14
votes
Accepted
Will slamming doors shut damage my car?
I have lived under the impression that they will not bend as the entire surface of the door that touches the body would hit evenly at the same time along the entire surface.
If you put a bar at a ...
- 32.8k
13
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to remove the Pontiac Vibe's rear door handle from the outside?
No. You have to remove the panel to get to the bolt. It is completely within the door structure.
Realistically, don't be so afraid of the weather sheathing. I think most people's problem with it is ...
- 141k
13
votes
Accepted
Best Way to Repair Damage to Exterior Door Shell
In my approximation, your "best bet" is to buy a replacement door out of a wrecking yard. Without extensive work, there's just about no way to fix what's there. If you can find a door of the ...
- 141k
11
votes
Accepted
What clean, non-sticky lubricant can I use for door hinges?
Great question. My preference is silicone spray, as you suggested. I'm pretty sure this one is the one I usually get for this kind of job. Apparently I'm not the only person who thinks this is a ...
- 5,225
11
votes
Is it possible to remove the Pontiac Vibe's rear door handle from the outside?
No, you cannot change that bolt without taking the panel off, you'll have to bite the bullet on that one. Don't worry about the plastic, go slow and use a paint scraper or butter knife to help pry it ...
- 14.6k
10
votes
Accepted
How do you open a locked door when the unlocking mechanism is jammed?
Well, here's what ended up working.
From inside the car, roll down the window.
There's a piece of rubber weatherstripping along the outside bottom edge of the window, pry it out gently with a flat ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
What clean, non-sticky lubricant can I use for door hinges?
My weapon of choice for such a job is something like WD-40's White Lithium Grease:
(source: wd40specialist.com)
- 39k
7
votes
Accepted
VW Passat B5 Rear Door Central Locking Issue - Door Lock Actuator Replacement
The fact that you can hear some noise from the door with the inoperational lock is an indication that the wiring is fine.
There is a good chance that the door lock actuator has gone bad and needs to ...
- 39k
7
votes
What is the best way to prevent my doors from freezing shut in the winter?
Okay I have lived through this and replacing the seals does need to happen when this becomes a problem. However, seals going bad are not always the problem. Sometimes it is simply a matter of the ...
- 79
7
votes
Accepted
Car door dented
Everybody will have a different answer to this question, depending on
the money-value of the vehicle
the sentimental-value of the vehicle
how much longer are you planning to keep it
when the time ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
How do I remove these electrical connectors on the inside of my drivers side door?
First off, no, you do not need to disconnect anything else. If the key is NOT in the ignition, there is no electricity going through these connectors.
So, basically in the image below:
Green Arrows: ...
- 141k
7
votes
Accepted
Controlling door lock/unlock via CAN bus
The OBD-II port supports a number of electrical protocols, but all of them are serial in nature. There is nothing you can do to any of the OBD-II pins with "plain negative pulses" to do what you want ...
- 9,286
6
votes
Doors lock from fob, then unlock themselves
I've had central locking refusing to stay locked with several cars when any of the door sensors (or boot lid sensor, or even engine cover sensor) thinks its door is open - whether it's actually the ...
- 341
6
votes
VW Passat B5 Rear Door Central Locking Issue - Door Lock Actuator Replacement
PROBLEM
As you can see in the photo, on the lock actuator replacement part for my car door there is a plastic part (left) and a metal part (right).
The two parts, metal and plastic, are supposed to ...
- 7,927
6
votes
Accepted
Dent removal from passenger door
Roll the window up and pull the door panel, using various sized wood sticks (long ones for leverage) attempt to push or massage out as much of the dent as possible. You can gently use a hammer on the ...
- 7,950
6
votes
Dent removal from passenger door
As discussed in another recent answer one good method for paint-less dent repair (which is really the only DIY type of dent repair) is to use glue on plastic dent tabs:
These come in different shapes ...
- 13.2k
6
votes
Accepted
I lost a door lock wire inside the door
With difficulty ;)
Remove the door card (interior trim) if it's not off already - this should reveal a number of holes in the inner skin of the door.
Using a small mirror and a torch, try to work ...
- 28.6k
4
votes
2004 VW Passat B5.5 - Is one of my heated wing mirrors actually broken?
The heated mirrors have a restive heat strip spiraled around the back of the mirror. It works much like the defrost "wires" on a rear car window but since its a mirror, you can't see them. The MkIII ...
- 13.2k
4
votes
Doors won't stay open
This is a common 2005-2009 Prius problem. Prius Chat gives a good explanation on how to change them. I recommend you don't get replacement parts from salvage yard. I did this and the door stops again ...
4
votes
Can't unlock the driver's side door with the key
Try using some graphite lube on the lock cylinder before you give up on it.
If you remove the lock cylinder, disassemble it, and clean it, you may improve it's function.
You should also be able to ...
- 641
4
votes
Fiat Punto Door Dent
Follow Paulster2's comment is to get a perfect result. But prior to going to a body shop or going to the scrapyard, you might try this:
As the dent looks really clean to me, another possibility ...
- 523
4
votes
Accepted
Fiat Punto Door Dent
With the damage which is there, a suction cup dent puller is not going to do the job you are looking for it to do. If there was only "dent" damage, the suction cup can sometimes remove them. When you ...
- 141k
4
votes
Accepted
Remove car door lock lever arm
Referencing the photo it appears the retaining clip is still in place. At the 12 o'clock position you will notice a square shaped tag. Lifting the tab away from the bracket pry the clip in the ...
- 19.7k
4
votes
How can I fix a key broken off in a door lock?
You need to find a way to open the door, slim jim or other tool.
Once the door is open you need to remove the lock cylinder to get the broken key out. Depending on the vehicle how hard or easy this ...
- 7,950
4
votes
Car door dented
It is not compulsory to repair the door as long as there are no sharp edges which may cause injury to a pedestrian. The main reason most people want to repair or replace the door is for cosmetic ...
- 51
4
votes
Accepted
Door handle starting to come out
Behind the handle are two studs with nuts that hold the handle in place.
You will need to take the interior door panel off and reach into the door to tighten these nuts.
- 9,035
4
votes
Accepted
Is interior side of a car door designed to withstand rain?
There's not much to worry about. Car doors have seals to keep rain out, as long as the window is in contact with the seal along its entire length rain will not get inside the door, even if it is not ...
- 14.6k
3
votes
What is the best way to prevent my doors from freezing shut in the winter?
Get a can of bees wax, it is a harder type wax, wipe it on the painted area where the rubber seals against the metal. A paper towel or cloth works well, apply a thin layer, in other words don't leave ...
- 31
3
votes
Adhesive for use with a foam liner under the door panel
I am only 7+ years late, maybe this will help someone else.
The foam peace between the door and the "Door trim panel" is called the "Water Deflector"
The black glue is very close to "3M strip caulk" ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
Vibe: Rear door lock no longer affected by remote
It sounds like either the solenoid that activates the lock has failed, or the linkage connecting them has come adrift, or there is a problem with the wiring going to the solenoid - the solenoid ...
- 28.6k
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