In Canada 800.00 dealer repair, we have 37 PPV 12-14 tahoes, every vehicle needs door panel replaced. This $20 fix works, we have added a 6 inch 1/4 bold along the inside of the Handel, melted into the plastic with soldering gun, filled with construction adhesive, hard as a rock, strong winds and meaty hands here in Saskatchewan.
Door Grab handle repair
- Thread starter Bill D
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Here is my (2013) fix- I machined a "T Key" out of 3/8 x 1" aluminum to attach the pull to the door frame- it is a bit wider than needed but I had the scrap stock available. Flooded the handle area with JB Weld plastic epoxy to strengthen (only Drivers side which was worst) and used same to glue the vinyl outer cover to the hard plastic- wrapped with a cord like others have done.
The pull is screwed to a "tower" inside door that is part of plastic structure- the tower flexes as does the pull. Removed screw from tower and reinstalled through T key- Used 3M structural adhesive 08101 to attach key to door "cup" and "straps" to add to rigidity if pressing down on handle.
The two sides differ a bit with less surface available on Driver front & Pass rear- I made a small steel plate in picture 3 as a result for Pass rear.
Sketch attached- bending a "back strap' used to hold the back of a car stereo might work as well if lacking a milling machine.
The pull is screwed to a "tower" inside door that is part of plastic structure- the tower flexes as does the pull. Removed screw from tower and reinstalled through T key- Used 3M structural adhesive 08101 to attach key to door "cup" and "straps" to add to rigidity if pressing down on handle.
The two sides differ a bit with less surface available on Driver front & Pass rear- I made a small steel plate in picture 3 as a result for Pass rear.
Sketch attached- bending a "back strap' used to hold the back of a car stereo might work as well if lacking a milling machine.
Attachments
OP
OP
Bill D
Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2018
- Posts
- 93
- Reaction score
- 109
Holding up as good as when I repaired it 3 years ago this week!
I didn’t mess with wedging steel pieces into place. Anyone who’s worked with JB knows it’s rock hard when it drys. The hi temp black silicone sealed the repair tight And you can’t even tell the repair was done.
I wish I would have got mine before it got to a point beyond repair, you all have posted some great fixes. It was doing pretty good until some one (not me) pulled too hard and fast and broke it. I was going to shop it at your local Pick Your Part yard but not much luck so I got a new GM part that came with new handle and buttons for folding rearview and heated seat. I kept my old door handle and will part it out with the buttons if anyone is interested. I included a pic of the inside of the panel to see what the area looks like that you would have to repair from back side, GM part number.
mikez71
Full Access Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2023
- Posts
- 1,371
- Reaction score
- 1,609
another thing i dont like about the 2010+ door panels, the bump makes it difficult to reach in there, if you do reach in there, you usually can't pull whatever you grabbed out!
mikeyss
Full Access Member
They also look out of place, because the rear door panels don't match the front after 2010.
OK, OK I copped out again. I did try to fix the passenger side front door pull and it looked like crap So I ordered a damn new one ( my mechanic got it at his cost ) and I saw a little difference in the old and new panel. The new area on the inside of the panel is made of a better reinforced material. The plastic behind the pull is a stronger plastic, the entire thing feels solid. Maybe GM wised up and changed the design.
