So I recently fixed my amp and then the sound in my driver door went out. Having the individual audio option, this seemed like an expensive fix as most posts just say it’s the amp. I finally found a reasonably priced replacement and bought it. But— no fix. Crud.
So I went through removing the door panels to test the speakers. Turns out testing the speakers is very difficult. What is easy though is swapping them from side-to-side. I removed one tweeter and plugged it in on the other side. Turn on the radio, works fine. Speaker is good. This led me to the crossover in the door. Swapped crossovers. This didn’t work— this part broke. Lucky because these are $50-$60 so way better then buying a new amp! Swapped out and back in business. Now I just need to sell my extra amp…
Some tips on door trim removal:
- You must have a trim removal kit especially a larger one with a bit of leverage.
- Be very gentle and very patient!
- The passenger door grab handle trim is held on by plastic which is super brittle. I broke a few parts of it and had to superglue it. There’s no replacement for the receiving side or the part holding the grab handle trim. You’d need to replace the entire door trim so be super careful!
Steps:
1. remove the bar under the arm rest. Trim tools help.
2. Remove the window controllers. Maybe an optional step, but ISTA suggests it. Use a credit card like trim tool. Driver controls have clips on the side (4x); passenger has clips front and back (2x)
3. Passenger side: remove grab handle trim, it’s only clipped on. Be careful.
4. Remove screws holding trim on door
5. Use trim tools to pop door off clips. Start at bottom and go around bottom and sides. Top is last
TIP: use a Home Depot bin to hold the door trim when it comes free.
TIP 2: remove the Bowden cable by pressing the metal clip down with a tool to unhook it. If you just yank it out, you’ll break part of the holder.
Good luck and hope this helps someone with either your door or your sound system!
So I went through removing the door panels to test the speakers. Turns out testing the speakers is very difficult. What is easy though is swapping them from side-to-side. I removed one tweeter and plugged it in on the other side. Turn on the radio, works fine. Speaker is good. This led me to the crossover in the door. Swapped crossovers. This didn’t work— this part broke. Lucky because these are $50-$60 so way better then buying a new amp! Swapped out and back in business. Now I just need to sell my extra amp…
Some tips on door trim removal:
- You must have a trim removal kit especially a larger one with a bit of leverage.
- Be very gentle and very patient!
- The passenger door grab handle trim is held on by plastic which is super brittle. I broke a few parts of it and had to superglue it. There’s no replacement for the receiving side or the part holding the grab handle trim. You’d need to replace the entire door trim so be super careful!
Steps:
1. remove the bar under the arm rest. Trim tools help.
2. Remove the window controllers. Maybe an optional step, but ISTA suggests it. Use a credit card like trim tool. Driver controls have clips on the side (4x); passenger has clips front and back (2x)
3. Passenger side: remove grab handle trim, it’s only clipped on. Be careful.
4. Remove screws holding trim on door
5. Use trim tools to pop door off clips. Start at bottom and go around bottom and sides. Top is last
TIP: use a Home Depot bin to hold the door trim when it comes free.
TIP 2: remove the Bowden cable by pressing the metal clip down with a tool to unhook it. If you just yank it out, you’ll break part of the holder.
Good luck and hope this helps someone with either your door or your sound system!
