987 Door card removal
Discussion
I've had a quick search for this, but couldn't come up with anything useful. How do you remove the door card from a year-old Boxster? My boyfriend is used to taking door cards off all the time but he said that there are four bolts but he's not sure if it pulls off, slides off or what. Anyone got any experience of this? Thanks
It's a fairly easy affair to be honest and it's quite astonishing to see all the development that goes into these simple items.
You've found the screws (behind the triangular wing mirror cover, behind the rear trim panel on the door profile, behind the trim piece on the handle and behind the door pull) but what's really holding down the door card are (IIRC) 9 clips.
There are three at the bottom which is the best place to start so with a trim removal tool (or anything else made of a tough plastic) wiggle it between the card and the frame. Be careful though not to push the tool more than a centimetre deep as you could easily catch the door membrane instead and start taking chunks out of the seal giving you leaky doors. Simply feel your way around the card and with your fingers getting purchase, delicately pull the card away. Don't tug the card, but keep a constant pulling pressure on it and it will definitely release without snapping anything. You'll hear a number of popping sounds as the clips begin to give. Then, once you get a few of the lower clips off, make your way around and to the rest. Try and be delicate when pulling the clips around the speakers as the door trim is fairly flimsy at this point.
Once all the clips have been released, you can simply tilt and lift the card off the door to free it from the window channel. After disconnecting a few cables (window regulator, speakers and door lock) the card is free.
To replace the card, simply drop in each of the clips, reconnect the cables and tilt the door into the window channel. Then, feel around to get each clip located inside it's respectice hole and with a shap and quick punch, knock each of the clips into place. You'll hear a satisfying click when they lock in.
A few pointers from doing this a few times:
- the wing mirror cover is fiddley to remove, but its hinged at the top tip and clipped at the base in 2 places. You could very easily scratch it up or break the tabs if you are not careful, so try and release the base of it first and then slide it *upwards*.
- When reattaching the card, ensure that all the cables are routed within the card frame correctly as you could very easily crush a loom wire.
- The clips can be reused, but you need to reset them first. Best trick i came across was to use two large flat bladed screwdrivers and wedge them either side of the clip stem and try ans seperate the upper half from the base. You'll hear a click when this is done.
Best of luck
Pops
You've found the screws (behind the triangular wing mirror cover, behind the rear trim panel on the door profile, behind the trim piece on the handle and behind the door pull) but what's really holding down the door card are (IIRC) 9 clips.
There are three at the bottom which is the best place to start so with a trim removal tool (or anything else made of a tough plastic) wiggle it between the card and the frame. Be careful though not to push the tool more than a centimetre deep as you could easily catch the door membrane instead and start taking chunks out of the seal giving you leaky doors. Simply feel your way around the card and with your fingers getting purchase, delicately pull the card away. Don't tug the card, but keep a constant pulling pressure on it and it will definitely release without snapping anything. You'll hear a number of popping sounds as the clips begin to give. Then, once you get a few of the lower clips off, make your way around and to the rest. Try and be delicate when pulling the clips around the speakers as the door trim is fairly flimsy at this point.
Once all the clips have been released, you can simply tilt and lift the card off the door to free it from the window channel. After disconnecting a few cables (window regulator, speakers and door lock) the card is free.
To replace the card, simply drop in each of the clips, reconnect the cables and tilt the door into the window channel. Then, feel around to get each clip located inside it's respectice hole and with a shap and quick punch, knock each of the clips into place. You'll hear a satisfying click when they lock in.
A few pointers from doing this a few times:
- the wing mirror cover is fiddley to remove, but its hinged at the top tip and clipped at the base in 2 places. You could very easily scratch it up or break the tabs if you are not careful, so try and release the base of it first and then slide it *upwards*.
- When reattaching the card, ensure that all the cables are routed within the card frame correctly as you could very easily crush a loom wire.
- The clips can be reused, but you need to reset them first. Best trick i came across was to use two large flat bladed screwdrivers and wedge them either side of the clip stem and try ans seperate the upper half from the base. You'll hear a click when this is done.
Best of luck
Pops
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