VT Calais S1 - Drivers Door handle broken!!! :(

[VT97CALAIS]

Hey all,

I went to open my drivers door and the handle just lifted up too high and therefore my door handle is now inoperative from the outside.
I not long ago replaced my front passengers handle, as the same thing happend.
However, the drivers handle is more complicated as it has the microswitch / lock barrel inside.
Can anyone recommend a good place to get this fixed at?
Barloworld Glen Waverley quoted me $500 to repair...
What a @#$@# rip off! Has anyone else had to repair their door handle like this?

Any help would be appreciated, sorry if this is already been covered in another thread.

Cheers,
VT97Calais

[accentstencil]

If you replaced the passenger handle yourself then you should have a go at the driver's one. Sure there are some extra bits but that shouldn't be too difficult to work out. Get yourself a Gregory's manual for around $40.
There is no way in the world I would pay anywhere near $500 to have it done. That is nothing but a rip off. Anyway, good luck with it.

[VT97CALAIS]

Accentstencil how are you doing champ?
Thanks for that advice, I've got one better - I downloaded the VT - VX tech PDF
very informative, but it mentions disassembly of the microswitch and barrel asesembly, which looks very complex so many small parts
Has anyone tried to replace and transfer over these components themselves before?

I can buy for $22, a silver painted handle from Holmart, but would still need to use my existing microswitch and lock barrel.
It does look complex and I dont want to stuff it up! As you can imagine its very annoying having to open passengers door to reach thru and open drivers door!



Cheers,
VT97Calais

[accentstencil]

Accentstencil how are you doing champ?
Thanks for that advice, I've got one better - I downloaded the VT - VX tech PDF
very informative, but it mentions disassembly of the microswitch and barrel asesembly, which looks very complex so many small parts
Has anyone tried to replace and transfer over these components themselves before?
I can buy for $22, a silver painted handle from Holmart, but would still need to use my existing microswitch and lock barrel.
It does look complex and I dont want to stuff it up! As you can imagine its very annoying having to open passengers door to reach thru and open drivers door!
Cheers,
VT97Calais

I'm doing fine thanks.
Often when you look at a diagram or read instructions it looks difficult, but then when you see the thing in real life it makes more sense. This may be the case here. To be honest, I have only replaced the passenger handle myself, so I really don't know how much harder the driver's handle would be.

[big m]

hey mate i have takin heaps of these off but you shouldnt have to change any micro parts if it is only the handle that is broken the lock barrel should just slide out once the handle is takin off

[VT_WA]

hey man . iv had the same problem with mine . if u take the door skin off so the u can see the back of the door handle u'll see a a rod comeing from the handle down to the catch . on the end of that rod the is a plastic pin thats sits in a plastic cup that is conected to the latch . the rod has a thread on it that the plastic pin screws on too. what had happened with mine is that that pin had screwed its way up the rod too far and had come out of the cup its ment to sit in . its a bit of a mish trieing to get that pin back in the cup but it u remove the handle ( the two bolts on the back of the handle will release it ) so that u have a bit of room to move the rod around it makes it a bit esaier . once u've done that place the plastic pin back in the cup and wind it down , then take some lock tight or something like that ( i use plumers glue coz i had some handy ) and plaster the top of the thread above the pin so that it cant move again . Wolla ! 5 bucks for some lock tight . save ya self 495 bucks ! worked for me . hope it helps u out .

[VT97CALAIS]

Update: I tried fixing up my handle problem tonight, took off the door trim, peeled back plastic, undid the two nuts holding the handle on, realised the handle is not broken, its something to do with the plastic cup and shaft piece.
What part does the bottom of the plastic shaft connect to?
This is so frustrating, I mean I'm happy that I've bought a new handle, as my old one has paint flaking off it (from sticking gaffa tape over the handle to ensure i wouldnt try and open the door with it.
So I will need to make use of my new handle, but this plastic shaft and cup small rod is causing quite a bother at the moment.

Cheers,
VT97Calais

[VT97CALAIS]

Update:

My mate whos a mechanic at Mitsubishi came over and helped me fix the door handle problem. All good now

Cheers,
VT97Calais

[VT_WA]

like i said the plastic rod is a pain to get into the cup but im glad u got it fixed . just a little side note , if something is broken or not working properly its always a good idea to investigate it as far as u can be4 going to the pros , most of the time they will go to the wost case scenario with out even looking at it . Save urself alot of stress!

[tommy3228]

Hey guys,
today i pulled my drivers side handle and it stuck all the the up and is now broken, same problem as a few peopl have had on here! but i took off the door trim and all, and its a small plastic thing connected to a horizontal rod that has snapped! is it possible to fix without a pro!???

[dexx]

This sounds like a common problem. Both the front handles on my 98 VT dont work from the outside. The little plastic arm that links the handle lever to a rod is fractured in the middle. Anyone know if this little arm can be bought from somewhere like Coventrys? Looks like a pig to get in and replace