[flash]

so, yesterday i was out and about driving the car. i went in to run an errand, came back out, reached for the driver door handle and squeezed the lever. BOINK! i felt it snap inside. so, home it went, and apart came the door. the metal armature inside snapped at the pivot point.



the good news is that the part is less than $25 and readily available. the bad news is that this pushes back the completion of a couple of other projects by a day or two, as i have the door apart and am waiting on the part.



i'll snap shots and write up a DIY for this, as i am pretty sure this will happen to others.

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[bombfactory]

Every time I open my door I half-expect something to break in there!

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[flash]

i knew this was coming too. i had begun to feel resistance at the lever. it was a sign of getting ready to break.

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[Lear35A]

If any of us had brains, we'd go buy a Boxter with a warranty.

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[968Syncro]

Yes, had the driver's side door handle repaired last summer. They said the metal on the handle itself broke, where the pivoting part mounts. Need the whole new handle as well. And the same thing flash, could feel the resistance on the handle for some months before it went. And yes, the DIY would be excellent, it will likely happen to all of them.

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[mbardeen]

I've done this job any times while trying to getting the handles and door locks working on my car. The little ball joint and I have had our moments, with many crude words spoken in the heat of passion.



Soon, when the car finally gets back from the paint shop, I'll get to do it again.



The worst part of the whole job is getting the handle actuator attached to the ball joint on the release mechanism. For that I advise taking out the door lock actuator to give you a bit more room, then take out the door vent guard.



I use the handle of a fairly large screwdriver that fits into the ball socket on the actuator, with a hand through the hole for the vent supporting the thin metal piece with the ball on it. It's the best way I've found so far to do it. Maybe other people have better methods?

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[flash]

lol - yeah - there is a trick to that ball joint. it's really pretty easy once you figure it out. there is a little slot that goes upward from the ball socket. stick a little screwdriver in there, twist slightly, just enough to spread the socket a bit, and then push on the socket. pop. right in there.

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[JTP]

[quote name='Lear35A' timestamp='1364496307' post='140683']If any of us had brains, we'd go buy a Boxter with a warranty.[/quote]



I had a Boxster S before my 968. I like the 968 better, better build quality and much more solid.

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[flash]

back on topic



got it all back together. took notes while i did it. i'll put it all into a DIY tonight or tomorrow. pretty straight forward, though a pain in the butt to work in that small space, and absolutely no way to get pictures.

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[rl968]

Mine wouldn't open either,lever would not release the lock mechanism. I took some of it apart and just lubed it down with wd40. It opens now, but lever grabs the mechanism at about the half way point so I think I may soon have to replace. It's a real PIA, for sure. Getting the arm rest screws on the door panel can take 30 seconds or 20 minutes.

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[aslet]

Mine did the same a few months ago. I've been using the passenger door until I have time to fix it. The DIY would be great. I also hope I had the same part break. I don't want to buy a whole handle.

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[tamathumper]

Pretty common failure on the 944's as well.

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[lbpesq]

Mine too. I did the quick 'n easy fix. Brought it to my mechanic. Now I just waiting for the passenger side to go.

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