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jeep liberty interior door handle surprise

jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
edited March 2014 in Jeep
The interior door handle on my 03 liberty has been problematic for quite a while. Since it still worked I didn't feel it needed repair. I sprayed lube into the door and just carried on --- no big deal. Unfortunately it worsened and needed attention. I went to a local autobody shop I trusted and they agreed to pull the panel and get back to me on the repair. $ 80 to remove and reinstall the door plus parts. They called and said the plastic guides that the handle shaft was mounted in were cracked and when they called the dealer for the part ,guess what? You have to buy the entire door panel because no individual parts were available. Cost was $400. The tech said the whole shop was in shock and awe. Just when you think you've seen in all --- there you go. He said his best man would try a fix using a special epoxy and mold the part if I was interested. Of course I agreed and the next day he said it was ready and though they felt the fix looked good there couldn't be a guarantee on the repair. The door works like new and he only charged me a total of $89.
So all you liberty owners need to go gentle on the handles and pray for good luck. Of course if it breaks , you can always lower the window and open it from the outside.

Comments

  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    Jayrider,
    Those who bought Nash, Borgward, Studebaker and even Lada automobiles knew they were buying something special. They were vaccinated before their purchase.

    We, Liberty owners, bought something standard and we discover along the way we could be forced to look for automobile demolition yards to keep our truck going at a normal cost :)

    Were you pulling the door by the annular door handle instead of using the recess in the elbow support? I often apply grease and oil to my door hinges and door stopper lever (the one between the hinges) but my driver door keeps squeaking and cracking. We also need a roll of "Tuck Tape" in case the rear windows break loose!

    These quality issues happened when Daimler Chrysler Mercedes Benz were grouped. I wonder how MB build their vehicles nowadays? Do they use as much compound materials? It won't be my choice next time.
  • jayriderjayrider Member Posts: 3,602
    It wasn't the handle you pull the door closed with but the recessed aluminum release lever that unlatches the door from the inside. The handle is hinged and operates the rod that goes through the door into plastic guides. The rod is metal and strong-- the plastic guides are weak.
  • caribou1caribou1 Member Posts: 1,354
    I was talking about the unlatching levers. Some of my passengers "hang" themselves on those things to close the doors :sick:
    On my truck these levers are shaped like rings of 3" diameter. I need to find three "pull here" stickers :P
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