Power lock retrofit question

[navaidstech1]

Hey guys...I have a 04 Vibe base model with manual door locks. My wife is beginning to hate the idea and wants power locks installed.I promised I'd do it but before I dig in, I have a couple of questions:1. What would be the best place you'd recommend to buy the kit from2. Is the existing Vibe harness already prewired for this mod or do I have to run extra wires and connectors from door to door in order to control all locks.Any info would be greatly appreciated... thanks

[SlammedNiss]

Are you going to use OEM parts or go aftermarket? The doors will be prewired for OEM, but the prices will probably scare you away. If you are electronics savvy enough you should be able to do all 4 doors on a keyless (remote) system for around $100. The hardest part will just be retro-fitting the aftermarket lock motor to work with the existing lock mechanism. But, it can be done. If I can get aftermarket lock motors in the door of a Miata, anything is possible.EDIT:Here's a full kit on eBay for just $30. Looks like everything you would need for all 4 doors. Only thing extra you would need would be an additional motor for the hatch.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...68899

[joatmon]

you can try to find OEM parts, but it will cost.If you get an aftermarket kit, you need to make sure it supports cable type locks. http://www.a1electric.com seems to be the most often linked source for power door lock kits here at genvibe. See http://www.a1electric.com/cablelock.htm for a pictorial about how to install for cable style locks

[navaidstech1]

Hey Guys... thank you for getting back.Thank you for suggesting aftermarket, I'm definitely going to go that route.I'm definitely electronics savvy as this is what I do for a living coupled with all sorts of stuff I design and build outside work. I'm assuming that I will have to retrofit the existing connectors to work with aftermarket actuators which is not a problem at all.Joatmon, the A1 Electric kit comes with 4 actuators and I'll obviously need five. Is the trunk actuator the same type?

[jake75]

Wouldn't these parts be available at a salvage yard? Vibe or Matrix should work.

[VibeBear]

I purchased & installed the kit from A1 Electric earlier this year, on my '09. It came with all the wiring, relays, hardware & actuator motors for the 4 doors. Only thing missing was the actuator for the hatch, luckily I had one lying around (the hatch uses a rod mechanism, not a cable one)Was a fairly easy install, took a few hours to do everything right. Anyone who can read instructions, work a drill & has basic electrical knowledge can do the work.the cool thing about their system is that it's central locking, unlock/lock either front door & the rest unlock too (including hatch if equipped with actuator)FWIW the one off EBay won't work with cable driven locks, without extra brackets & hardware (I priced out the brackets & they would've cost another $80)

[navaidstech1]

VibeBear, thanks for the info.I checked all over and it seems that A1 Electric has the best deals so I'll go with that one.Did you have to install any extra hardware to go with the hatch actuator (ie. brackets, linkage, etc)?

[VibeBear]

no, I didn't need anything extra for the hatch, other than wire. I just tapped into the wiring for the right rear door at the B-Pillar & ran it back to the hatch, through the 3rd brake light loom.if you get another 5-wire actuator from A1, you should be able to wire the actuator so that when you unlock/lock the hatch, the other doors unlock/lock too.

[navaidstech1]

Awesome.. thanks for the suggestion. Will do just that...

[rx78nt1alex]

@ VibeBearI just installed the A1 4 door Kit today on my wife's car, and was wondering how exactly I would go about adding the the actuator for the hatch, so where it can be opened with the key fob, but when unlocked with the key, it only unlocks the hatch and nothing else? It seems confusing to me because I cant figure out if it would open the hatch or just unlock it? From what I figure, I may need to add a relay or two to do this? And is there a way to add the lock/unlock switches in a way that removes the feature of the driver and passenger side doors unlock ALL doors when unlocked/locked with key and inside on the door themselves.Did you have to dremel the removable plate on the upper edge of the door to allow enough clearance for the actuator and cable clamp assy?Thanks for any help

[navaidstech1]

hey guys... actuators installed in four doors. hatch will have to wait till next weekend.Took almost a day to get it all wired up and installed.... now the big question: I've been looking around underneath the instrument panel for a source of 12 volts - things are very tight there!! Any pointers as to the best wire to tap into the get the power from? I don't have a wiring diagram so this makes things a tad difficult.thanks!

[SlammedNiss]

Get your pwr wires directly in the ignition column. According to the wiring schematics below, it will be either a white or black wire. Wires will be a heavier gauge than the rest. Remember, always test the wire first and ALWAYS fuse your own wiring.http://www.the12volt.com/insta...33385

[navaidstech1]

Awesome! Thank you for that.I went at it this morning and got it all hooked up and powered. I prefer not to cut existing wires so I decided to piggyback on top of the spade contact inside the connector.Had a hell of a time trying to extract the wire from the connector but then I realized there is a little latch on top of the connector that needs to be lifted up and the wire slides right out. Doh!thanks again

[VibeBear]

@ rx78nt1alexNot 100% sure if I understand what you're asking, but I'll give it my best.For the rear hatch, you'll want an actuator with 2 wires (usually blue & green). you'll also need 2 relays/harnesses & wire them up like the attached picture. This will let you use the Aux button on your key fob to unlock/lock just the hatch. The key would also just unlock/lock the hatch. As for actually opening the hatch with the remote, that's a whole new can of worms & would be a lot more work (hmm maybe my next project...)If you don't want all the doors to lock/unlock from the front doors at all, then just connect the harness with the red/blue wires, leaving the other wires disconnected. the doors will then unlock/lock only with the key fob.I didn't have to dremel anything inside my doors.

Attached files actuatorrelay (49.5 KB) 

[rx78nt1alex]

OK, I guess I will just leave the front doors as they are, but I can definitely try to get that rear hatch to unlock. My wife really wants all of the buttons on the key fob to do what they are supposed to do. But thanks for the info, I was a little confused at how I went about this. This is going to be a fun little project. Thanks

[A Psycho Martyr]

I may be doin this soon.Do you guys think it would be cheaper/less hassle to gank all the OEM stuff out of a junked Vibe?Or just buy a kit and install my own actuators?

[VibeBear]

to be honest the easiest/cheapest rout would probably be the kit from A1. I'd estimate an hour labour for each door to pull the actuators from a wrecked car. Plus another couple to pull the wiring harness... depending on how it's run through the car

[renate]

I had professional install the keyless power lock system on the front doors and have had problems with the passenger door. Once the cable snapped, and I had to buy a new one, and now it only works on that side off and on. But the driver side works great, and never a problem. They also installed an alarm at same time, which works fine.

[navaidstech1]

I would get a new kit. It comes with everything you need to get the job done, extra long cables, instructions, etc. It's not that expensive and very worthwhile.

[A Psycho Martyr]

thanks for the input