A car's door is nothing like most doors; in many ways, it is a self-contained machine, part control center, and part vault opening. There's a lot going on inside of your Jetta's door, from the power window and lock mechanisms, to the switchgear that controls them, to the handle that opens the latch that makes this a door. Accessing any of these means getting through that pretty piece of carpet and plastic that VW installed to keep you car from looking like the inside of a parts warehouse; simple enough, once you know how.
Instructions
- 1
Obtain your radio's security code before disconnecting the battery -- something you'll really only need to do if you're working on any of the electrical components in the door. Begin py inserting a very fine-bladed screwdriver in the gap between the grip recess trim and the semi-circular trim piece inside of it. This is the part that your finger-tips wrap around when you stick your hand into the grip recess, and it must come off first. If pops off in the direction of the door, away from the center of the car.
2Slide your screwdriver blade under the grip recess trim piece that surrounds the power window switches and the grip recess. You'll insert the screwdriver under the bottom of the trim piece, closest to you as you're sitting in the car. Pry under the trim piece near the middle of the grip recess; pull the grip upward and forward to expose the under-side of the trim. On the front of the trim piece, press the locking lug against the connector, and pull it off.
3Remove the seven screws securing the door panel to the door. You'll find three behind the grip trim piece you just pulled off, three on the bottom, and one in the top-front corner near the rear-view mirror. Use your door clip removal tool to remove the clips at the front and rear of the door panel, then lift the door panel upward and off of the window slot trim. If you need to remove the door panel completely, use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pull the door cable retainer out of its bracket, away from the door handle itself. Unhook the cable from the handle and pull it off.
4Install in the reverse order of removal. Hook the door cable into the handle, and slide the cable retainer into its bracket. Carefully lower the door trim down into the window slot, and press the door panel retainers into the door with the palm of your hand. Install the screws hand-tight with a screwdriver, and reconnect the power window switch harness. Press the grip trim back down into the door panel until it locks in place, and do the same with the first trim piece you pried off.
