How to Remove a Door Panel

There are several reasons to remove a door panel from a car: repairing a power function, such as the locks or window regulators; replacing the window glass; changing a light bulb in the door; or having the door panel paint or reupholstered. Body shops can remove most door panels within minutes with the proper tools. Learn how to remove a door panel in almost any vehicle and take care of your maintenance problems yourself.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screw drivers (flat head and Phillips head in several sizes)
• Prying tool

1. Open the door as wide as possilbe. Locate hidden scew locations in the door panel. Look behind the door handle, inside the storage pockets and inside of armrests for small plastic doors. Use a flat head screw driver to pop these doors out and remove the screw behind them. Look around the edge of the door panel for additional screws.

2. Pry the edge of the door panel up and away from the door using a prying tool. There are metal or plastic clips that hold the door panel in place. Pry until the clip pops out of the door panel. Depending on the model of the car, there can be as little as three clips or as many as 15.

3. Pull the door panel away from the door until it stops. Look behind the panel and locate the metal rod for the door handle. Slip the door handle out of the hole in the panel and unsnap the rod from the plastic clip that is holding it in place. Pull the door panel out further.

4. Locate and remove any wire connectors behind the door panel. Use a flat head screw driver to unclip the connectors from the wires. The panel should be free from the door.

Tips & Warnings

• Place a small container near the door panel to hold all of the screws and other hardware from the door.
• Don't pry hard on the door panel to remove the clips as this can cause the panel to crack.

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