How To Replace A Non-Functional Car Door And Get Uniform Body Color
In an ideal world, everything would work out exactly the way you want it to. Unfortunately, reality has other plans. This is usually the way it goes when you want and need to replace a non-functioning car door on your vehicle. Often, the older the vehicle, the less likely you will find a door that is the same color as the rest of your car's body. Here is how you can get the right make, model, year and color on your replacement door.
Track Down the Door Through an Auto Body Shop
An auto body technician has connections to all the local junk and salvage yards. He or she can cut a deal on a replacement door better than you could yourself and find it even faster. Since you will need the technician's help for the next few steps, it also makes sense to start here first.
Have the Technician Install the New Door
Because most car doors in the last twenty years have power windows and power controls on the driver's side, you will need the expertise of a technician to remove the old door and install the new one. He or she has to disconnect all of the wiring that allows for the power controls to work and then reconnect, repair and/or replace the wires to the new door. The buttons are all tested to make sure they work before the final bolts are hydraulically screwed into place. This entire process requires tools that you, as a layperson, do not have access to.
Pay to Have the New Door Sanded and Painted
An auto body shop tries its best to get a door that is close to the shade or color of the rest of your car because it decreases the amount of time and energy spent painting it. However, it does not always work out, and you may get a burgundy door on a navy blue car. In that case, the technician will sand the most of the coating and burgundy paint away before matching the blue paint and creating the uniform body color. You may decide at this point to completely repaint the vehicle, which is often cheaper than painting just the door alone.
Return to the Same Technician If You Have Problems
If you have any technical problems after the new door is installed, you should return to the same technician and ask him or her to check it out. If the door was working fine before, the technician will check for fuse box connections and power drain issues. Since the technician who installed the door is already familiar with the installation, do not take it to a different auto body shop because you will get a difference of opinion and still have to go back to the original shop to get it fixed.