# DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (2003 EV MV)



## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

I'm not sure how common this failure is, but I've read that at least two other Eurovan owners have had door handles fail the same way mine did. My driver's side handle went out this past week. So after getting tired of going in through the passenger door every morning I decided to take a look at what happened and see what I could do before I tried to order a new handle. 
So this DIY fix is for all of you who don't have the $100 to throw at a new door handle when the internal metal L-bracket pivot shears off. This will require some drilling (and maybe a tap) - but at this point why not try - otherwise the old door handle is just an expensive paper weight.
1. Take out the door handle by removing the two screws just on the inside of the door. Remove the rubber gasket surrounding the back of the entire handle and hopefully the broken parts (L-bracket) are still there.

You can see the area where the metal pivot used to be and how it sheared straight across. 

So here's the L shaped striker, the two washers and what's left of the metal pivot. 

Not exactly the best casting metal used by VW. 
2. So now we have to replace the pivot and I just happened to have some metric M6 bolts lying around the garage. I grabbed an M6x40 bolt and new washer and decided to make this my new pivot.

I used a 13/64 drill bit and drilled past the shear point and into the metal behind the cavity about a 1/4 of an inch. (Check with your new bolt to see how far you need to drill.) Use some drilling oil to keep your drill bit cool and keep your drill straight! 


3. My plan was to put my metric tap set to use and create threads in the metal behind the cavity to anchor the new bolt. So using an 6mmx1.00 tap I threaded the metal. Make sure to really clean the drill and tap shavings so they don't just end up fouling the other mechanisms in the door handle.

4. I test fitted the bolt with the L-bracket and the two washers and everything fit perfectly. The bolt head still allowed the key mechanism to rotate behind it with about an 1/8 of an inch clearance.

My original plan was to Loctite the bolt and call it good. But now I got paranoid. What if the bolt started to back out over time? Did I want to take that chance of having parts rattling in my door? Not really.
5. So I marked on the shank of the bolt where it passed through the first entry hole. This way I could drill a hole in the bolt shaft for a cotter pin to keep the bolt from backing out. 

Some might ask, well why even drill into the metal behind the cavity if you could just use a short bolt and a cotter pin? Well, because I didn't trust that thin piece of metal which was left from the original pivot shearing off. I figured that could fatigue over time as well and I really liked the sturdiness of the threaded hole setup. But I'm sure just a bolt and cotter pin would work fine for those that don't have a tap set, but I'd still anchor the bolt partially (without threading) to keep it from rotating about the shear point axis.
6. Put the the rubber gasket back into place. I used some white lithium grease to lubricate the washers and L-bracket and bolted the pieces back together. DON'T FORGET THE RUBBER GASKET before you reassemble the entire assembly (I did the first time). Also, make sure of two things - 1) the bolt isn't so tight that the door handle mechanism doesn't open and close smoothly and 2) that the shank hole in the bolt is facing upwards.

7. Next, I found a small cotter pin from an old HPI RC car body and cutoff the last third of it so it would fit in the cavity around the bolt.
 

8. Slide the cotter pin into the bolt shank hole and you should be all set. 

9. Test the assembly a few times for smooth operation and then reinstall the handle with the two original screws just inside the door (being careful not to strip the threads). 

Hopefully, this fix lasts a little longer than your original door handle did.


_Modified by Riderx56 at 8:04 PM 1-2-2009_


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## Der T4 (May 20, 2003)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Awasome DIY.....thanks!


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## jets (Oct 12, 2005)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Well done, this is what I like to see. Have printed a copy for my extensive file.


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## AzBarber (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Great! I haven't had that problem yet, but if/when I do I'll be ready. Thanks!
Az


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (AzBarber)*

Thanks everyone! Hopefully, somebody will find this useful and save a few $$$...


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## max asst (Mar 19, 2001)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Outstanding post! I have a question about the drilling. How deep did you drill the hole in the first two pictures?


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## t5joe (Sep 5, 2001)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (max asst)*

Instead of drilling the bolt and using a cotter pin, you could just drill a very small hole through the head of the bolt and then use safety wire. Much easier to do and cleaner I think. I do it all the time on my race bikes.


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (max asst)*

max asst, 
Where the pin sheared off is less than an 1/8" thick and then there is a cavity that is about 3/4" long. I drilled into the metal past the cavity about 1/4". If you have the door handle out and a bolt selected it becomes kind of obvious how much you'd need to drill to get the bolt head to sit flush with the L-bracket mechanism.
t5joe,
I originally planned on using safety wire, but couldn't find any in the garage. Drilling the hole through bolt was my quick fix, but I figure any idea that keeps the bolt from backing out would be fine to use.


