schielej

Has anyone removed a drivers side door panel on a 98' civic when door was closed? I have all the screws out, but need help on how to remove panel since I cant pull at the bottom of door panel to pop clips. Anyone know how to remove?

nealnanoHX

You need to have the door open to remove the inner panel, no way around it.

NOFX

If the door can't open then the door panel can't come off the normal way.

Be ready to buy a new door panel. car-part.com might help, but call before you go to buy the part. Make sure it's the right color too (in the US they come in dark gray, light gray and tan interiors depending on the body style).

The door card I imagine will also be difficult to cut. It will be thickest where the plastic molds to another piece of plastic. A pic of the same car with the door card removed will probably help you remove the door card with minimal damage to what's in the door. There are metal brackets, plastic and metal window rolling mechanisms and plenty of wiring to hit with a saw or drill.

This is why I suggest to people to fix the door innards ASAP when they say the door won't open from either the inside or outside. One day the other handle might also become damaged or detach and then they'll be screwed like this.