Door panel removal, 04 Legacy

[proscriptus]

Howdy,

Probably because I never fixed it on the OBS I traded in toward it, my new (old) 2004 wagon is having (drivers side) power window problems. It acts as though a guide is broken: It started clunking at the bottom of travel a month ago, but abruptly started wandering fore and aft in the last few days. Now it's way off, and in fact runs into the roof if I let it, so it's time to act.

I've got the service manual which shows me where all the little clips are (the 9 plastic expanders, metal clips & screws) but any time I've pulled a panel off a car I've both broken all the clips, as well as ripping them out of the panels. Since this car's only got 43K on it, I'd like to put it back to new when I'm done.

So: Any advice on getting the panel off, and on fixing the window when I'm in there? I browsed the forum but didn't come up with much.

I'm wondering something else: This car is a 35th Anniversary edition but lacks a badge on the driver's front fender. Is it supposed to have one? It was sold to me (Feder's Subaru, Middletown, NY) as a CPO car, but I'm starting to wonder if there was damage to that quarter--it would explain both the window and decal (and non-working door speaker, too).

Thanks.

[Huffer]

Pull the door card off. Unless you're a gorilla you won't break the clips unless you're pulling too far from the individual clip.

Work your way around the door, I support the door card with my knee so that the window switch doesn't get damaged from the wires being pulled.

[rougeben83]

Firm constant pressure, not sudden jerks will usually help preserve the clips.

Do it in warm weather as well.

[proscriptus]

Thanks. Warm weather's not a problem, I'll give it a shot tonight.

[proscriptus]

Alright, so I waited until last night, it came off easily. One of the bolts into the window mechanism had backed itself all the way out, so with repeated use about four others had loosened and warped the crap out of the sheetmetal. One had worn a groove about an inch long. Not pretty. But no sign off the door ever having been apart before, either. I was surprised to find Made in Japan stamps on both the panel & skin.

Not easy to get them back in, either. Put washers and/or lockwashers in where there was room. I hope they hold, it's going to require sheetmetal work if something loosens up again. So if you ever get a clunking in your windows, I advise: Stop using them IMMEDIATELY. That sheetmetal is paper-thin, 18ga or worse.

No trouble with the speaker in the door, problem must be in the stereo head unit.

Thanks for the advice.