2010-2014 Subaru Legacy Rear Door Panel Replacement

Step 1

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 6-in-1 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Phillips #2 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Use a spudger or a flat-blade screwdriver to unlatch the plastic screw cover residing within the door pull handle.
• Move the plastic cover out of the way so that the Phillips screw is fully revealed.
• Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the screw residing underneath the plastic cover.

Step 2

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 6-in-1 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Phillips #2 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Use a spudger or a flat-blade screwdriver to unlatch the plastic screw cover residing within the door arm rest.
• Move the plastic cover out of the way so that the Phillips screw is fully revealed.
• Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the screw residing underneath the plastic cover.

Step 3

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP 6-in-1 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Phillips #2 Screwdriver Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• There are several retaining clips holding the door panel in place. Their locations are roughly outlined by the red circles.
• You’ll find a notch in the door panel on the bottom of the door. This is where you should insert your door panel pry tool. You can also use a couple of flat-blade screwdrivers or a paint scraper in lieu of of a door panel pry tool, but you may accidentally damage your door panel’s paint.
• Optional (if the tool is metal): Wrap the pry tool in blue masking tape — or another type of tape — in order to minimize scratches to the car.

Step 4

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Insert the door panel pry tool into the notch found on the bottom of the door panel.
• Once fully inserted, pull towards you in order to disconnect the first retaining clip.
• The door panel should now be slightly looser on the bottom. Re-insert the pry tool on the bottom-right of the panel, and pull toward you to disconnect the second retaining clip.

Step 5

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Re-insert the pry tool in the following sections of the door panel (and pull toward you) to disconnect the remaining retaining clips:
• Bottom-left of the door panel
• Far-right of the door panel
• Far-left of the door panel

Step 6

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• The door panel should now be loose on all sides — but do not pull it off completely just yet! There are cables attached to it on the inside.
• Grab the door panel with your hands on both sides.
• Lift the panel about one inch upwards, and then gently pull it away from the metal door frame.

Step 7

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Two cables operate the door lock and door pull handle — a blue cable for the door lock, and a black one for the door pull handle. Each cable has a plastic sleeve that needs to be disconnected, as well as a metal cable ball that has to be de-routed from the door handle.
• Firmly grip the plastic blue sleeve and disconnect it by pulling it perpendicularly away from the plastic bracket.
• Lift the sleeve upwards so that the metal ball at the end of the cable is removed from its housing.
• Pull the entire cable away from the door panel.

Step 8

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• Repeat the same procedure above with the black cable. First disconnect the black sleeve, then the ball, and finally move the entire cable away from the door panel.

Step 9

Repair step

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TOOL USED ON THIS STEP Spudger Referenced by the iFixit guide

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• There is one more connector on the bottom of the door panel that needs to be disconnected.
• Depress the white plastic tab that resides on top of the connector.
• With the plastic tab depressed, pull the connector away from its socket.