Ever Tried Remove/install Outer Door Panel?

[kevin300es]

Very glad to find this place.

I got a hit and run on my '97 ES300 in some parking lot. Both front and rear doors (passenger side) got scratches and dents.

Don't wanna spend hundreds of bucks in mechanic, so decided to DIY.

QUESTION: Has anyone tried ordering OEM outer door panels and replacing old ones? What tools do I need? How good is OEM parts quality?

I removed inner panel and tried to pop dent out but didn't work. Furthermore don't want to paint scratch places by myself, so I guess replacing outer panel is not a bad idea, is it?

THANKS ALOT! and everybody Happy New Year!

[George_Jetson]

I would not recomend trying to replace the outer door pannels. Check local wrecking yards, craiglist, or ebay and get a set of used doors. It is much easier / faster to just replace the door. Of course aligning the replacement door will take a patientence.

[kevin300es]

Thanks for answering questions.

Do you mean it is hard to install the outer panel onto the door? So even a whole door module from wrecks yards would be less expensive than outer panel sold by parts store?

Thanks, really appreciate it.

I would not recomend trying to replace the outer door pannels. Check local wrecking yards, craiglist, or ebay and get a set of used doors. It is much easier / faster to just replace the door. Of course aligning the replacement door will take a patientence.

[George_Jetson]

Replacing the outer door pannels is not just a simply unbolting the old and then installing the new. I am a ASE certified master mechanic, and I would not feel confident replacing them myself. Bodywork takes speciallized skills to get right. Replacing the door is generally a more cost effective repair. You wrote that you tried to pop the dent out yourself, is it a minor dent? If it is not too bad, a experienced body person can shrink the pannel at the appropriate spots and the dent will pop out by itself. This is due to the fact that when the pannel is dented, the metal stretches, you cannot simply pop it out from opposite side. The metal needs to be shrinked to get it to return to the original position. Knowing where to shrink the pannel takes experience, so does replacing the outer pannel. Where as any decent mechanic can replace the door, and with some effort, get the aglignment set.

[kevin300es]

What can I say, super PRO!!

Thank you so much for so detailed reply. Really learned alot stuff.

I guess I will go to a mechanic to see what to do next.

Today I installed the two doors inner panels back. Though didn't fix the problem, had alot fun there.

Appreciate your expertise advice again!

Replacing the outer door pannels is not just a simply unbolting the old and then installing the new. I am a ASE certified master mechanic, and I would not feel confident replacing them myself. Bodywork takes speciallized skills to get right. Replacing the door is generally a more cost effective repair. You wrote that you tried to pop the dent out yourself, is it a minor dent? If it is not too bad, a experienced body person can shrink the pannel at the appropriate spots and the dent will pop out by itself. This is due to the fact that when the pannel is dented, the metal stretches, you cannot simply pop it out from opposite side. The metal needs to be shrinked to get it to return to the original position. Knowing where to shrink the pannel takes experience, so does replacing the outer pannel. Where as any decent mechanic can replace the door, and with some effort, get the aglignment set.