Torx screw door handle release part

**darren.kellum** · 03-03-2020 11:21 AM

Managed to somehow drop the torx screw inside the door while taking off the door handle. It's supposed to be a retained screw so not sure how it fell out. Tried running a strong magnet up the outside but never heard it pick it up and it's a very small space inside to consider dropping a magnet inside to pick it up. So I'm probably better off just screwing a new screw in.

Anyone point me to the correct screw part? It's the one for the rear doors that's inside the door, you have to put the torx driver through the outer door skin to get to it.

Or any other clever ideas to retrieve the fallen screw that I have no visibility of. Don't really want to resort to door card coming off.

**audrobotic** · 03-03-2020 07:11 PM

I have no idea on how the innards of the door work - but I do know that there is a drainage hole at the bottom of the front door (maybe back door too). When my car was new I noticed the sound of water sloshing in the front passenger door - it was a drainage hole that had been taped shut at the factory.

**Smac770** · 03-03-2020 09:08 PM

https://audi.7zap.com/en/usa/audi+a4.../839-839000/#9

part 9, this is the part mounted in the door which the door handle mounts into.

https://www.partan.eu/en/catalogue/a...t-front_38053/
or
https://wolfautoparts.com/glacier-wh...5b-261293.html

second pic in either case, you can see the screw that you tighten onto the housing, part 5, to keep the handle pressed into place. It would appear from the pics that it should not be possible to spin the screw out the way out (towards your torx bit), but I know it did start to come out on my, damn can't remember if it was front or rear I did first. I wonder if they misassembled them and put the screw in backwards, so the head is on the "outside" and so it can be screwed all the way out. In either case, there won't be a separate part number for the screw.

Best bet would be to do another door, back the screw out, get the securing housing out, tighten the screw back so you can get a measurement on it and get a replacement screw of the same diameter and suitable length.

Or ask for one in any of the part out threads in the classifieds subforum.

**darren.kellum** · 03-03-2020 11:39 PM

Thanks guys all helpful. There definitely are two drain holes but not big enough to get the screw/bolt head through if I did find it close by. If it is there I could drill the drain a little bigger suppose.

Easiest will be to take a look at another one. I did the other side as well yesterday and that definitely would not come out.

**mtroxel** · 03-04-2020 06:17 PM

Yea I've done that a few times, and that torx isn't 'sposed to come out. You could...........put a bolt with a head into the latch, lock the latch onto the bolt, then loosen the two triple square bolts that hold the latch in place. Then you can push the latch into the door a bit and drop a magnet on a string down into the door. Might be worth a shot.

**S-Liner** · 03-05-2020 06:20 AM

I dropped mine when I was troubleshooting the touch sensor. It’s supposed to be captured but I suppose I backed it out a bit far and down it went.

Sadly, your only option is to remove the door panel which isn’t difficult to remove, once off you’ll have all the room you need to fish it out.

There’s YouTube vids out there that cover the removal, it’s simple.

This is the one I used

https://youtu.be/fCwqOAHgcCg

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**darren.kellum** · 03-05-2020 11:57 PM

Thanks that looks easy enough. Glad I'm not the only one. Yet another one of those jobs that created another job. Happens to me every time.

**darren.kellum** · 03-07-2020 11:07 AM

Used that video and fished it out today. All back in now, thanks guys

**Smac770** · 03-07-2020 11:19 AM

Does the screw have a torx inset on both ends? Did it seem like it should not be possible to come out if it was threaded in correctly (from the inside/front)? I'm assuming what makes it captive is the flared or larger end is on the inside.

**darren.kellum** · 03-07-2020 11:35 AM

Yes that's right it has phillips on the other end. You screw in from the inside. So I can see now that I screwed too far in without the handle in so it fell in rather than out.

**Smac770** · 03-07-2020 12:56 PM

Ok, appreciate the insight. (FYI, those pics are really really small so it's hard to make out the details, but I get the gist from your text)

**S-Liner** · 03-07-2020 03:05 PM

Nice! that video helped me a lot. I’ve always been afraid of popping off door panels, the video made it much easier

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