The OEM Volkswagen Vanagon sliding door latches have been a bulletproof system for over 30 years — but in the last 5 years they seem to have hit their lifespan, with excessive wear at the catch teeth causing both intermittent or permanent failure. VW stopped making the original a long time ago (up until recently, it never needed replacing!). This project developed entirely from increasing GoWesty customer calls asking to buy used or new-old-stock latches.
The stamped latch body would have been expensive to reproduce entirely. Instead, this rebuild kit focuses on just replacing the catch parts that fail — reducing waste by reusing and extending the life of otherwise functional parts. The design matches the original catch profiles and then implements several simple changes to address minor weak points in the original design.
On-van, this is experienced as the slider door suddenly opening while the vehicle is in motion. This occurs as a result of wear on both the male and female primary latching teeth such that they no longer engage with full contact.
Further compounding the failure mode, dirt and debris build-up over time slowing down the response time such that the second-detente safety feature does not engage.
Once rebuilt, the catches are more responsive and the secondary safety-catch is able to engage.
Design focused around developing a simple rebuild process that would allow customers to only install worn components. The rebuild process kept designed parts simple and cost-effective to manufacture.