Door trouble
When your car door won’t open, it rattles as you drive or on closing it, the window struggles to wind up or down or the exterior handle sticks open, many of these problems can seem like a nightmare to fix.
Fortunately, the design of the doors on the majority of modern vehicles is very similar. The door cards are usually secured with screws and plastic trim plugs. The door mirrors are secured from the inside, with wiring routed through the mounting point. The window regulator assembly (motor, guides and cables) can be removed altogether, and the door lock is often a compact unit secured to the rear edge of the door with a few screws.
Many of the typical problems we’ve outlined can often be fixed with a replacement lock, regulator or additional fastenings. There is also some level of preventative maintenance, such as lubricating the channels where the door glass moves up and down.
The following pages outline the aforementioned points in greater detail and highlight many more potential problems and repairs.
STICKING DOOR HANDLE
1 External door handles that are rarely used can start to stick open or become difficult to operate. A light grease can temporarily fix the problem, but often the best solution is to strip and repair