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## jehays81503 (Jul 21, 2007)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Great post. I have a similar problem with my 2000 Eurovan. Unfortunately the pictures associated with the post did not show up in my browser. I am a little uncertain about removing the door handle. Step "1. Take out the door handle by removing the two screws just on the inside of the door." Can this safely be done WITHOUT removing the door panel? Or are there nuts inside the door that will fall down inside the door?


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (jehays81503)*

I reloaded the pics so I hope this helps.
You can definitely take the screws holding the handle in place out without removing the panel. The screws don't have nuts on the other side as they are just screwed into the handle and door frames.

_Modified by Riderx56 at 9:32 AM 7-22-2007_


_Modified by Riderx56 at 10:06 AM 7-22-2007_


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## corpsedub (Aug 3, 2001)

typical casting probems. my sliding window pins sheared off like that too.


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## jehays81503 (Jul 21, 2007)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Thanks for the help. I replaced the door handle in my van with an after-market new item I got on eBay from "vehiclepartsunlimited." It was listed as "92 thru 03 VW Volkswagen Eurovan RH Front Door Handle" with a Buy-it-now price of $19.99 plus shipping of $11.39. It seems to work OK so far; hopefully it will last as long as the original (7 years). The top bracket needed to filed slightly to be able to get it into the door. Also the door button needs to be in the locked position.


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## bddefense (Oct 5, 2007)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

Excellent write up! Top notch. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I just did this fix on my '01 Weekender.
I don't have a tap, but drilled a hole at the base as you did... my bolt fitting into the hole.
And while I thought the cotter pin was a good idea, I instead decided to use gorilla glue. So- I put some in the cavity - I filled about 1/4 of the cavity with glue and let it sit. Gorilla glue expands and it did so to fully encase the bolt.
That bolt is not going anywhere, it's solid as a rock - I'd have to chisel it out if I ever needed to remove it (but I could not think of any circumstance that would make we want to reverse this fix). 
Thanks for saving me $100 and allowing me to not rekey anything.


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## drbvw (Aug 26, 2006)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (Riderx56)*

My handle is okay, but the door latch is no longer working properly. It appears that a spring or tensioner is no longer working, and the latch sometimes drops down when the door is open and prevents the door from closing (the latch bounces off the catch).
Has anyone replaced the latching mechanism - is this a DIY job?


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## the brit (Jun 23, 2003)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (drbvw)*

I can't help answer your question I'm afraid, but I've added this to the FAQs. Big thumbsup to the original poster, thanks!


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## tedshaw (May 1, 2010)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (the brit)*

Thank you very much for posting this. The same problem happened to me!


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

*Re: DIY Eurovan Door Handle Repair (tedshaw)*

You're welcome everyone - I'm just glad this has been useful. Three years later and my repaired door handle is still going strong!


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## groupb (Mar 25, 2008)

*Door Handle*

Does this shear happen from too many attempts to close the door while it is in locked position?


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## bartha (Aug 7, 2011)

thanks for the step by step pics and info...have the door handle issue and possible lock actuator/wiring double whammy in the driver's side door to tackle asap.


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## max asst (Mar 19, 2001)

*How do you open the door if the handle doesn't work?*

How do you open the door if the inside and outside handles do not work?


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## vdubporvida (Jan 6, 2012)

My driver side door wouldn't open from the outside but then one day the whole ghost lock started happening so now the driver door shuts too quickly and we can't get it open at all. Please help. Climbing in is making me hate my van


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## Van-again (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks for this! Just finished fixing my driver's door handle. Works great!


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## Jonwid (Aug 18, 2013)

I just repaired our 03 GLS passenger side door handle using this method. It works like a charm.









The hardest part is getting the repaired handle back in place.

You have to put the door locks down into the locked position in order to get the handle back into place. Then it takes some finessing to get the "hook" back in place.

Great write up. Thanks a bunch for the savings!

Jon


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## Seano (Jan 2, 2003)

This is a job I have to do...when I can get the rest of the parts out of the bottom of the door!!:laugh:


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## scemail (May 4, 2015)

*DYI Best/Simple solution for repairing drivers side door handle on Eurovan Camper 2001.*

Your diagrams and information on how you fixed your drivers side outside handle saved me $150-$210, parts alone.
In addition, it is most likely stronger than purchasing another NEW faulty cast iron hinge which is likely to break again. 
Also glad I saw your post before tearing the inside door panel off.
Took less time than driving my vehicle to a dealer, checking it in, and waiting for their service and costly fees. Start to finish, I spent less than a 1/2 hour once I assembled the tools needed. (Already had the bolt in my garage).
Thank you for your excellent post.


