?

Thanks for any help.

 

[audi2000s]

For the sake of information in case anyone else ever does this.

I got almost everything taken care of satisfactorily.

I ended up taking the new used door apart and drilled out the rivets for the top trim and riveted on the S trim. That is the only way to deal with it.

The wiring harness was slightly different in the A door. The plug to the junction box behind the kick panel in the drivers footwell for the mirror functions was the only thing I had to change out but to get to the wires you have to remove the inner window frame of the door. I did this and installed the wires from the S door. The mirror now works with all functions. I decided not to change out the door latch for the moment. I found that the trunk lock will unlock all doors if the remote key fails and I have probably only used the key in my door 5 times since 2000. The S does have heated door locks with a few separate wires for that function so I ran those wires in the door in case I ever want to tackle that job in the future. There is also a transformer that mounts in the top of the door for this function and I didn't want to deal with that either so I left it out.

The lower trim piece is different too and was not damaged so I changed that out as well.

The door had rust streaks running down it from something dripping on it at the yard so I buffed those out and waxed.

The hinges were bent and pulled away from the body when the door was damaged so I had to remove the lower one and carefully hammer the metal back into shape and use the undamaged hinge from the new door and after some shimming I got everything to line up and close properly. I was able to bend the top hinge back into place.

This was quite a project and even though I didn't keep track I'm sure I have over 12 hours into it, but my cost was $375 for a door that was the right color, which considering what it could have cost to have someone else do it, god forbid a dealer, it was pretty cheap and now I'm on the road again just in time for the cold weather.

It's supposed to snow tonight so I switched out to my Blizzaks.

 

[aragorn]

Interesting, i thaught they all had heated door locks!

I think the differences you've experianced sound related to the doors being from different ages of car. They made lots of subtle changes to various components and parts of the wiring loom over the years.

$375 for a door sounds steep to me, but maybe thats the going rate in the US?