How to Remove the Door Panel on a 2000 VW Bug

In 1998, the VW Beetle made its reappearance in the U.S. marketplace in the form of the New Beetle. Unlike its predecessor, which lasted in the Mexican market until 2003, this New Beetle was a front-engine, front-drive vehicle with a liquid-cooled engine. The New Beetle had a striking resemblance to the Beetles of yesteryear, but had more modern styling. The 2000 VW New Beetle came only as a two-door model and replacing the door panel on either door is a straightforward task that nearly any Bug owner can complete.

Instructions

Removal

1

Proceed directly to step 3, if the Beetle has power windows and door locks. Look between the window crank handle and the door panel to find the plastic spacer. Insert a window crank removal tool behind the window crank so the tool is parallel with the window crank handle, until the tool contacts the spacer. Press the spacer outward with the tool to disengage and remove it. Pull the window crank off the regulator shaft.

2

Align the clip attached to the spacer with the slot in the rear of the window crank, with the open end of the spacer facing toward the handle end of the crank. Press the spacer onto the crank until the clip snaps into place.

3

Remove the three screws at the base of the door panel with a ratchet and socket. Pry outward along the perimeter of the door panel, using a trim stick, to release the door-panel retaining clips. Lift the door panel upward slightly to disengage the door panel from the doors upper clips, then pull the door panel away from the door enough so you can access the door handle cable.

4

Press rearward on the door handle cable guide --- the plastic component at the end of the cables conduit -- with a flat-head screwdriver to release it from the door panel. Pull the guide rearward until it is fully free of the door panel, then pull it away from the panel. Pull the cables hook from the door handle and remove the door panel.

5

Unplug the wiring harnesses from the various door-panel-mounted power accessories. The number of harnesses varies greatly, depending on the Beetle's options.

Installation

6

Plug the wiring harnesses into their respective receptacles on the door panel. Hook the end of the door handle cable into its locator hole on the rear of the door handle. Pull the cable guide toward the rear of the door panel and align its front-most end with its mounting cutout in the door panel. Press the guide into the cutout until it snaps into place.

7

Line up the topmost edge of the door panel with the clips on the top of the door and press downward slightly to slide the top of the panel into the clips. Verify that the door panels retaining clips align with their holes in the door and tap around the perimeter of the panel with your palm to engage the clips.

8

Tighten the three door panel screws, using a ratchet and socket.

9

Line up the splined hole on the rear of the window crank, if applicable, with the regulators splined input shaft. Press the crank onto the regulator shaft until it clicks into place.