Re: Interior Trim Removal

[theshovel1224@xxxx]

I am very experienced in this area, as I had to take the trim panels
off the door a multitude of times
when I was putting my window back on the tracks.

First, roll down the window of the side you're working on, then take
a slotted screwdriver, and from
the outside, pop the upper trim panel retaining pins out of their
holes. Then, the upper trim panel
should pop out after you get a u-shaped hook out from a hole on the
side of the door toward the rear of the car.
To remove the lower trim panel, remove all of the screws fastening it
to the door. Do not remove the screws
fastening the pull handle/lock button bracket to the door, though. 
Remove the plastic piece from around the 
latch release & lock, very carefully as it breaks fairly easily. You
can then also unhook the mirror switch so 
that is does not get in the way. Then the workshop manual says to,
with a long phillips screwdriver, remove
the screws holding the pull handle to the door. I found this to be
very difficult, and instead, using a slotted
screwdriver, carefully popped the trim panel around the pull handle,
leaving it attached to the door. This 
makes reattaching the trim panel much easier. Then pop the lower
trim panel retaining pins out of their
holes, and voila, the lower trim panel comes off. Be careful not to
let the panel drop from the door as you're
removing it, as the little door that can be used to close off the
airflow to the door air vents may fall out,
(I can speak from experience on that, it happened to me on both
doors, and it took me a long time to put 
it back in the air vent) hopefully, this will not happen to you. 
There should then be only a sheet of plastic
covering the insides of the door, and this can be carefully peeled
back to reach the lock mechanism. When 
working on the insides of the door, be very careful not to cut your
hands on the metal, as it is very sharp.
(Experience again, Ow! Used a lot band-aids that day) Leather gloves
are reccommended. Be careful when
opening the doors with the panels off, as they are quite light, and
can fly up very quickly. Also, when working
around the open doors, watch your head! To put the panels back on,
follow the same instructions in reverse.
Pop lower panel retaining pins into holes, tapping lightly with a
rubber mallet helps. Screw in a few screws
at the top, then, using a slotted screwdriver pop the panel back
around the pull handle. Screw in the rest of the
screws. Reattach the mirror switch. Put the plastic thingy back on,
then put the upper trim panel back on, and
you're done. Glad to be of any help.

John Yeoman