Can anyone give me any tips on how to get the rear door cards of my leaky fabia as I need to reseal the carriers? I have removed 3 screws so far (one behind speaker plus 2 in door handle) but now I am not sure what to do next. Is it just a matter of brute force to remove it or is there a special technique? I know there are a number of clips securing the card to the door can these be unclipped safely or is it inevitable that the will break on removal?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you find a very thin and wide bladed tool, possibly a wooden spatula... slide this between the card and the door and prise it off.

I didnt do this, I just tugged as hard as possible on the doorcard.

when I say hard, I mean HARD!

dont for get to remove the window winder handle

thanks ultra, so brute force by the sounds of it .... what did you grip on to though as there is not a lot to grab onto other than the door handle/armrest? Will I need replacement clips?

Thanks George, winders are removed:)

the edge of the storage compartment at the bottom

a couple of clips broke a part off but could still be used

the clips aren,t that dear

The bit of trim at the window requires a really good pull to get it started. The clips are about 21p each. You might want to order tweeter covers as well, they snap easily.

Thanks for the tips guys ... will have to order tweeter covers, snapped one:rolleyes:. The carrier appears to be a bolt on one, what sealing method would you recommend?

On my first attempt I used SikaFlex. But I either sealed it poorly or damaged my handy work putting the door back together. Second attempt used instant gasket (the kind of for sumps) and then a layer of waterproof tape.

Leak free now!

Door card almost off and all my clips survived:) The door card is now only secured across the top but I cannot seem to remove it, do I need to remove the plastic strip next to the window or is it just brute force again? The carrier is a bolt on type and I can actually see where the seal has failed(water streaks on the paint work), should i clean it up with white spirit and use sealant or remove the carrier and get a new sealant strip ( I take it that Skoda sell them?)

Thanks for the advice so far by the way:)

I gave up trying to get the door card away from the bottom of the window, and ended up just holding it away from the body of the door with a long screwdriver. Then again, I was using the VRStu technique, so didn't need to remove the carrier. I did find pressing on the carrier forced some water out of the existing sealing material, so carried on with that until it had all gone, to make sure it didn't affect how the new sealant cured...

HTH

Hi Ilynch,

had to take off my door card to see what an awful mess the dealer made of attempting to seal the leak, they had actually split the card but put it back together in the hope that I wouldn't notice. To get to the point, to remove it from the top by the window, all I had to do was lift it straight up starting from the back, it slips out from the gap between the glass and the rubber with a bit of gentle pulling.

as an aside, the dealer has done such a poor job of rubbing the black sealant in the general area of my leak with presumably a finger and his eyes closed that I need some way of removing all the sealant so that I could do the job again more neatly. Does anyone have any tips as to how to remove this substance without scratching the heck out of the paintwork? all advice gratefully received.

If you want a laugh and to see the quality of the work carried out under warranty by Palmers of Watford I have attempted to show some pictures of their handy work in my gallery (which by the way did not stop the leak)

Incidentally, Skoda customer care don't seem too bothered about the lack of quality of this work which does not say much about their opinions of the people buying their products.

I personally would replace all the broken clips as to help avoid annoying rattles...

There only 21p from Skoda (each) you know

Matt, I have tried gentle pulling to vein popping force but with no success:confused: :confused: Does the plastic strip next to the window come out with the door card or does that stay in situ? Card is bending and flexing and am a bit concerned I may split it like our dealer did.

With regards to your sealant removal not really sure as sealants are normally quite easy to remove but if its some kind of mega sticky sealant skoda use then maybe solvent is required to break it down?

The door card and the strip come off together. Start at one end, mine took an almighty heave to start it, but once it starts it comes out fine. Putting it back in requires a gentle thump.

Matt, I have tried gentle pulling to vein popping force but with no success:confused: :confused: Does the plastic strip next to the window come out with the door card or does that stay in situ? Card is bending and flexing and am a bit concerned I may split it like our dealer did.

With regards to your sealant removal not really sure as sealants are normally quite easy to remove but if its some kind of mega sticky sealant skoda use then maybe solvent is required to break it down?

Comes out with the door card!!

You lift straight up vertiacally and it will pop out, give it some elbow grease

Just the door card came up not the plastic strip, it could be down to age? Mine is a 56 plate and I guess has not been in situ that long.

It will be the plastic strip thats holding it on, it is connected to the rest of the door card, start at the furthest towards back of car edge and get this bit out first then the rest should follow pretty easy

I know this is an old thread but I'm sure this will be helpful to someone! If you are struggling to get the top bit of the door card off near the window, what I did was get an old cut off of MDF about 3 inch wide. Pull the door card away slightly so that it is clear of the window winder. Push the wood up against the top of the door card where the plastic strip starts on the underneath and give it a few taps with a hammer, this should loosen it enough to be able to pull it off.

Edited 21 January, 201214 yr by davyboivrs