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Originally Posted by caSStro18
Okay, so I think I’ll order the Kenwoods. I like the idea that I can later add the 2.5” speakers to make yet another improvement when I have the time. So, as far as removing the door panel...easy or difficult? I watched a few YouTube videos and noticed there are two ways to do it. In one of the videos they just pull the top part towards them to unclip it. On another video they lift up and I clip it that way. Is there a preferred way of doing this? I want the easiest, but also the way that is least likely to do any damage.
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It takes time, and I hate doing door panels because I'm always afraid I'll tear them up. But it was quite doable. The first one took a fair amount of time. The second one a lot less so. At the top, I lifted up because that was quite a bit easier. Just make sure you have the door panel pulled away from the door a fair amount, because you don't want to break any pins (there's also one permanent pin on the panel you don't want to break). When you do that, the rubber weatherstrip will come out with it.
Once you have it all off, you'll probably find that some of the plastic pins are still in the door instead of the panel. Pull each one out and insert it back in the panel. To reinstall the panel, you'll want to remove the weatherstrip and the six metal clips from the top of the door panel (it's easier now that the panel is off the car). Then install the six metal clips onto the metal door, then put the weatherstrip in the clips. Now's a good time to reinstall the three black push pins into the weatherstrip (because the door panel covers one of them). Finally, you can push the door panel onto the metal clips along with pushing in all the round pins.
When you get the panel off the door, there are one or two electrical connections plus the latch cable to undo. These are not hard, but you have to see what to do. Both electrical connectors have a red or orange tab to pull out first, which unlocks them. Then each has a small tab under the locking tab that you need to depress as you pull the connector apart. As long as you push that second tab down, it's easy to get them apart. The latch cable has a white plastic holder that is clipped to the door panel. Depress the tab on it and the white plastic holder and slide the holder back and off the part it clips to. Then swing the cable 90deg (maybe a little more?), so that the cable is pointing broadside into the door panel. The silver lug at the end of the cable can be removed from its metal lever on the door panel and lifted up, with the cable coming out of a slot in that lever.
Some of the push pins are yellow, some are light gray. It would probably be a good idea to buy a couple of each before you dive into this job, just in case a you break any. I didn't, but doing this on a Saturday I realized that if I did I would not be able to get any replacements until Monday. Also, get a cheap set of trim removal tools. And for the three 7mm screws, you'll need a socket on an extension.