>If I'm parked on a slight incline and open my sliding door is it supposed to
>latch into a detent somewhere and stay open?
>

Yes. Unlike Japanese vans, VW sliding doors (from the Splits in the 1960s
onward) are designed to latch in the open position, so the vehicle can be
driven with the door open, or parked on a downhill without risk of injury
to passengers climbing in/out.

Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
VW & mollusc nut
1969 Kombi with Corvair 2.4 & Powerglide
1984 Caravelle engineless currently
1984 Mitsubishi Galant Sigma 2.0 (FWD)
1986 CE80 Toyota Corolla 1.8DX diesel
1989 CT170 Toyota Corona Select 2.0 diesel