how to fix a broken door handle - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Gilles · 03-19-2015, 05:36 PM

This morning when I open the door I heard a snapping noise and now the door handle is not fully recessed the way is supposed to be.

I have never removed the door panel and I had bad experiences in the past with other vehicles with broken clips and rattling noises afterwards.

Sorry for the size...

Gilles · 03-19-2015, 06:09 PM

I am sorry, but does someone knows how to fix it ..?

78F350 · 03-19-2015, 06:20 PM

I had a similar problem and found that a spring that attaches to the handle had broken. I replaced the whole door panel with one from my parts car. The spring didn't look too hard to replace individually.

I'm sure plenty of us have door parts or the whole panel if you need it. Maybe yours just popped off.

Here's a good door pane removal DIY (Also in the 101 Projects book)
Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Door Panel Removal / Boxster Mirror Switch Replacement - 986 / 987

KRAM36 · 03-19-2015, 06:20 PM

I have to pop my panel off tomorrow. If nobody gives you an answer before then, I'll let you know and take pictures.

Looks like 78F350 gave you the info.

.

Gilles · 03-20-2015, 06:09 AM

78F350/Kram36,

Thank you for the encouraging comments, hopefully I will manage to get the panel off without breaking the plastic clips.

If I get lucky, I may be able to buy only the broken spring and not the entire handle assembly from the dealership...

antny · 03-20-2015, 06:39 AM

I have pulled my door panel off about 20 times by now. Only thing that is tricky is the little allen screw behind the little plastic piece that says SRS airbag. The tabs are pretty stout and mine are fine after all the removals. Give it a gentle tug and the panel comes off. Don't lose the blue plastic pieces behind the mirror adjustment triangle.

silver-S · 03-20-2015, 08:52 AM

The driver's door handle of my daughter-in-law's Camry snapped off in her hand one day. The plastic doesn't have UV stabilizers, I would guess. This appears to be a common problem and I found a video on YouTube showing how to remove and replace it. My son picked one up at the salvage yard and spent maybe an hour fixing it.
Is there a similar video for Porsches? Maybe not, but it's worth looking for. If not, I can send you the Porsche repair manual pages that show the procedure. (Not as good as a video, but good to get the right sequence and hidden fastener tricks.)

jakeru · 08-25-2015, 10:18 PM

Does anyone have a part number on the spring mentioned in this thead as likely being the culprit behind the interior door handle not fully returning to the flush position after the handle is released?

This problem just started happening on the driver's door of my '01 box with 110k miles. When the handle is left sticking out, it can trigger a microswitch that apparently can run the interior light, and also I think can mess up the alarm function.