How-To Remove Door Panels for Speaker or Window Maintenance

[JohnC]

I got the dreaded window clunk...so here is the how-to. It was a very easy fix, mine was just a loose bolt and not the "unglue" of the window to regulator problem.

Attached files Howtowindowfix..doc (453.5 KB) 

[scherry2]

pretty straight forward nice job.

[JohnC]

Here is the text only...for those that don't like pictures.How-To Remove Door Panel and Tighten Window Regulator Bolt To Stop That CLUNK!Here are the tools and supplies need, socket is 10mm and prying devices have tape over them to prevent scratches. The silicone is for the window track, lithium grease is for the regulator and the thread lock is for the offending bolts. Remove the screw and door pull cup.Pry open the cover and remove the screw behind the interior door handle. Carefully pull the rearview mirror interior cover off by hand. Carefully pry up at the top of the electric window/door lock control panel, pull the top of the assembly out about ½”, then pull the whole assembly up and out. There is a L-shaped piece at the bottom that prevents it from coming straight up and out.Now use a small screw driver to push in on the connector release (a very small open area in front of the screwdriver in the picture) and pull electrical connector out. Starting at the bottom carefully pry the door panel out, there are reusable white plastic fasteners on both sides and bottom of the panel. I use an old gardening weed tool covered with tape to for this. When both sides and bottom fasteners have been removed, then lift panel straight up and off. If any white fasteners stayed in the door frame remove them and place them into the panel. Remove door pull bracket from door (2) 10mm bolts.Remove speaker connector.Carefully remove plastic vapor barrier. Remove window regulator access cover (3) small screws.Reconnect window control switch assembly. To do this pull the outer collar of the connector back, then insert the connector, then push out collar forward until it engages. Here are a couple pictures of the connector in both configurations. Do not force it; if you are doing correctly it will easily connect/disconnect. Lower the window until the access hole lines up with the front regulator slide bolt. This will be about 4 or 5 inches from the full lowered position. In the next picture the socket is on the bolt. This was the loose bolt (front bolt) that caused my “window clunk”, and I believe it is a pretty common problem. Remove the bolt (10mm), put some thread lock on it then replace it. I did the rear bolt as well (next pic). Now is a good time to grease the regulator. Lube the window channels with silicone spray and operate the window several times to ensure everything is working correctly, then wipe off any excess grease.Now remove the window switch control assembly, then put everything back together pretty much in reverse order.That’s it…pretty easy really.

[JohnC]

Thanks. It took twice as long to tell about it as did to do it.

[engineertwin2]

Great job JohnC! Hopefully, one of the mods will make this one a sticky, and if it needs it, I nominate this for sticky status (especially given the number of people asking about the windows lately).

[truepath]

I used these directions today to fix a window clunk on the passenger side of my 05 Vibe. Worked great and only took about a half an hour.

[Sunu]

Hello all!Thank you so much for posting the window maintanance how to. Recently my window has not worked. I heard a loud pop! And something fell in the driver-side door of my 03 vibe. Turns out one of the gider bolts popped out completely. The window was off it's track and would not seal when raised. Thanks in large part to this forum and my neighbor I was able to save a lot of time and money fixing my window.

[sieg01]

Thanks for this! Just got a 2003 GT with a known window issue. Followed these instructions to and it turned out that part of the scissor lift that was lifting the window was bent and catching part of the door on the way down. A couple little bends with the visegrips fixed that!

[joatmon]

Thanks. It took twice as long to tell about it as did to do it.

Another old thread bump, but I just had to say

JohnC, I really appreciate that you took the time to write this up. It was clear and I just did this to my new old vibe and thanks to you it went smooth, no surprises, and it really took less time to do it than to read about it. Like yours, my front bolt was loose, almost to the point of falling out. I was getting a sharp snap about halfway going up or down, and now, thanks to you, it's smooth and worry free.

I was going to just go make a dealer do the recall on the car, but this fix took less time than it would have taken me to just drive to the dealer, an I avoided all the check in, waiting for them to get to my car, to do the repair, to give it back, and then drive home and then discover what they screwed up when they had it.

Good to see that this thread had earned a spot in the Great How-to Modification Index


your profile says you haven't logged on in almost 3 years, but if you do, I just wanted to let you know you are still helping people. Thanks again.

[lannvouivre]

Thanks for bumping this, joatmon. I have a Hayne's, but it doesn't tell me what tools I need or if I need sealant, so it's nice to actually know in advance.

This doesn't look anywhere near as harrowing as I thought it would be.