2009 Yukon XL Denali - Rear Drivers Door Won’t Open

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KraftMatic87

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I ordered new textured black door handles last week, and they arrived yesterday. I walked out to my car to open the drivers side door this morning and the handle immediately broke and would not open the door. What terrific timing I have! So I took the door panel apart because I was planning to replace my interior door handles anyways since the chrome is peeling on some of them. When I attempted to take off the drivers side door handle, it appears the sleeve that the bolt screws into has separated from the handle. Does anyone have any tips how to remove it? I've tried channel locks but I am just stripping it trying to get it off. I can't install my new handle until I can get it off. Help!

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Doubeleive

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if you can't get it off with vice grips, then I would just drill it out from the other side, using a torch to heat it up would probably damage the paint around that area. hacksaw won't fit
 

Onlyone

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Spray some pb blaster in it, wait a little bit then clean it with some brake clean or the like and use some good vice grips.
 
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KraftMatic87

KraftMatic87

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PB Blaster and some vice grips did the trick! Got the driver outside / inside handles changed successfully. Found some candy wrappers inside the door panel not sure how those got there! Now only 3 doors left to do I'll do the front passenger tomorrow and the rear doors next week. I'm expecting to run into some more of these stripped bolts as I move along but at least I know how to get them off. Thanks ya'll!


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swathdiver

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Pebbled work truck door handles on a Denali? If it bothers you as much as it does me, see if Putco or someone makes some chrome covers! LOL

The other option people use to free those bolts and nutserts is a heat gun.

We did ours recently and the box (sealed from the factory) had a wrong passenger front handle in it. We swapped the hardware over from the old one and were back in business.
 
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KraftMatic87

KraftMatic87

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Pebbled work truck door handles on a Denali? If it bothers you as much as it does me, see if Putco or someone makes some chrome covers! LOL

The other option people use to free those bolts and nutserts is a heat gun.

We did ours recently and the box (sealed from the factory) had a wrong passenger front handle in it. We swapped the hardware over from the old one and were back in business.

I am going to be doing a chrome delete soon on my Denali, and I honestly like the look of these textured black ones. They will look a lot better once I get some black wheels and remove the chrome trim from the doors. They are AC Delco so I’m sure they will hold up fine, at least as long as my original ones.

I’ll post some progress pics once I get the rest installed. Tomorrow I’m installing some K2069 Powerstop Z23 drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads on the front so I probably won’t get to the rest of these handles until next week!
 

swathdiver

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I am going to be doing a chrome delete soon on my Denali, and I honestly like the look of these textured black ones. They will look a lot better once I get some black wheels and remove the chrome trim from the doors. They are AC Delco so I’m sure they will hold up fine, at least as long as my original ones.

I’ll post some progress pics once I get the rest installed. Tomorrow I’m installing some K2069 Powerstop Z23 drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads on the front so I probably won’t get to the rest of these handles until next week!
Yes, they'll certainly last a long time. Mine are GM OE too. I like the chrome and didn't want the hassle of having to paint new ones Onyx Black so chrome went back on.
 
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KraftMatic87

KraftMatic87

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We got the rest of the interior and exterior handles changed out today. Turns out it goes a lot faster when you have a little help! Get em' started young I say!

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Had some more of those fun stripped door handle bolts! Rear drivers side was the only handle that had zero.

Here's some of the wrinkly chrome door handles we got rid of:


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