IOWA CITYAUTOMOTIVE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE REPLACEMENT

How to Replace an Interior Car Door Handle

Automotive Interior Door Handle Replacement Service near Iowa City IA: You’ve been rolling down your window and opening the door from the outside door handle for a while now. That interior door handle has not been working and you’ve been dreading replacing it. In older cars, much of what you see and touch was made from heavy metal and steel. In later model cars, much of what you see is made of lighter metals and plastics.

A commonly used part like your door handle may have lasted a lifetime in your old car, but with lighter gauge metals and plastics in modern cars, you may need to replace your door handles at least once in the lifespan of your car.

Replacing the interior door handle

Materials Needed

• Interior trim removal tools
• Pliers – regular/needle-nose
• Ratchet
• Screwdrivers – flathead/Phillips/Torx
• Sockets

Step 1: Remove the door panel screws. Locate all the screws before you start pulling on the door panel.

Some screws are out in the open, but others may have a small trim cover on them. Some can be hidden behind the grab handle as well as around the outer edge of the door panel.

Step 2: Separate the door panel from the fasteners/clips. Using the appropriate trim panel removal tool, feel around the outer edge of the door panel.

Typically, you’ll want to feel the front edge, down along the lower edge and around the back of the door opening. There may be several clips holding the panel in place. Insert the trim panel removal tool between the door and interior panel and gently pry the door panel loose from the clips.

Note: Be gentle as these clips can break easily.

Step 3: Remove the door trim panel. Once separated from the retaining clips, gently push up on the door panel from the bottom.

The top edge of the door panel will pop up along the window. At this point, reach around behind the door panel to unplug any electrical connectors for the power window/door lock/trunk/fuel door release buttons. To fully lift the door panel out of place, you will have to angle the door panel and/or the door handle assembly to pull it back through the opening in the door panel to lift it completely off.

Step 4: Remove the plastic vapor barrier if needed. Take care to remove the vapor barrier intact and do not cut it open.

On some vehicles, the inner door must remain sealed properly as side air bag sensors may rely on pressure changes within the door for side impact airbags to deploy. If it is already damaged or damaged during replacement, replace the vapor barrier as soon as possible.

Step 5: Remove the inner door handle mechanism. Unscrew any nuts or bolts holding the door handle in place.

There will be a rod from the inner door handle to the door latch mechanism, usually held together by plastic clips. Carefully detach them, remove the broken handle, and replace it with the new one.

Step 6: Loosely reinstall the inner door panel. Test both the inner and outer door handle functions before securing anything in place.

Once you have verified the operation of both, reconnect any electrical connectors you removed and snap the door panel back into the retaining clips. If any were broken during disassembly, visit your local auto parts store or dealership for replacements.

Step 7: Reinstall all screws and trim pieces. Once the door panel is secured onto the retaining clips, reinstall all screws and trim pieces.

Hand tight is perfectly fine, no need to over-tighten them.

An operational door handle is essential for your comfort inside the vehicle and can be a serious inconvenience when broken. If you do not feel comfortable performing this job and if your vehicle needs an inner door handle replacement, be sure to have one of Your Mechanic’s certified technicians come to your home or work and perform the repair for you.

Important Facts You Need to Know About Door Handle

Automotive Interior Door Handle Replacement Service near Iowa City IA: Are your hands slipping when you open your car doors? Get a new door handle to open your ride’s door with ease.

Ignorance won’t bring you bliss, especially when your car and its maintenance are involved. Yes, it’s important to devote most of your time looking after major parts like the engine or the radiator. But what some owners don’t know is they also have to provide time for little parts as well. If you don’t, these parts may break down-and this can be very annoying and inconvenient. For example, your car’s door handle. It may not be as demanding of your attention like the engine is, but it sure does deserve your care. And you better know why.

Well, first of all, simple as door handles are, you can’t do without them. We all know the obvious reason: they enable you to get in and out of your car. When they get damaged, they give you a hard time entering or leaving your car. Imagine getting stuck inside your car or being unable to enter it because of a faulty car door handle? You’d certainly miss important meetings, be late for that much-awaited first date, and what do you know-maybe even more humiliating situations.

What’s worse is that with a broken door handle, your car’s safety is also greatly compromised. Thieves can get in easily and steal your things, or worse, your car. If you don’t want to go through that, better take care of those door handles. Avoid car troubles by doing regular car maintenance of all your car’s parts, no matter how big or small they are.

Symptoms of Bad or Failing Interior Door Handles

1. The door handle is loose

Door handles are manufactured out of plastic or in some cases a metallic coated polymer. They are attached to the door panel and connected to either a cable that operates the door lock mechanism or an electric relay that opens doors electronically. Most of the door handles are still connected to a manual cable. As they are continually operated, they can become loose over a period of time. When this occurs, it becomes more than just an aesthetic issue. A loose door handle will also loosen the cable that is attached to the door lock. If this issue goes unrepaired, it can lead to the cable breaking and rendering the door latching mechanism useless.

To avoid this serious issue, make sure you contact a mechanic if your door handle starts to become loose. In many cases, this is an easy fix for an experienced mechanic to make that can save you a tremendous amount of money in the long run.

2. More effort required to open the door from the inside handle

A solidly mounted interior door handle will open a door with relative ease. However, as the door handle hinge gets used, it can slip or become loose; which can cause the door to open requiring more effort. This added effort is often caused by a kink in the linkage and can lead to the door handle snapping off the interior door panel. As soon as you start to notice that there are issues with opening and closing the door, you should be proactive about replacing the interior door handle.

3. The door will not open at all

If the interior door handle has broken on the inside, it’s very possible that the door latch on the inside is also broken. This will cause the door to not open. Most of the components on the inside of a door will need grease to keep them lubricated. As time goes by, the grease on these parts will begin to dry up, which can cause the parts to seize up. In order to reduce the potential of this happening to you when you least expect it, contact a local ASE certified mechanic so they can inspect and replace the interior door handle before it causes more damage.

Most door handles will last a lifetime without ever causing you stress or frustration. However, until they create the everlasting door handle, there will be times when the interior door handle breaks. If you notice any of the above warning signs, be proactive and contact one of our local mechanics here at YourMechanic.com to determine whether the interior door handle should be replaced.