Technical Removing door handle

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Technical Removing door handle

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I am putting new drivers side front and rear doors on my car. I’ve bought doors in blue and the car is black so I will be getting them painted prior to putting on the car.

I need to take the door handles off for painting and my car has the lock button so will need to swap them over.

To get to the handle do you have to take the glass out?

To get the glass out do you need to take the interior door mechanism out?

Anyone done this? I can do the little 500 with my eyes closed but have no experience of the 500x.
 
I think you are a bit of a trailblazer on this forum. Remember the 500x has only been around for 3 years or so, and sales volumes are nothing like the 500, so the knowledge base for repairs etc is much smaller. Nonetheless, I hope someone here can chip in to help - we have at least one dealership employee here.
 
Well I've been doing a little reading and if it is JUST the door handle you want to remove then it is possibly quite simple. NOTE! THIS IS FOR DOOR HANDLE WITH NO PUSH BUTTON!

o Open the door
o Inside the door jam is a bung (1a) in line and level with the door handle
o Remove bung (1a)
o Behind bung (1a) is a screw (1b)
o Loosen screw (1b) CLOCKWISE
o Pull exterior door handle (2a) then remove lock barrel mounting (2b)
o Push the handle (1a) in the direction of the arrows (slide handle in direction of remove lock barrel / door back edge / bung (1a)
o Release attachments/engagements from the inner handle support
the attachments (1b) from the handle support (1c).
o Rotate and remove the handle.

Now for handles with buttons there is a minor complication. From the button a wire runs inside the door handle to the pivot heel. If you pull your door handle full open you can see this blue wire in the heel. Also if you look at what is going on you can see how the handle is basically operating.

At the heel end there is a foot / tang that extends beyond the handle end into the door handle carrier. At the lock/fixed end there it a long bent arm with arc that moves in and out of the handle carrier. The end of the arm also has a foot/tang and extends backward to locate and pull on the handle carrier mechanics. This is why the handle has to be slide backwards so these feet/tangs can be slid out of the handle carrier. Removal of the lock barrel/end assemble is done because this is the only fixed part that stops the handle being slid backwards.

The wire is going to be the problem as this will terminate in a connector which I suspect is buried inside the door.

I'm also thinking that as your replacement doors do not have the keyless entry/button setup then I strongly suspect that the handle carrier assembly will be different as will some other stuff inside the door and associated with keyless entry. For example there is an antenna inside to door to detect the presence of the key inside the car so you can't lock yourself out.

So, unless I'm misunderstanding your door swap then it looks link your are going to have to strip the doors down and transfer all the locking associated innards.
 
Thanks for that. I’m assuming that at the very least I’m going to have to change the loom which I’ve done dozens of times on the little 500s. Have no idea how to remove the big mechanism and glass but hopefully that will become clearer when I get the door card off.

My donor doors are complete including door cards so I’ll have an experiment on those mechanisms. The back door should be a straight swap hopefully.

Where did you read all this? I’ve been searching and can’t find anything!
 
Where did you read all this? I’ve been searching and can’t find anything!

KeyLEARN, the now discontinued eLEARN on a USB pen drive.

And before anybody asks it is NOT possible to make a working copy of the USB drive. The content can be copied but it will not run. Basically the content and USB hardware are Digital Rights Managed. All files, html, SQL database files, etc. are 256 bit encrypted which also explains why the system is SOOOOO SLOW to use as everything has to be read, decrypted and then displayed.

eLEARN technical information is now only available to VAT registered concerns and is a WEB subscription service ONLY, and it is not cheap.

Example prices:

For ePER Parts it is 53 Euros per MONTH
For Fiat/Abarth Manuals it is 1630 Euros per year or 6 Euros per HOUR

I'll make no further comment!
 
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Well FCA seem to have gone a further step into the "Dark Side" as far as us club members and enthusiasts who only actually contribute to FCA vehicle sales and heritage.

I gather that pretty much all FCA 2018 production models now have SGW (Security Gateway) module blocks any diagnostic tool from executing commands on the vehicle (like actuators, procedures and even clearing of DTCs).

https://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-giulia/1165617-obd-problems.html

What are the like of Snap On and all the other major diagnostic manufacturers going to do about this? Block Exemption rules in the EU were introduced to stop manufacturers denying smaller concerns from accessing data and being able to service vehicles without voiding warranties.

I suspect, but not have researched, that the Block Exemption rules and legal wording did not cover diagnostic "active/reset" functions so FCA have taken advantage of a loop hole?
 
I did the same and replaced the two doors. After unclipping the electronics via the rectangular socket you can just undo the nut that holds downward section part of the hinge. I didnt need to remove the hinge to the bodywork or the door.

One nut is at the top and the other is on the bottom from memory

I havent managed to remove the handle but did transfer over the privacy glass on the back. It on a post I made here

Incidentally how much for the respray. I'm not too far from you
 
I did the same and replaced the two doors. After unclipping the electronics via the rectangular socket you can just undo the nut that holds downward section part of the hinge. I didnt need to remove the hinge to the bodywork or the door.



One nut is at the top and the other is on the bottom from memory



I havent managed to remove the handle but did transfer over the privacy glass on the back. It on a post I made here



Incidentally how much for the respray. I'm not too far from you



It’s the removing of the internal cassette which is causing me problems at the moment. I’ve been given some instructions from someone on eBay and I’m going to give it a go this weekend.

Haven’t been given a price for the painting yet.
 
IMG_3733.JPGnew doors are on!
 
Could you post up the after pics as well. How much for the door respray? Looking to get it done as well.
 
Could you post up the after pics as well. How much for the door respray? Looking to get it done as well.



Don’t know yet. I always get amazing prices on bodywork he does for me on my little 500s that I repair. Hope to be getting it back by Friday so I will post some pics and let you know how much it was. They are also painting and fitting a new wing that I supplied. Can’t wait to get it back.
 
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