Car owners often strive to improve the functionality of their car. Installing an electric rear door, if it is not provided by the manufacturer, greatly simplifies the process of opening/closing the trunk. You can do this yourself.
Even the seemingly most advanced factory equipment of a car cannot always fully satisfy the needs of its owner. Car owners often strive to improve the functionality of their pet, for example, by installing a convenient electric rear door. This mechanism greatly facilitates the process of closing and opening the trunk. Such devices often perform similar functions on the side doors of the car, and are also used to control the power windows.
In our country, such improvements are mainly resorted to by the owners of classic domestically produced models: VAZ, Moskvich, Volga and others. But it happens that you need to install the electric trunk drive yourself on a foreign car, for example, Geely Atlas, Volkswagen Touareg or Skoda Rapid. The modern market provides ample opportunities to eliminate almost any functional gaps left by automakers for one reason or another. You can also independently replace an outdated electric trunk drive with a newer and more efficient model or repair faulty equipment.
Key features of the device
To remotely open/close the trunk, manufacturers most often use two main methods:
- Installation of the electric drive on the cover.
- Using a pneumatic mechanism.
The second option is more reliable, but also more expensive. In turn, a relatively inexpensive electric tailgate drive can be installed in several ways with different types of control:
- button located on the dashboard;
- electric trunk lock with remote control;
- a handle or button directly near or on the rear door.
All these methods are attractive and convenient in their own way - it all depends on the tastes and personal preferences of the car owner. But it should be remembered that installing an electric drive with control only on the door requires being outside directly near the trunk, and implementing remote control via the remote control will require certain skills, and the remote control itself can be easily lost. The best option is to install a button inside the cabin.
You can buy and install an electric trunk lid, as well as repair the electric trunk lid yourself. This does not require special knowledge or skills. Modern electric motors, offered separately or already included in a ready-made installation kit, are quite reliable and practical. Even with active daily use, they can work flawlessly for years. Sometimes there are drives with built-in magnetic plates, but in order to avoid a number of specific problems, it is better not to use them.
An undeniable advantage here is the ability to easily install a homemade or factory electric trunk drive with your own hands on almost any car model. You can learn general useful recommendations from this article. If you need some specific information or a specific diagram of the trunk drive, then you can now find anything on the Internet.
Main components of the electric trunk lock drive
It is best to connect the electric lock drive to a conventional mechanism in order to be able to automatically and mechanically open the luggage compartment of the car. Electric drives for VAZ cars exist in two types: on an electric motor and on magnetic plates. Due to its high performance characteristics, the first type is more in demand and popular among owners of domestic cars. But a drive made on magnetic plates is easier to install.
The electric drive consists of the following elements:
The advantages of this design are obvious: increased protection of the luggage compartment, which will become a real obstacle to an attacker; the trunk lock of the VAZ 2114 will work stably and in most cases without failure.
The body design of most domestic cars has some weakness - while the car is moving with an oncoming air flow, all the dirt, dust, and sand actively pollute the “stern”. In this case, the lock itself becomes clogged with small particles, which in the future results in a lot of problems with its functioning. So how to make a trunk from a VAZ 2114 button correctly?
Preparing for installation
Before directly installing the electric trunk lid, you need to stock up on the necessary equipment and materials. There are two ways to go here:
- Buy a ready-made factory kit. It is better not to buy dubious products, but to purchase a set of a well-known brand from an official supplier or a trusted seller. Although you will have to pay a certain, sometimes quite high price, you will receive almost everything you need to immediately install the electric trunk lock, rather than looking for individual components yourself.
- Build your own trunk lid lock kit. In this case, you will have to prepare all the necessary materials and components yourself. Such a set can cost much less than a factory one if you have somewhere to get them or know where you can buy them inexpensively. You should also pay attention to equipment compatibility. Therefore, an inexperienced person may encounter certain difficulties here.
The choice of an acceptable option is yours. It is desirable that the electric trunk drive have an inertial mechanism, which makes it possible to automatically stop the movement of the door if any obstacles arise in its path. This way you won't accidentally crush your head, hand or fingers while digging through the luggage compartment.
The main components of a conventional trunk lid lock actuator are:
- electric motor;
- a pair of four-pin relays;
- pusher rod;
- fuse;
- control element in the form of a button, toggle switch, lever, etc.
If you plan to open the trunk from the passenger compartment using a button, then any factory universal kit is quite suitable, the installation of which should not cause any special problems even for a novice motorist. To implement remote control, you will have to buy a more complex electrical system, the connection of which is recommended to be entrusted to a knowledgeable person. Electric car locks offered on the modern market may have a standard side mount or a more reliable reinforced operating mechanism, but they are more expensive.
If you still decide not to take the easy way, but to assemble the electric trunk drive with your own hands from improvised means, then you may need:
- a pair of modules and mechanisms from the electric window regulator;
- a set of wires of different sections;
- set of diodes;
- electromagnetic relay;
- relay with four and five contacts;
- terminals and terminal block;
- circuit breakers;
- set of nuts and bolts.
The list is quite extensive, so self-assembly and installation of the electric drive should be justified and cost-effective. It is much easier, and sometimes even cheaper, to use a ready-made factory option with a guarantee and instructions. But in any case, you will need various tools that any owner should have: an angle grinder, a drill, a screwdriver, a screwdriver, keys, etc.
