Fix for sticking door handles .

You open the door and the handle stays up .. it happens to 986 and 996 . You can buy the parts from an OPC .. you mainly need the rod as per the image . You don't have to replace the membrane if your careful .. use a stanley blade to cut the glue holding the membrane in place at the top right hand corner .. it will restick if glue is left on both sides . Window fully up . No key in the ignition or battery disconnected .. this is best but make sure you have your radio code if applicable . its optional if you want to remove the airbag to give more access .. i would if trying to reuse the membrane ... i like plenty of space to work . You will need to remove the wiring support bar so bottom left 10 mm bolt of the airbag then the 2 others . Remove door lock assembly then remove the handle .. it's pretty straight forward but there are pelican videos available if needed . Never ever remove the door lock assembly with the wiring plugged in and battery connected .. it WILL activate the window auto opening with your hand in there ... my disclaimer ! As per the image .. the problem is the rod , this seizes / rusts in the plastic part .. Cut as per image , then its a case of a vice or something to locate / support the bottom part of the rod to knock the pin out .. obviously i use a vice . lower section is not so easy but again a vise will help with a socket over the other end to support the plastic ... use the vise to press it out basically . refit with new parts . far cheaper than a new handle which then has to be painted . On a diy scale .. i would rate this as a 6 /10 Only posting as i did one a few weeks back so i thought i would mention it . Open in a new image ( chrome) and it will be a far larger picture .

Great advice as always Ian. I have done 2 of these (one for a friend who conned me into helping him after he saw I had successfully done my own!) so I would add my own two penneth. The corrosion/rusting was indeed where you show, but I found that rather than cut the rod and tap out, it is relatively straight forward to release the seizure with a little patience and plenty of penetrating oil. Once the rod is moving it can be taken out and properly rubbed down of all rust before re-installing with plenty of anti-rust lube. As well as gripping the rod with strong pliers and rocking back and forth for about 10 mins, the 'trick' I learned was to file down the rounded end of the Rod to form flat edges so that you can get a small open ended spanner or small adjustable spanner on it. That way you can get much better force to turn the rod and break the corrosion seal. Once the rods are cleaned up they are strong and perfectly re-usable (at least mine were!) So it's a no cost fix and takes a couple of hours. I would also add that it is a massive advantage to have small hands and skinny arms!! as getting to the door handle nuts without specialist tools would be impossible for Popeye!

@ Panda996 Excellent .. it's great to get a second opinion on how to fix this fault .. if you can get the rod out then sanding it down is the best option . I have small hands/ arms That's probably why i get all the jobs like this :grin:

Cheers Iain for the detailed how-to. Is there any merit in a pre-emptive squirt or two of grease if you have the door panel off for some other reason eg regulator?

Certainly .. bury it in grease / spray grease if you can .. water which is often in a door skin and metal don't mix .. anything that separates the two can only help .