I removed the door handles to paint them. After painting I reinstalled them. days later the pass. door won't open. Neither the outside nor the inside handles will open the door. I am guessing that the activtion cable came off the bracket. How do I get the door open to be able to remove the interior door panel so I can access the cable to reattach it?

 

got to remove the panel from the inside, and accept the fact, there may be some damage good luck

 

Is it possible to take the interior panel off without opening the door or destroying the interior panel? Has anyone done it successfullly? If so, any tips?

 

it's possible, but hard, and like i said, accept the fact you may damage something. I've done it on other cars, and sometimes you break the panel, sometimes not.

 

Do you think that if I took it to the dealer that they would have another, less damaging, alternative?

 

probably not, either way, someone has to get inside the door -- only way, through the panel.

 

That sucks. I just got through putting dynamat all over the inside of the panel. If I have to replace it, I will have to go through all that again.

 

dude, that blows

 

You have no idea. Removing and replacing the door handles was an absolute bi*ch!

 

I'm desparate! Anybody else have any ideas?

 

Could you undo maybe the top of the panel and sort of bend it back enough to reach the cable? I've never taken my panels off, so I'm shooting in the dark here.

Maybe some locksmith has a special tool for sliding down the window crack to open the door.

 

That's a tough situation. I've not had the door panel off a MINI, but this might be worth a try.

Take off the other door panel and inspect the latch mechanism. See if you can fabricate some kind of tool to reach down through the window and trigger the mechanism. Maybe a modified Slim Jim or a properly bent clothes hanger might could be made to do the task. If so, practice on the working door with the panel removed so you can see, then go for the prize.

This sucks, maybe somebody will chime in with the solution. My buddy had the same thing happen to a BMW 330Ci except his was a defective latch, not a mod gone awry. Since he was under warranty, it was the stealer's problem to fix.

Best of luck,

Rawhyde

 

Uh oh. What year is your MINI? Do you have the Bentley Manual for it? Let me know the model year and I'll check the diagram in my Bentley and ask my mechanically-talented hubby for suggestions.

 

'05 MCS. The locksmith suggestion might be worth a try. Thanks for everyones' concern.

 

Did the locksmith have anything?

 

A big hassle, but removing the seats would probably give you room to work in there

 

Hubby and I looked at the Bentley manual (2002-2004), and if you can undo the top bolts on the interior door panel, you may be able to bend it back along the top edge, which is near the cable, to check it out and adjust it.

Have you removed the cup around/behind the door handle? You can do that, too, and check the cable.

Hope this makes sense.

 

That's gotta be the understatement of the year!

If you DO manage to get the seat out, you'll set off the airbag light and it won't go out without clearing the error with some megabuck scantool software or a trip to the stealership

 

What if you remove the battery before removing the seats? Will it still mess things up?

 

I've done it twice with the battery dosconnected. One time all was ok, the other time I set off the light. IF you're gonna try it, disconnect the battery, wait about an hour, then unplug the airbag connector under the seat.

The time I did it without triggering the airbag, I pulled the car into my shop, rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof, disconnected the battery, then went in the house and changed clothes and ate supper before I started working on the car.

Once I did one side, I hooked up the battery and I was so pleased that everything worked right, I immediately unhooked the battery and started work on the other side. Not waiting is where I messed up!


Rawhyde

 

I learned from removing the door handles that the only way to access the activation cable ( on to remove the handles ) is through the one large hole in the door that is accessible only when the interior panel is removed. Bending back the top of the panel does not provide access to the hole. The hole I reference is exactly the same size and shape as the oval recessed portion of the inner door panel. Even when the interior panel is removed the activation cable can only be reached using needle nose pliers that have handles that are at least 12-14" long.

I haven't tried the locksmith yet, but intend to before I do anything that has the potential to damage the inner panel (I'll bet they are expensive to replace). If I have to remove the seat, I will follow Rawhyde's suggestions re waiting for one hour.

Thanks for all your concern and suggestions. Wish me luck.

 

What was the outcome? I'm having a similar problem with the drivers side door of my 2003 MCS, except the door opens fine from the outside. It will open from the inside, but I have to push pretty hard.

Any advice is much appreciated!

RP