DIY: Faulty Trunk Latch Replacement. 2013 S4

[Silver_Sol]

Hey Guys,

So had a issue with my trunk latch recently. Noticed this starting to act up a while back, where when closing the trunk id have to give it a pretty hefty slam for the trunk to close. What happened recently is I went to open my trunk using the button above the license plate and was met with a mechanical grindy noise and the trunk would not open. Found the same occurred with the door trunk release switch and holding the trunk open button on the key fob. At that point my only option was to go through the back seats and open the trunk using the emergency handle. Decided to replace the trunk latch and boom, all of my opening and closing woes were solved. Couldn't find a up to date DIY for the replacement of the latch so heres my write up.

Tools Required:
Phillips-head Screw Driver
10mm Socket
(Optional) plastic trim removal tool.
(Optional) Extra pair of hands

1. First remove plastic cover for the latch. Should just pull right off, but you can pry it off using any flat plastic tool from the base in contact with the lining.


2. Remove two screws located next to the in trunk handle and behind the emergency trunk release. For the screw behind the emergency trunk release pop off lever and leave the cable connected dangling. The rest of the plastic housing should hold it in place.


At this point pop off the plastic that holds the emergency release handle using a plastic trim removal tool or the like. There is a bit of rubber secured underneath the lining so make sure to get between the rubber spacing and the plastic as the rubber is secured to the lining and you dont wanna rip it out. The plastic of the emergency release handle should pop out and only the cable for the emergency release should remain holding it up.

3. Move the rubber bumbers on each side of the trunk

It is essentially three pieces.
The long rubber stopper which is a soft rubber that pops out, the hard plastic which is between the lining and the trunk, and the circular rubber stopper.
For the long rubber stopper pop out the soft rubber first which should just pop out with some prying. The hard plastic piece underneath which is connected to the trunk should pop out at the same time or after.
The circular rubber stopper twists out clock-wise.

4. Once you removed all those pieces the lining should be able to be popped out. The lining is held in in clips in the following locations.



Getting the lining off can be tricky as you have to turn the emergency release plastic cover to fit through the cut out in the lining, and you may need a helping hand to help you feed it through then you reassemble.

5. Once the lining is removed, you can see the latch clearly. There are only two 10mm nuts holding it in place. Disconnect the harness that controls the electrical latch, and slip out the cable for the emergency release in the latch assembly. (Note: one 10mm nut is located under a small plastic cover on the assembly that you can pull off.


Once the latch is disconnected, just unbolt, and replace with the new latch.

Repeat in reverse to get back together. Be sure to reconnect the emergency release cable before you button everything up.

[0000_S5]

Nice write up! Thanks for the extra effort to document everything. This will certainly help someone resolve this same issue.


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[LYKUNO]

Excellent DIY documention - job well done! This will surely be helpful for anyone who may need to work on the latch, or remove the trunk lid liner to check the rear camera wiring connector integrity. My latch was similarly uncooperative several years ago, requiring occasional repeated slamming to fully close. I sprayed a silicone-based lubricant up into the latch and also applied some white lithium lubricant on the springs on the side hinges (which sounded creaky and dry) to solve my issue. Thanks to your step-by-step process, I won't hesitate to pull the liner should I encounter any more latch issues in the future.

Edit to add the part number in case anyone is shopping for this part ... #4F5-827-505-D.

[vecinu]

Many many thanks for this tutorial. My 2013 S4 @ 73k miles had this exact same issue, the trunk would not open from the door button, key fob button nor the trunk button. I would hear a mechanical whir but the trunk wouldn't unlatch. Ordered the part from GenuineAudiParts (Audi SD), followed this to the T and it worked!

I didn't remove the round rubber stoppers, those could stay in place but I unfortunately did break some clips on the long plastic stoppers. Nothing that required fixing and if it ever annoys me I'll replace them.

[Midnight_Rider]

This is why I wait until the second year to buy any cars.