Additional modernization of locks
If you dream of your car doors opening and closing as smoothly as in foreign cars, try installing silent locks. Such a device can be installed on any model of Zhiguli. For representatives of the retro era, such modernization is also possible, but the locks themselves will have to be filed a little. By the way, you can also put it on the trunk. In general, there is no limit to perfection.
Silent locks
And the installation is, in truth, very simple and transparent. It is enough to dismantle the old locks, try not to drop the necessary elements inside the door, or remove the trim in advance. And then install new analogues on two bolts. There are situations when, after installation, the door does not close tightly or warps slightly, causing cracks to form. Solving the problem is also very simple by adjusting the location of the device. In general, initially try to secure it exactly where the old one was.
DIY installation process
Successful installation or repair of an electric trunk drive provides the car owner with many benefits and increases the operating comfort of the vehicle. To open or close the rear door, simply press a button in the cabin or on the remote control. If the standard equipment of the car fails in this regard, then the problem can be solved by installing an electric drive on the trunk yourself.
The entire process of installing an electric drive can be divided into three main stages:
- Preparing the necessary components or purchasing a ready-made kit.
- Direct installation of equipment.
- Connecting electrical wiring and checking functionality.
This work cannot be called difficult. In principle, anyone who has basic skills in handling plumbing and power tools, as well as basic knowledge of radio electronics, can install such a mechanism.
An approximate algorithm of actions for self-assembling the device may be as follows:
- Remove the motor from the previously prepared mechanism from the window lifter and unfold the structure to move along the rail (cut off all excess with a grinder);
- Make a fastening strip from a perforated iron blank, attach the racks and the drive electric motor to it;
- fix the structure on the body panels;
- Secure the unused mechanism from the window regulator with one end to the trunk door holder;
- adjust the relative position and operation of both mechanisms;
- prepare a route along which you can safely stretch the wiring so as not to damage or squeeze the trunk during operation;
- use the selected electrical connection diagram (it should be included in the finished factory kit);
- Connect the power source (battery) using a separate fuse and a separate cable;
- Mount the control button in a convenient place, for example, on the dashboard.
When performing independent installation or repair of an electric trunk drive, car enthusiasts most often encounter difficulties in the electrical part of the work process. And this trend is quite understandable, since simply screwing the racks, locks and strips into the right places is only half the battle. The main thing is that the entire system works correctly after connecting the wiring. The easiest way to solve this is to contact a specialist. But if this is not possible or you still want to complete the entire scope of work yourself, then some of the recommendations below may help you.
Why can we help better?
If the electric drive itself and the principle of its operation can be called simple, then its installation is not. You definitely need experience and skill to do all the work quickly and with the highest quality. This is especially true for those cars for which such an option was not provided.
The Argument-Auto car service will help everyone who wants to install an electric trunk drive on their car. We will not only be able to do all the work discreetly and efficiently, but we will order and deliver all the necessary equipment. We will do this at reasonable prices.
Come to us and you will receive:
Our service is conveniently located in Moscow in such a way that it is close to both the North-East Administrative District and the Northern Administrative District. All this gives us the opportunity to be accessible to a large number of Muscovites.
Connection Tips
Before doing any wiring or electrical work, you must first remove the battery from the vehicle. It is advisable to prepare the required connection diagram for the electric trunk lock in advance before starting installation work. In factory kits, it should already be available or included in the car’s operating instructions. On the Internet you can now also find many similar schemes with detailed recommendations for their implementation. Most car models have a 12-volt power supply, but it is better to clarify this nuance.
Much attention should be paid to wiring. The correct operation of not only the electric trunk drive, but also the entire electrical system of the car as a whole largely depends on this. If you treat this issue negligently, then at best there will be malfunctions, and at worst a short circuit may occur, after which it will be difficult and expensive to restore the vehicle’s functionality. For already proven routes, try to use the standard places for laying wires provided by the manufacturer. For additional protection, you can use corrugated tubes and plastic cable ducts of the required size.
What is required to install central locking on 2 doors?
- A working and installed car alarm system with power outputs for controlling door locks.
- Activators, actuators, actuators, solenoids, electric drives or, finally, just central locks - 2 pcs.
- The wires are two-core, copper. The diameter or cross-section of each wire must be at least 0.75 square. Length about 3-4 meters.
- Plastic clamps - 10 pieces, maybe more, “in reserve.”
- Other: electrical tape, heat shrink tubing, wire cutters, screwdriver, soldering iron, solder, multimeter, drill, drill bits, electrical extension cord, etc.
Before we begin directly installing central locks, we will analyze each point above in order, in more detail.
1) In this article we will not talk about how to install an alarm yourself, but we will assume that it is already installed. The cheapest option (about 1,300 rubles) is a simple alarm without feedback.
Which model to choose, how to connect correctly, how much it costs and other questions about car alarms will be discussed in another article. Just a few important points to keep in mind.
Firstly, the main alarm unit must have a connector (usually 6-pin) with power outputs for connecting door locks. Secondly, before purchasing, decide in advance whether you need an additional alarm channel. It can be used to open the trunk or, for example, implement the “light path” function and other similar functions. It all depends on your imagination and ideas, so it’s up to you. 2)
