How do you remove the inside door panel on a 1994 Geo Prizm to replace the exterior door handle?

Answer 1

Take a shop towel and slowly work it behind the window crank. This will force the lock spring up and you can pry it out from there. Next,remove all of the screws holding the door panel on and gently pry the door panel away from the door. There are plastic pins holding it on so you don't want to force it and break any of them. You'll have to pick the door panel up in order to remove it. Meaning lift it from the bottom towards the top of the door. This will expose the vapor barrier and after carefully removing it, you can now access the inside of the door in order to do your repair. This may sound a bit complicated, but it really isn't. You should be able to remove all of this stuff in about fifteen minutes or so. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The above is a generic approach but here's the specifics: 1) unscrew arm rest and door latch 2) get a door panel removal tool. This $2 tool allows you reach under the panel to pop out the plastic pins, and you slide it in under and parallel to the window crank to release the hidden clip. These steps are tricky if you haven't done it before, but once it's off it's all obvious. 3) to remove the inside door latch you must slide it forward while wiggling, to unhook it. You can unsnap the plastic catch on the linkage, or leave it in place. 4) if all pins have been released, the panel can now be slid upwards to unhook it from the top, and remove.