How to remove the door cards, side view mirror housings, or window switch on a VW Passat.

difficulty: 1/5
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Introduction

This article shows how to remove the door panels (door cards), the side view mirrors, and the window switch on a B5.5 VW Passat

If you want to add soundproofing, service the window regulator clips, door locks, speakers, or reupholster the doors, you must first remove the door cards.  The driver's side door card has extra electrical switches and is slightly different.  Also see 1000q: soundproofing for some basic soundproofing tips.  See 1000q: window regulator clip and motor replacement if your window is making clicking noises or fell down into the door.

Tools

T25 torx screwdriver
phillips screwdriver
slot screwdriver or pry wrapped with a rag

T40 or T45 torx bit if you want to remove the side view mirror

Procedure

Driver's side door card removal

Pull the driver's grab handle edge trim (white arrow) out as shown below.  If you use a screwdriver, wrap it in cloth to protect the plastic.

Here it is pulled out halfway for illustration.  Pull it out all the way.

The rest of the handle will pop up and out.  Remove the one plug for the windows/doors, etc, (white arrow).  There are some sharp edges in the plastic and metal so be careful.  When you pull on the clips, they can suddenly let go and you could slice yourself on an edge.  Wearing gloves can also prevent you from getting dirty fingerprints all over the interior.

Remove the 3 phillips screws shown below.

Remove the torx screws along the bottom of the door panel.  Note the puddle light at the bottom, you have to remove its wire later.

Now pull the door card up and out, starting at the bottom edge, and moving to the window seam where the door card hooks into the door edge.  There are 6 plastic snaps holding the door card.  You can use a soft pry to get them out.  If you use a screwdriver, wrap it in tape to prevent scratches.  The backside of the door is shown below to show the plastic snap locations.  

Remove the door electrical plugs and door latch cable.

To remove the door latch cable, pull the plastic holder forward and away from the door in the direction of the blue arrow.  Note that the wire goes into the tube (outlined in red) and is locked in place by the plastic holder (outlined in green, old position outlined by green dashes).  You can then unhook the door latch wire (outlined in yellow).  Remember their original positions for reinstallation.

Here is the inside door panel.  When reinstalling the driver's side door, make sure to pull up the window control wires through the handle hole before you reattach the door, otherwise they'll be stuck somewhere inside the door and you have to remove it again.

Front of the door card.

This is what you should see.

The other doors are pretty much the same.  During installation, hook the top of the door card over the door.  Note how it sits before removal.  Also make sure the door snaps are all in place.  They lock in place with a good whack of the door panel.

To remove the passenger side door and rear doors, use a pry to split the grab handle trim cover off to get access to the 2 phillips screws holding the door in place.

driver's side rear door card

Side view mirror removal and replacement

After removing the front door card, slide the speaker and trim up.  Unplug the power window mirror wire as highlighted in the white box below.

Remove the torx screw holding the side view mirror and you can then remove the mirror.

 

Need more help removing the door panels or side view mirror on your Passat?  Ask in the myturbodiesel.com forums or google search the site: