Words by Ramsay Beacham
Photography by Lachlan Payne

I tell you what, at the rate I’m going, the dirty old GQ is going to be higher spec’d than a Lexus before Christmas. Cruise control, a reverse-parking sensor and now central locking – what’s next? Flat-screen TVs and cup holders all round – yeah right! Actually, I wouldn’t mind a couple of BRDs (beverage restraint devices) on board the old girl...

You might think I’m going overboard with all this stuff, but seriously it’s some bloody handy product. Honestly, I haven’t backed over one Volkswagen since I installed my reverse parking sensor, and with central locking I’ll be able to unlock all four doors at once – awesome!

What's involved

Once again, this DIY kit is very simple as it’s basically just plug and play kind of stuff. Obviously, the need to run it to all four doors means that there’s a fair old wiring loom involved, but it’s all colour-coded. The basic instructions on the back of the box will help if it’s not self-explanatory enough.

Everything you need is in this box, and the instructions are on the back. I also got a special tool from SuperCheap Auto, which helps get the clips off the back of the window winders.	You want good access to the inside of your door. This means removing the window-winder and door handle. This special tool is the only easy way of removing the window-winder clips.	You should be able to simply pop the inner door skin off the door to reveal your new workspacet.

After finding out the hard way that the wiring loom wasn’t arranged to allow me to situate the computer in behind the CD player, I then relocated it to a space next to my fuse box just beside the accelerator pedal. I then had to cut and lengthen the loom in one spot to allow it to reach all four doors. If you lay the wires out over the carpet, you’ll get an idea of which wire goes where, and how you’re going to lay them out. I removed the plastic sill protectors, lifted a bit of carpet and ran the wires that way.

If you’re really fussy, you might want to take out the seats, rip out the carpet and tape all the wires to the floor the way they often do in the factory. SuperCheap Auto can fix you up with electrical and cloth tape, zip ties and even factory-looking wiring sheaths. These will neaten things up no end, and protect the wires from being sliced on sharp edges.

Simply make sure you leave enough wire to hook up with the actuators and you’re all set. Of the four actuators supplied, all are the same except for one, which is designated for the driver. This ensures that all the door-locks will pop up and down with the driver’s door, but not the other way around.

I was a bit dirty at the fact that there isn’t an option for a fifth actuator to fit to the rear door of most wagons. The best solution I can think of is to find a mate with a little Suzuki or a two-door ute and convince them that they also need a central-locking kit. Then you can just snavel one of their spare motors, run a couple of extra wires, and presto, all done.

This little actuator just needs to be bolted in an appropriate location behind the door skin. Make sure it doesn’t get in the way of the window when it winds down.	You may have to bend the actuator shaft with some pliers to enable you to hook it up to the actuator and the door-lock shaft.	You can use the screws supplied to attach the actuator directly to the door itself. Alternatively, you may have to utilise the mounting kit supplied.

Each actuator comes complete with a generic mounting kit, which will keep you out of trouble on most applications. If you find you need some extra goodies, such as nuts, bolts, washers and screws, then SuperCheap Auto it is once again. I reckon it’s a good idea to buy some random nuts and bolts every time you’re down there, helping to build up a stockpile. Then, whenever you need these odds and ends, chances are you’ll already have them.

One down, only three more to go. The most important thing is that the actuator runs parallel, and as close as possible to the door-lock shaft.	It can be fiddly work, and you’ll have to install many things by touch.	The front doors were slightly easier. There was plenty of space to play with, and the door-lock shaft went straight down to the latch.

The aim of the game is to try to align the actuators as much as possible with the motion of your door locks. This should ensure a smooth operation, and minimal chance of a failure. Once you’ve mounted everything, just plug in the loose wires, and you’re nearly done. Before you put the door skins back on, it’s a good idea to make sure the central locking is definitely working. Just pop the drivers lock up and down a few times and make sure that all the others follow suit.

This is ingenious – I reckon. I pushed the pointy-nose pliers through the rubber grommets to grab the pre-crimped terminals and drag them through the small hole.	There should be rubber grommets in the body and in the door. Use these to gain access into the door.	The wiring-loom is a one-size-fits-most type affair, so it may not be quite long enough for a large 4WD. So, learn from my mistake and fit the control box near the driver’s door. You may still have to make one cut and lengthen the wires by a metre or so.

Added extras

After completing the install, I noticed that there were a couple of spare wires hanging out from the control box. The instructions didn’t really mention them at all, but after a quick investigation I discovered that they were remote wires for activating the central locking. Apparently, this system is compatible with most DIY alarm systems, and they can operate in conjunction with one another. This means that if I get an alarm with remotes, I’ll have full remote central locking as well. Stay tuned...

DIY vs Pay by the hour

A DIY designed central-locking kit from SuperCheap Auto costs $42.99. To make things easier, I also grabbed a packet of self-tapping screws ($2.99) for mounting the brackets to the door, and a clip and spring remover ($9.99) for getting the window-winder off. This tallied up to a grand total of $55.97. For a similar kit to be supplied and fitted by a professional, I was quoted around $290 all up.