Help! Disassembling door panel...
01-25-2003, 05:21 PM
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Help! Disassembling door panel...
Tonight my key ring broke while I was installing my new shift knob - while I wasn't paying attention, the car keys fell under the seat. I locked up the car, like an ass, and closed the door - only to gaze straight at the key; the spare was also in the car.
After several long moments of frustration, and not having a slim jim, I decided to try the old "2 bobby pins" method of opening a door lock - lots of success in the past when my little sister would lock me out of my room on purpose. Well... here's where the story begins, really... I dropped one of the bobby pins in the space between the lock and the outside panel of the car. It fell down into the hollow space of the door, and now rattles around like CRAZY.
My question for any who have done this for whatever reason (installing alarms, speakers, wiring, etc.) is - how do you access the space where the bobby pin fell into? Is the key to remove that giant grey piece with the door handle built in? I looked over it quickly (it's below freezing, didn't have time to investigate in depth), and saw three attachments - one little knob which I easily pried off behind the door handle. One screw over near the vent on the dash... and another screw over near the vent in the dash, angled and set in a little triangle-shaped plastic piece. I didn't see any other things holding it in place... I tried to wiggle and play with the panel after popping out that little round piece and unscrewing one of the two screws, but it didn't really go anywhere.
Do I need to get that other screw, set in the triangular plastic piece? Once the door panel is removed, will I be able to get into the hollow space, or is there metal in there blocking me? Lastly, is there any easier way to do this, such as threading some wire around a strong magnet, then threading the other end of the wire down a hole somewhere and just fishing this pin out?
I know it's just a little bobby pin... but I hate rattles of any kind, and I'm the kind of perfectionist who really hates this sort of thing. Just knowing it exists in there, and hearing it jiggle, pisses me off.
ps I did get into the car and get the keys out - after I cooled down, and abandoned the bobby pin method, I immediately realized how easily I could get in... it's dangerously simple. Anyone know of a remedy? I won't elaborate, but I'm sure some of you out there know exactly what I'm talking about - takes 30 seconds if you do it right and it isn't 0 degrees out at midnight... otherwise it takes a couple minutes with judicious cursing and curious neighbors driving by at 5 mph wondering what on earth the kid in the orange jacket is doing out in the cold with his car
After several long moments of frustration, and not having a slim jim, I decided to try the old "2 bobby pins" method of opening a door lock - lots of success in the past when my little sister would lock me out of my room on purpose. Well... here's where the story begins, really... I dropped one of the bobby pins in the space between the lock and the outside panel of the car. It fell down into the hollow space of the door, and now rattles around like CRAZY.
My question for any who have done this for whatever reason (installing alarms, speakers, wiring, etc.) is - how do you access the space where the bobby pin fell into? Is the key to remove that giant grey piece with the door handle built in? I looked over it quickly (it's below freezing, didn't have time to investigate in depth), and saw three attachments - one little knob which I easily pried off behind the door handle. One screw over near the vent on the dash... and another screw over near the vent in the dash, angled and set in a little triangle-shaped plastic piece. I didn't see any other things holding it in place... I tried to wiggle and play with the panel after popping out that little round piece and unscrewing one of the two screws, but it didn't really go anywhere.
Do I need to get that other screw, set in the triangular plastic piece? Once the door panel is removed, will I be able to get into the hollow space, or is there metal in there blocking me? Lastly, is there any easier way to do this, such as threading some wire around a strong magnet, then threading the other end of the wire down a hole somewhere and just fishing this pin out?
I know it's just a little bobby pin... but I hate rattles of any kind, and I'm the kind of perfectionist who really hates this sort of thing. Just knowing it exists in there, and hearing it jiggle, pisses me off.
ps I did get into the car and get the keys out - after I cooled down, and abandoned the bobby pin method, I immediately realized how easily I could get in... it's dangerously simple. Anyone know of a remedy? I won't elaborate, but I'm sure some of you out there know exactly what I'm talking about - takes 30 seconds if you do it right and it isn't 0 degrees out at midnight... otherwise it takes a couple minutes with judicious cursing and curious neighbors driving by at 5 mph wondering what on earth the kid in the orange jacket is doing out in the cold with his car
01-26-2003, 03:54 PM
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there should be around 4 screws, two on the left side and 2 on the right side, and a bunch of little red plastic things that pop right out when you pull the panel out, just give it a tug and there should be some open spaces where you could stick your hand in and get the pin
01-26-2003, 04:36 PM
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Originally posted by xdannyx25
there should be around 4 screws, two on the left side and 2 on the right side, and a bunch of little red plastic things that pop right out when you pull the panel out, just give it a tug and there should be some open spaces where you could stick your hand in and get the pin
there should be around 4 screws, two on the left side and 2 on the right side, and a bunch of little red plastic things that pop right out when you pull the panel out, just give it a tug and there should be some open spaces where you could stick your hand in and get the pin
lol
Seriously, though, big thanks. I appreciate it, and I'll post again when I get it fixed.