Could anyone please tell me how to remove the plastic door panel from my 1.9d clio.I have removed the screws along the bottom edge , the window winder and the lock release.
I have tried a gentle prising around the edges thinking that it is secured in the usual way by poppers but it doesn't loosen.I don't want to damage anything by forcing it.Any ideas please?
Renault have a nasty habit of bonding the door cards on with black sealer,this can make removal awkward,I know the Mk.1 Clios are stuck on,not 100% sure about the Mk.2's though.
If you can get behind in behind it slightly and have a sharp knife/blade,you might be able to carefully cut through the sealer and gradually pull the panel off.
as lag rightly says renault have a habbit of using some horrible sealant stuff. Once you have removed the screws along the bottom and the one in the handle, you just have to start prising it off. It took me over and hour to get mine off as I didn't want to break anything.
I have a similar problem with the door panels on my Kangoo. I wonder whether heating the panel might soften the nasty sealant? Was thinking of using a hair dryer, hot water or my oxy acetylene kit.
Thats really strange, on my brothers 2002 Clio, the door card popped right off when we put new glass in after a "vandal attack". Perhaps that door card on his car had been removed previously though
A wallpaper scraper is ideal - ease it in with a see-sawing action and then hold the panel away from the adhesive as it has a nasty habit of resticking itself - a few bits of stragetically placed wood usually does the trick
Thanks for all the info.I have sucessfully removed the panel after your advice.It turned out that the panel is held in by a few plastic poppers and mastic adhesive,this mastic is only on the lower edge and about 10cm up each side.I used a kitchen knife along the bottom whilst gently pulling on the panel.This is after undoing the screws on the bottom of course.One thing I discovered is that there is also a single screw under a small cap set into the door pull recess,this must be removed or the door card still will not come off.:d
hi there just to let you all know m2 clio 2002 door panels defiantly have mastic around the seals just be careful prising panel away have to put at least 10cm into door to release it.