Door opening problems

[Al H]

I'm having two problems on 2002 new B. The detent mechanism that holds the door open makes a loud clunk. I tried squirting some white lube into the machanism in the door, but that didnt' quiet it down at all. The other door is fine (the driver's door, which gets much more use, is the noisy one). Any suggestions?

Also the passenger door is difficult to open. I took the latch apart and found that the release uses a cable that goes from the door handle to the latch. The design allows an "adjustment" by how you position the parts when you reassemble them. The whole thing relies on some serrated plastic which in worn out. Looks like a big job to disassemble the door to get the cable out plus purchase a new outside handle. My kludgy fix didn't hold up (as I expected). Anyone have better luck fixing this?

P.S. I'm doing this for my sister who lives several hundred miles away, so I don't see the car much.