Door "catch"

[juliepag]

Help,

A strong gust of wind broke the "door catch" on my 2001 Toyota Sienna. The hinge is fine, but the door catch is an important piece and I need it replaced.

Two problems that I hope someone can help me with (and bear with me, I'm not a handy-woman):

The dealer wants $68 for the part. You've got to be kidding. Is there anyplace to buy such a part online that'll cost me less?

When the dealer showed me the catch, it had a huge metal piece on the end. Upon inspection of the door itself, it appears the metal piece needs to be installed between the interior and exterior of the door - between the panels. I doubt if hubby is able to do the job himself anyway. Am I stuck having to take the car to a body shop?

Help! And thanks,
Julie

[curtis73]

I'm assuming this is the little sliding bar style that goes inside the door, not the style with a stop pin in the hinge itself, right?

One word; Junkyard. $10 tops. Do an internet search for toyota salvage parts and you'll find tons. The easiest way to replace it is to remove the door trim panel. Its not difficult, just takes some logic. You should have a trim removal tool; $5 from the parts store. The door panel is held on with plastic push pins that you can just yank off, but you risk damaging the door panel. The tool looks like a flat, two-pronged fork that you slide in around the plastic pin and pry up. There will also be some screws, usually around the latch handle and the armrest. Installation is the reverse of removal, just punch the pins back in their holes.

Reaching the door catch should be easy with that panel off.

$15 if you do it yourself, probably $200 if you take it to a body shop.