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the driver's door handle/lock bezel is no longer secure in the door...this is from use, not vandalism
do you think something has broken that needs replacement, or can something maybe just be tightened instead ? it goes <rattle rattle> when its at rest in the door...
Don't over tighten the 10mm nuts that hold the handle into place. If the metal stud bolts can strip out of the handle. Then you get to buy a new handle.
I had to buy this Dorman handle because one of the tabs that holds the lock into place broke off.
I took this apart. The aft handle stud had unthreaded out of the handle - it was found in the bottom of the door. I took the handle out and threaded the stud back into the handle with a little bit of loctite.
Now upon reinstall: I can't figure out how to thread the aft nut onto the stud while also capturing the stud thru the lock cylinder mounting hole...my hand is too big/fingers too short. Also - the handle rod is in the way of my hand...but I don't think there's enough room to remove the rod and then reinstall it after the nuts are threaded...?
I figured this out - just writing the posts is sometimes enough.
remove the handle rod from door and detach it from its red plastic end
put the red plastic end into the handle's pivot hole
install handle bolts through holes in door frame
align key cylinder hole as best you can
MAGNETIZE the handle (I used a "wet noodle" - a wire-pulling tool)
now with the handle rod removed there's enough room to touch the bolt to the stud. The magnet holds it onto the stud until you can thread it further. replacing the handle rod at that point is actually pretty easy
in the pics above my "red" plastic on the handle rod is shown in _green_ plastic
