1. Position the window fully downward.
2. Ensure the manual lock knob is in the unlock (up) position.
3. Insert a flat bladed tool into the top service notch in order to disengage the locking clip located at the front of the manual lock knob.
4. Remove the manual lock knob from the top of the door panel.
5. Remove the inside handle bezel from the inner door panel in the following order:
1. Hold the inside handle to the open position.
2. Insert a flat bladed tool at the front lower corner of the bezel.
3. Pry outward on the bezel.
4. Remove the bezel from the inner door panel.
6. Remove the screw attaching the inside door handle to the sheet metal.
7. Use the door panel clip tool or similar in order to release the eight retainers around the outside edges of the door trim panel.
8. Slide the door trim panel upwards to release it from the following:
The alignment datums
The eight retainers
The arm rest steel retainer clips
The inner belt molding
9. Disconnect the door trim panel electrical connector.
-------------
- To remove the front passenger's door panel, follow steps 9 through 23.
FRONT DRIVER'S DOOR PANEL
1. Lower the front driver's window all the way and open the front driver's door.
2. Begin by prying out the inner handle piece, indicated by the arrow in the picture below.
3. Insert a screwdriver or other strong, thin tool into the crack between the inner and outer pieces, as shown below, and carefully spread them apart. Be careful not to harm the soft-touch coating on the handle pieces - you may want to protect the tool with a thin rag. Although a screwdriver is shown in the picture, I actually prefer a tool with a wider blade, such as a putty or spackling knife - it has always been easier for me to get the handles off with one of these.
4. Once the inner handle piece has been pried out approx. 1/8", as shown below, you should be able to pull it out the rest of the way with your hands.
5. To take the main handle piece off of the driver's door panel, pull the rear of the handle upwards to unclip it, as shown below. Do the same at the front edge of the handle.
6. Disconnect the electrical harness connector for the main window and door controls in the main handle piece, as shown below.
7. If your main door and window controls unit is not working properly (like mine), you can replace it by removing the three medium Phillips screws (yellow arrow in picture below) that attach it to the main handle piece. If your unit is working properly and/or you do not want to replace it, ignore this step.
8. Remove the three large Phillips screws indicated by the yellow arrows in the photo below.
FRONT PASSENGER'S DOOR PANEL
9. Lower the front passenger's window all the way and open the front passenger's door.
10. Begin by prying off the outer handle piece, as shown below. To do this, insert a screwdriver or other strong, thin tool into the crack between the inner and outer pieces at one end and carefully spread them apart. (NOTE: The next four pictures are actually of the rear driver's side door panel and handle. The front passenger's handle is identical to those of the rear doors and I already had the pics for the rear door version of this DIY, so I used them instead of taking new ones -
11. Once one end of the outer handle piece is pried out slightly, move to the other end and pry that out slightly, as shown below. Go back and forth between ends until the handle has been pried out approx. 1/8". Once it is this far out, you should be able to pull it off the rest of the way with your hands.
12. The picture below illustrates how the outer handle piece is connected to the inner handle piece by two posts (yellow arrows) and 3 clips (red arrows). Now you know why it is so hard to get off.
13. The picture below shows the inner handle piece still attached to the door panel. The handle piece is attached to the door panel with three medium Phillips screws (red arrows) and the door panel is secured to the door with 2 large Phillips screws (yellow arrows). If you want to remove the inner handle piece from the door panel, remove all five screws. If you are just taking the door panel off, only remove the two large screws indicated by the yellow arrows.
BOTH DOOR PANELS
14. Remove the three T20 Torx screws at the bottom of the door.
15. Remove the small Phillips screw on the top front edge of the door panel, indicated by the arrow in the picture below. This screw secures the door panel to the speaker grille.
16. Starting at the bottom of the door, pull the door panel away from the door, as shown below. There are six snaps securing the panel to the door, three near the front edge of the panel and three near the rear edge of the panel. The approximate location of the two lowermost snaps on the rear edge are indicated by the red spots. After unsnapping the six snaps, the door panel should still be attached to the top of the door near the bottom of the window.
17. The picture below of the inside of the door panel shows the location of the six snaps. (This picture is for reference only and was taken later in the DIY. The door panel should not be off yet).
18. Starting with the top, rear corner, pull the door panel up and out of the window seal, as shown below.
19. Do the same with the top, front corner of the door panel, as shown below. The door panel should now be disconnected from the door except for the electrical and door lock cable connections in between the panel and the door. You can rest the door panel back into the window seal if you want to take a break or reach for a tool.
20. Next you need to disconnect the door lock cable from the door unlock handle. This is by far the most difficult step of the DIY. I find it easiest to do if you stand on the inside of the door with the door panel in front of you and stick your head through the open window to get a better view. To remove the lock cable, you need to pull out on front edge of the cable retaining clip (red area in picture below) and then slide the clip toward the rear of the car (away from the unlock handle assembly).
21. Once the clip is unhooked, remove the cable from the groove in the unlock handle assembly and then detach the hook from the unlock handle, as shown below.
22. The picture below is a side view of the cable retaining clip to help illustrate how to detach it. You need to pull outwards on the front of the clip (1) to clear the tabs and then slide it to the rear (2).
23. After the lock cable is disconnected from the unlock handle, unclip the electrical connections for the front driver's door (mirror switch, alarm LED, door light, trunk release, gas door release and the speakers) or the front passenger's door (door locks, door light and speakers). You should now be able to remove the door panel from the car.
