sunnyd89

Hello,

New to the forum. Joined today on my fiancées behalf because im having some trouble with her car. So here's the back story:

Wet day in Texas. Her brother was driving and spun out and smashed into a mailbox leaving a nice dent over the passenger door handle (the handle was smashed in and stuck). The passenger door couldn't be opened from the outside because the door handle was stuck to the dented area, but the door could be opened from the inside with no problem. Did this for a few days and then I decided to try to force the door handle open from the outside. sure enough, it popped open...but it made an odd noise in doing so and didn't seem to be connected to anything. It just moved back and forth without any tension. Figured oh well Ill just keep opening the door from the inside. I was wrong. Whatever I had done forcing the door handle on the outside open caused the door handle on the inside to stop opening the door. Now to get in and out of the passenger seat, one has to climb over the driver seat. I wanted to try to take off the door panel and see what had broken or shifted when I had forced the outside door handle open. My problem is that the door is shut. I searched around and followed the DIY instructions I could find and removed the screw and plastic clip from behind the pull-handle, the screw inside the plastic covering on the door, and the 2 screws underneath....but I can't get the panel off/get good leverage to pull it since I'm stuck trying to do all of this from inside the car on the passenger seat. Anything I might be missing that would help getting the panel off. Or any ideas on what else I could do to try to get the panel off with the door closed?

I assume someone is going to say why not just go to a mechanic and have them fix it? Because we are poor and would rather spend our money on food and rent and deal with climbing over the driver seat if we have to. I just really wanted to try to fix it on my own and if I do get it open and I still cant, then oh well - atleast I tried.

ezone

Welcome to the forum.

I was thinking body shop, they might deal with this sort of thing more often.

Tell him that Yankees and Canucks are laughing at him for this.

You posted under 8th/9th gen, what year is your car? Coupe? Sedan?


I haven't ever looked to see how hard this would be to do without having the door open on a late car. You might destroy the panel for all I know right now.

How about you take off the drivers door panel first so you can see how it comes off and how the other side should be?
There are pins all around 3 outer edges, you pry/yank to get them to pop loose.

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You might need to unbolt the seat off the floor to make more room to work on the panel. Disconnect the wires before you move it! Fold it up and move it to the back seat area?


Got a tool like a bent screwdriver with a 90* bend or hook on the end? Get it up under the edge of the panel at the bottom and yank....I guess it would be inward if you are in the car.


Option:
Locate a junkyard door complete, then go crazy cutting the bent door apart?