lotexigeus

Here's a DIY for fixing the exterior door handle issue. The part fixed here is the passenger side front exterior door handle on my '08 LTZ Tahoe. Escalades, Yukons etc. in this body style should also be similar.

First you want to take off the door panel, this youtube video that I took from another thread is a great aid in this.


I put a piece of tape on the end of my screwdriver to keep from marring the plastic, especially on the door lock tab.

Here's a close-up view of the interior door handle cable clip (the one he spun in the video).



Once the door panel is off, you want to remove the door water deflector (white cloth piece). It's basically just glued on, do it slow and you will be able to preserve the black adhesive compound stuff.



Next you want to use a 10mm ratchet with extension to remove the two bolts holding on the door handle. They can be accessed through the holes highlighted in yellow. The one on the right has a rubber grommet that needs to be removed first.



After you have the bolts out, you will need to unclip the clip holding the door handle rod. This clip is on the right side of the door panel and is kindof a bitch to get off, I ended up just using my fingers on it I think. (Protip: I have a flashlight app on my phone that I turned on and placed my phone inside the door, this illuminated the inside of the door and made work much easier. Just remember to grab it before you button everything back up.)



You can now pull out and up on the exterior door handle and remove it. It will have the door handle rod attached to it. I then took the broken piece of crappy plastic and used a dab of super glue to hold it in the right position. Just be careful not to get any on the threads. Wait like 20 minutes for the glue to dry, then use JB Weld epoxy all around the broken piece like shown in the pic below also make sure it doesn't flow anywhere you don't want it to. I did two layers just for extra strength, one during the day and one right before bed.





Let the epoxy set overnight then put everything back together.

When putting the door water deflector back on, clean the area it is going to stick to with alcohol beforehand. Also make sure that all the clip spaces aren't covered up by the cloth.

Thread with more info:
https://chevroletforum.com/forum/tah...s-40726/page2/

Hope this helps people in the future!

in2pro

Epoxy is a wonderful thing...
Great write up, also may want to consider trimming the retaining screw threads back a bit to ensure the screw is not too long also causing the thing to break...

lotexigeus

Yeah I think I read that that is what was causing the breaking. When I replaced the bolts I barely wrench-tightened them.

wldodds

Great post, I read on another thread that it cost $160 just for the part. JB Weld saves the day again. Of course at first I thought one of my kids broke the handle, good to know it's just poor craftsmanship on my $60k Denali. Doubt a Benz falls apart this easily.