Removing door panel from 1996 Passat

[danw69]

Just bought a used 96 Passat for my daughter who had to have a VW. One of the problems is the left rear power window does not work. How do I remove the panel to check the motor or wiring. I removed all the screws from the panel. Don't want to do anyhting to make any more problems. Does it just pop off or are there hidden screws or attachments I need to deal with. Already fixed the door handles thanks to one of the articles from this forum. Thanks in advance for your help.

[fred_s]

I have a '94 Passat, and I was wondering the exact same thing. A small fire errupted in my driver's side door and I think it was related to the power locks. I've been having problems with the fuse blowing that controls the power locks, interior lights, alarm, etc. Now I would like to get the door apart so that I can take a closer look. I have also removed all the obvious screws (two on each side), and it would appear that the door rests on some clips at the bottom, but I fear causing more damage by forcing the panel off. It would seem that there is something still holding it in place in the middle of the door, but I see no obvious screws. Any help would be appreciated.

[Rammstein]

Ok guys, I had the same problem, the fix is easy.

You remove the rubber thingy where the wires are and you'll see that the wire for the window regulator's power is cut or in bad shape.

Repair it or pass another wire and you're set to go!

[MilesD]

To remove the panel:
1. Remove the six or so phillips head screws around the perimiter
2. Unscrew the manual door lock
3. Gently pull on the plasttic cover only covering the pull handle, Look closly and you can see the split right along the door panel.
4. Remove the two screws ipull handle to the door.
5. The door panel should now be free except for the top. Pull on the door handle to clear the panel and slide the panel directly towards you and the top will slide out of the grove along the top.
6. Take care and remove the switch plugs as you remove the panel.
Hope this helps.

[fred_s]

MilesD is absolutely correct. Step #3 (above) was what had me stumped.

With leather interior (not sure about others) the trim is assembled so well that it was difficult for me to actually see any seams to know that these was separate pieces and came apart. It should also be noted that this particular piece comes STRAIGHT off, away from the door. Initially, I tried to 'peel' it off, starting at the top and working down, and almost broke it. Be careful - it is made of plastic.

I did want to add one more tip:
- To remove the plastic trim piece that sits behind the upper part of the door handle, and surrounds the door latch and side-view mirror control, after you have removed the door handle and side-view mirror control knob (which simply pulled straight off) you will need to slide the trim piece forward (or was it back?...yeah, maybe it was back). I made the mistake of pulling it straight off, breaking two of the four plastic clips (two on the top, two on the bottom) that hold it in place.

Good luck!

...and thank you for the follow up, MilesD.