How do you remove the interior rear door panel on a 1996 Maxima SE?

Answer 1

I had to remove mine recently. I was scared to try it, but I did not want to pay the dealer $180 a window to replace the regulator. I replaced both of my rear regulators for less than $80.00 with parts from parts train.

I used a long flat head screw driver with Duct Tape over the ends to prevent the edges from scratching the panel.

Find an edge that you can pull up. Slip the screw driver under the edge and slide it up (or down) the panel until you meet some resistance. When you meet resistence you are near the plastic piece that is holding the panel to the door. At that point you just have to pry the small plastic piece from the hole that it is sitting in. There were about 8 of these in the entire panel, I believe. (Be careful when you are doing this. There is a piece of styro foam glued to the panel that fits into the door. I actually popped it off of the first panel by accident, but it does not seem to be a problem).

You will also have to remove your window switch from the panel. To do this you simply pop out the small disc that you see when you look into the "door handle area" and remove the screw that is under it.

When you get the plastic pieces popped out and the screw removed you think you are done. You're not. Now comes the fun part.

There is a "cup" that sits behind the "handle" that you pull to open the door. That cup has a catch on it that fits into the door. You have to get your hand behind the door panel and slip that catch off of it's base on the door. This is the hardest and most frustrating part to me.

Don't be intimidated by it. It took me a little while to do the first one, but the second one went smoothly. It's a lot better to have tried it than to just open your wallet to the dealer!

Disclaimer---this is how I did it. It worked for me. I am not responsible if you break something! Good luck.