How to Remove Your Door Panel

About This How-to
Author: moonwell
Added: 06.29.02
Updated: 02.27.04
Discuss (8)
If for some reason you need to get inside your door, here are the instructions on how to do it.


Tools

How To Do It

Step 1

Roll your window down first, it will make things easier on you. Now, start the removal process by prying off the cover behind the door handle. This will expose a screw. Remove this screw, along with the screw hiding behind the lock slider (slide it to the locked position to reveal)

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Step 2

Now remove the screw holding on the triangular piece behind the mirror, and the screw holding the plastic piece on where the seatbelt goes into the bottom of door

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Step 3

Pry off the cover where the seatbelt goes into the top of the door, and remove the 2 screws from the metal bracket underneath.

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Step 4

Now remove all the screws along the bottom of the door, that are holding the bottom panel on

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Step 5

The bottom panel should now pop off. You may need to pry behind the panel with a flat screwdriver, or a special panel removal tool to pop the clips free. Once it is free, pull it down and out of the way. The seatbelt will still be holding it on. If you want to remove it completely, slide the seatbelt out of the slot in the panel.

Step 6

With the bottom panel out of the way, 3 9/32" bolts will be revealed under the armrest of the top panel. Use a rachet or a nut driver to remove all 3 of these bolts

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Step 7

Only 1 more bolt to go. It is located behind the door panel, and attaches the top of the "Oh Shit" handle to the door frame. It is the same size as the other bolts, so use your socket to get that baby out of there

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Step 8

ALl the bolts are out, so now the only thing holding the panel on are some clips. Use the same procedure to pop these clips as you did for the bottom panel.

Step 9

Now you can separate the panel from the door. Pull upwards and slightly out to get it up off the lip at the top of the door. It might be stubborn. If it really won't move, make sure you removed all the bolts and screws, and all the clips have been popped free. Once you get the panel free, there are still a couple things keeping it from being removed entirely

Step 10

The black piece surrounding the door handle must be shimmied out of the panel. It can be a bit tricky, but get it maneuvered to the right angle, and it will slide through. The seatbelt must be slid out of the top of the door through the slit you opened up be removing the metal bracket. Last, but not least, if your door has power locks, the electrical connector must be removed from the back of the lock switch.

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Step 11

Thats it! You can now proceed to do whatever you removed the door panel for. Installation is the reverse of removal, or course, so I don't feel that I need to document that. Just make sure you don't lose any screws, and you get them all back in the right places! :)

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