Petza914

If either your inner or outer door handle won't open the door, here's a DIY on how to investigate one of the more common issues and potentially repair it.

Open the door and from the end, remove this plastic cap (photo of front driver's door).


DO EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWS WITH THE DOOR OPEN - DON'T CLOSE THE DOOR

under the top portion of the cap is a screw like this (photo from rear driver's door for simplicity)



Notice the tab that sticks down over the screw. There is another one of these behind the screw and they are connected to a sort of metal loop that goes around the lock cylinder.

Once you've loosened that screw, from the outside of the door, wiggle this end piece up and down as you pull it toward you until it slides out.


Once that's removed, you'll see this cable with a plastic end on it and with a little screwdriver you can pry it out of the grooves where you see it inserted, and there is some adjustability here, depending on where in the groove group you insert the plug.




If you can open the door from the outside by pressing on the door near the striker plate while pulling the outside door handle, the cable is probably too tight. When its too tight, it doesn't allow for the assembly to have enough travel where it will reset the catch to open the door a second time, so you may get it to open once, but not a second time. If this is what's happening, pry the little plastic piece out of the grooves and move it back a couple slots, then press it back into the grooves. DON'T CLOSE THE DOOR because if you've moved it the wrong way, neither the inside nor outside handle may work now.

Instead, use your fingers on the door latch mechanism to close the catch, like this. Move it up until you hear two clicks (first click position is shown in the photo).


Now back to the outer door handle area. With your right-hand index finger in the hole in the door where the lock cylinder goes, hold that black plastic piece in the grooves and pull the outside door handle. If you don't hold it in, it will pop out when you pull the handle. Did it release the catch you manually closed in the previous step?

If yes, try it a few more times and then do the same test pulling the inner door handle release too. If both of those are working, do the same tests after locking the door with the lock button, then unlocking it. If everything seems to be working as it should then while keeping your finger on the black plastic thing, close the door and do the same tests again. (To test the inner handle while keeping the plastic thing held in with your finger, the window will need to be open)

If all is good, you've found a good position for the black plastic thing in the grooves and can slide the lock cylinder back in then tighten the clamp from the end of the door, then reinstall the plastic cap. Remember, one tab goes under the screw and the other above it. The lock cylinder is what keeps the plastic thing securely in the grooves.

If things aren't working correctly, try a different position of the plastic thing in the grooves and rerun all the tests, as maybe the cable was too loose and pulling the outside door handle didn't move it enough to open the door.

Now that you understand how it works you can fiddle with it until you get it right.

As part of my widebody project with a color change, when the body shop put the car back together I had to do this on both Driver's side doors as they had the cables too tight (too far toward the outside in the grooves).

Good luck and hope it helps.