jstahnke10

iTrader: (1)

The door handle on my '03 TL broke.
After further investigation, I found that the lever that opens the latch broke.



I did some digging online and found some replacement door handles for around $30 unpainted.
I called a few junk yards to see if anyone had one in my color match.
I found one for $43 and change after shipping (south side of Chicago to north side of Milwaukee).
I did not get any estimates for painting a new unpainted handle.

Anyway, the box arrived and I got down to it...
I am not going to go through removing the inner door panel. A search will find it easy enough.
It's two screws, a bunch of push clips and a window/door control clip.
You'll want to make sure the window is raised to the top before the window control clip is removed.

You will need:
Appx 30-60 minutes
Screwdriver
10mm socket
socket extension

First step is to remove the rod protector.
Remove the screw and shift the hooks out.
Take this out of the door and set it aside out of the way.



Next you need to disconnect the lock rod from the lock crank.
It's the same clip as the inner door handle, just lift it up and pull it out.



Now you'll need to remove the three screws securing the latch.
Make sure you have a large screw driver so as not to strip these screws.



You're just going to need this out of the way; it can be slid down inside the door so you can get into the opening.



Finally, remove the two bolts securing the outer handle.
You'll need a short extension to reach the bolt.
One can be reached where the rod protector was:



The other can be reached where the latch was:



The outer handle protector will come off from the inside, and the handle will now come off from the outside.



Replace with your new handle and reassemble everything in reverse order of removal.
Note: Make sure the door opens and locks properly before assembling the inner door panel. It'll just save some time if you have to take it off again.

Hooray! A normal working door again!