How to Remove the Driver's Side Door Panel in a 2003 Chevrolet Impala

The Impala nameplate made a brief reappearance from 1994 through 1996, in the form of the Impala SS. This special-edition vehicle was little more than a hopped-up version of the existing, and rather bland, Caprice. Chevy brought the Impala back again in the 2000 model year, and this time it stuck. The 2003 Impala came only in a four-door body style, and replacing the drivers-side door panel is a relatively simple task that most do-it-yourself mechanics can complete.

Instructions

Removal

1

Remove the screw securing the inside door handle bezel, the trim piece surrounding the inside door handle, using a Phillips screwdriver. Pry the front and rear of the door handle bezel outward with a flat-head screwdriver to release the retaining clips, then pull the bezel from the door handle. Unplug the power door lock switchs wiring harness. Remove the bezel from the vehicle.

2

Unfasten the screw in the top front corner of the door panel, in the small triangle-shaped section, using a Phillips screwdriver.

3

Loosen and remove the two screws inside the door panel pull cup, the handle you use to pull the door shut, using a T-27 Torx screwdriver. Lift the pull cup assembly from the door panel just enough to access the wiring harnesses on its underside. Unplug the two wiring harnesses plugged into the power window and mirror switches and remove the pull cup assembly.

4

Use the T-27 Torx screwdriver to remove the two screws inside the pull cup assembly cutout in the door panel.

5

Pry around the perimeter of the door panel, using a trim stick, to release the door panel retaining clips. Lift up on the door panel slightly and remove the panel from the vehicle, taking care not to catch any of the wiring harnesses on the panel as you remove it.

Installation

6

Guide the wiring harnesses through their respective cutouts in the door panel. Lift the door panel and hang its uppermost edge on the plastic clips on the top of the door.

7

Slide the blue locator pins on the door panel into their respective holes in the door, then press the door panel onto the door to engage the door panel retaining clips.

8

Tighten the two screws inside the pull cup assembly cutout, using a T-27 Torx screwdriver. Plug the wiring harnesses into their respective receptacles on the pull cup assembly and guide the assembly into its cutout. Tighten the two screws inside the pull cup with the Torx screwdriver.

9

Plug the wiring harness into the power door lock switch and align the retaining clips on the rear of the inside door handle bezel with the slots on the door. Press the bezel onto the door to snap the clips into place.

10

Install the screws in the door handle bezel and the top front corner of the door panel, using a Phillips screwdriver.