2001 Olds Alero Front Driver Side Exterior Door Handle TRQ DHA45895

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In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the outside door handle on this 2000 Olds Alero. This vehicle's a 2-door. We'll show you the driver's side, but the procedure's basically the same for the passenger side. It's also very similar for the front doors on a 4 door. Tools you'll need are an 8mm wrench, a small flat blade screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver, and a 10mm socket with a ratchet and extension, as well as a flashlight would probably help, too.

Use an 8mm wrench and disconnect your negative battery cable.

You're going to start under your door pull. There's a little trap door here. Either from the top or bottom, just pry that off, and there are two Phillips screws in there. We'll speed it up here a little bit as I just remove those screws. I'll use fast-forward quite often when I'm just doing monotonous tasks like this. Now right up here, you just pull on this panel, and it comes off. If you have this speaker here, just use a screwdriver, pry up on this tab, and disconnect it. Also, down in this corner, use a little screwdriver and pull this reflector out. Then inside here there's a Phillips screw. Once you have that out, a door panel clip tool or a putty knife, and start anywhere, get that in there, and then slide it until you feel a clip. Then the door panel clip tool, you go around a clip, and then pull. That screw comes out of the car, and I can see back in here. Then just work your way all the way around the door. Once you have the door pretty loose it comes out and lifts up.

For the door lock, just pull back on this tab, disconnect it, and then these two switches just have tabs on them. I'm just going to reach underneath and pull that one off. It's near a switch, it's a little more difficult. There's a tab right here. Use my little screwdriver. I just took a flat blade screwdriver, forced it up in there, pried that down, and that released. Then the last one here is my trunk switch, which again, just use your screwdriver. There's a locking tab over here. Pull it off. Carefully remove your water shield. You can also just pull back the part that you need to get to the door handle.

For your outside door handle, you're going to come in here, and you can see there's a little clip right there. I'm going to reach in and pull it off. You can see there I unclipped it, and then pull that rod out and down. In here, you see your window channel, and you can see a clip right back in here. Reach that, pull it towards the front, pull it out, and pull this rod right out of it. This rod's undone up at the top, and this rod's undone at the bottom. Now there's a bolt or a 10mm nut right there. Just speed it up here as I use a 10mm socket with a ratchet and extension to remove that nut. Now you can remove your handle.

You want to remove two things from your old handle. This rod, and this is usually what breaks here. Remove that. Then also push these two tabs down and remove this clip. Remove your lock, and then there's also a little rubber washer in there. You want to remove that.

New handle from 1A Auto. Obviously it comes molded in black. You can replace it, and have a functional handle as this. If you wanted to paint it to match, I would just take this gasket off first and then you can either be as cruel as just getting some paint from a hardware store, or go to an automotive parts store that has a good paint department. They can usually match the paint on your vehicle and put some into an air charged can for you.


Just drop that gasket right down in there. Make sure it sits down. Your lock goes right in and you just squeeze it in place. The new handle comes with a locking clip here, but just put it in. Make sure it goes in from the back side, turn it down, and you can lock it on like that. This rod needs to go in behind the window channel, down in, then up. Now take your plate. Flat side goes to the top. Get it on there. Make sure none of the rods get in your way. Get the bolt on. Just make sure you hold the door handle in place on the other side well. Tighten the bolt up. Put that in place. Clamp it down. Bring that around, put it in place, then clamp it. Make sure your doors are locked.

Now carefully put your water shield back in place, and you're ready to put the door panel back on. Plug in our lock switch right up here, and our mirror. Push this in a little bit. Power window switch. This can go down to our trunk switch. Then make sure you push the top of the door panel in, make sure this speaker lead is up out of there. Push the door panel down into that channel. You may have to use your putty knife or some kind of clip tool to force the upholstery in there a little bit. Peek back in here, make sure your pins are going in where they should. Fast-forward through reinstalling those three Phillips screws. Put your reflector back in. Put this panel back on. Plug back in your lead there. Put that back on.

Then reconnect your negative battery cable.

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