WANTED: driver's side black door card

John1950 · Post by **John1950** » Mon 16 Jan, 2012 14:22

Some time ago I pulled on the door handle to close the door and the handle came away at it's top end. I had the Zed in for a light service today and the garage tells me that to repair it I really need a new door card - so, can anyone help please? I'm down south, not far from Portsmouth.

Many thanks
John
0781 281 0074

Beemer Man · Post by **Beemer Man** » Mon 16 Jan, 2012 16:05

My door handle was already detached from the card at the top when I bought the car, so I removed the card (easily done, as most of the plastic clips holding the card to the door frame were already broken)......and glued the handle back to the card from the inside using a liberal dose of carefully applied Araldite.

The largish self-tapping screw immeditely behind the handle, which helps secure the card to the door frame was also missing, so I replaced this.

Now it's all rock solid, so it may be well worth trying this approach.

John1950 · Post by **John1950** » Mon 16 Jan, 2012 16:13

Beemer Man wrote:My door handle was already detached from the card at the top when I bought the car, so I removed the card (easily done, as most of the plastic clips holding the card to the door frame were already broken)......and glued the handle back to the card from the inside using a liberal dose of carefully applied Araldite.

The largish self-tapping screw immeditely behind the handle, which helps secure the card to the door frame was also missing, so I replaced this.

Now it's all rock solid, so it may be well worth trying this approach.

I noticed when the top part of the handle came away that it had been previously repair & there was a large blob of Araldite and a pointed standard wood screw poking out - which of course wouldn't actually screw into anything as it requires a proper bolt to screw into the door itself.
I may leave it until the weather gets better and try your advice.

Beemer Man · Post by **Beemer Man** » Mon 16 Jan, 2012 16:29

It sounds like both our Zeds were subject to an earlier bodge job!

If you can get rid of the existing Araldite and wood screw, you may be able to effect a sound repair.

Worth a try, anyway, once the weather warms up!

It might also be worth investing in a few card/door frame plastic clips, given how many a previous owner had broken on mine. I suspect the plastic becomes brittle with age.