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## danielrandall (Jun 12, 2015)

*A suggested refinement/improvement to this repair*

I filled the area around the bolt threads with a high-strength epoxy; the space was shaped like a trough, anyway, and accommodated the liquid well through the 12-hour curing process. These door handles are now rock-solid and less sensitive to angular torsion forces.


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## jamemcc (May 1, 2016)

*Great solution - Worked great*

I've got the 200 Eurovan. I've replaced the entire external handle twice for this issue and it just broke for the 3rd time. Just followed your instructions - used 1/4-20 bolt that looked just like the 1 you did. Drilled the top out with 1/4 and then the bottom hole into the handle with 13/16 and then used the 1/4-20 tap. Seems like a great repair. I did not apply a cotter pin. I figure if it comes loose should be obvious, same sort of symptoms - tough to open and then finally can't open. I bet it will be easy to just pull tighten and continue next time though. Thanks again.


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## CHETVW007 (Jul 25, 2001)

Both of my handles snapped this very cold morning! Both! This worked perfectly.
Nice write up. 
Thank you...


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

I am glad it helped! 10 years later and I am still going strong with the same door handle with the original repair!


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## Mike6 (Oct 28, 2004)

*Thank You*

Riderx56,
I wanted to say thank you, and to keep this thread at the top of Google's search result.

What an amazingly simple idea that really works! I drilled a whole thru the broken nub, drilled into the metal stock of the handle, grabbed a bolt from the good-old-box-of-bolts, tapped the whole, and re-assembled the whole thing. Just like you said. I just didn't "see things like you did" and without this post... I would've had to pay for yet another handle. You rock!


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## scbobbyd (Aug 29, 2017)

*Thanks for the post*

Thank you for the post and photos. I was ready to pull the inside panel off and diagnose why the outside drivers handle would not open the door. I spent a fortune today to complete the repair ($1.15)









Riderx56 said:


> I'm not sure how common this failure is, but I've read that at least two other Eurovan owners have had door handles fail the same way mine did. My driver's side handle went out this past week. So after getting tired of going in through the passenger door every morning I decided to take a look at what happened and see what I could do before I tried to order a new handle.
> So this DIY fix is for all of you who don't have the $100 to throw at a new door handle when the internal metal L-bracket pivot shears off. This will require some drilling (and maybe a tap) - but at this point why not try - otherwise the old door handle is just an expensive paper weight.
> 1. Take out the door handle by removing the two screws just on the inside of the door. Remove the rubber gasket surrounding the back of the entire handle and hopefully the broken parts (L-bracket) are still there.
> 
> ...


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## KBATTPO (Jan 15, 2001)

I am wondering if a shouldered bolt + two Mylar washers + a Nylock nut would accomplish the above task easier, similar to the way I have just fixed the jammed hood safety catch in my UrS6. This way there is no need to drill the bolt's shank and to tap the cast handle below the newly drilled bore. I guess I'll find out if (or is it "when"?) the handle in my van craps out.


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## Syncrobeast (Mar 26, 2016)

*EuroVan door handle repair...*

I do these repairs for folks these days. $50 for one, $75 for both, shipping included. 
I use a 7mm bolt, perfect fit for the original cast post. Drilled and tapped, Red Locktite to secure, I do like the idea of the epoxy fill to add a bit of extra stability.

Ch
[email protected]


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## Syncrobeast (Mar 26, 2016)

M6 is too small, M7 is perfect slip fit.I use a drill press, and loctite the bolt in. Occasionally, I'll epoxy in place if I was not happy with the tapped threads.
Ch


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## lleblanc (Jun 6, 2011)

Thank you so much for providing this well-detailed and elegant solution. I just fixed my 2003 passenger door handle tapping both top and bottom of the cast cylinder and blue-loctiting a ¼" screw in place. So neat I now look forward to repair the driver side


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## Riderx56 (Jul 19, 2000)

lleblanc said:


> Thank you so much for providing this well-detailed and elegant solution. I just fixed my 2003 passenger door handle tapping both top and bottom of the cast cylinder and blue-loctiting a ¼" screw in place. So neat I now look forward to repair the driver side


Glad to hear! My original door handle repairs are still holding strong after 14 years!


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