Technical external door handles

[hirschhs]

Now, if you follow the very good youtube video on how to change these, it'll take you about an hour for each - assuming you don't drop bolts inside the doors or drop a whole tool in side the door - damhik.
BUT - I have invented a whole new way.
Don't remove the trim but gently prise the material away from the outer edge of the door, use a sharp knife to cut if necessary around the locking catch until you have exposed the area we need. Just measure 14.5cms from the outside bolt hole holding the handle on and then 5cms down from the bottom of the locking catch. Using a hole cutter, make a neat hole of 25mm and remove the plug. Now you have access to the other bolt, that is the one which requires removal f the door card, normally. Be very careful indeed how you take that bolt out, using grease or blutak to make sure it doesn't fall inside the door.
Fit handle as normal and replace the plug using bostik or similar and use the same glue to return the material to its place. Job done.

 

[hirschhs]

Follow up: the driver's door handle stopped working so using the above method, I took it apart and in fact the bracket which lifts the rod to open the had broken! Brand new! I removed the handle, photographed the damage and repaired using a soldering iron. All back together in 20 mins or so, but a word to the wise: don't wrench the door, use the lift mechanism to open and then the door itself to swing.