George De

Can someone describe or send me the instructions on how to remove the 2008 driver side door latch mechanism in the door jamb.
I am not sure how to access the latch to remove it since when I started to unscrew the latch’s two screws it appears that it would fall into the fender, so how do I get to the latch once I unscrew the 2x screws on the door jamb?

I am now having a similar problem that others have posted in this forum with my 2008 driver door in that it opens less than 50% of the time, although the window indexes correctly. Appears that the motor in the latch is failing, as previously described in a forum thread.

I do not have a shop manual so if anyone can walk me thru this I would appreciate it.

RLSebring

Remove the inside B pillar trim right behind the drivers seat. There is a black rubber gasket covering the access hole. The latch when loose can be removed through that opening.

George De

will try it tomorrow

kd6awa

Found out (that hard way) that the door sill trim has to be lifted up at the rear before removing the B pillar trim. The B pillar trim has a hole that the clip on the door sill trim passes through as it fastens down to the body. Lifting up on the B pillar trim without loosening the door sill trim can (or did in my case) cause a stress fracture in the door sill trim. Fortunately it's barely noticeable.

jimnj72

I'm in a situation now with my 08 Vette where the driver's side door does not open from the interior or exterior without using the manual release on the floor or in the trunk. It worked here and there for about a week before completely going. From reading on the form it appears to be the door latch assembly which I would like to change.

Before I do so I'd appreciate it if anyone could provide any instruction on removing the trim so I can get at the assembly once I unscrew it. Is there something that needs to be removed on the trim as it seems like I would have to force it up. The trim piece that needs to come up seems to be underneath the one at the bottom of the door and the side of the door. Any help in the best way to remove this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

Bill Dearborn

Those symptoms can occur when either the latch or the door module go bad. How do you know it isn't the door module?

To remove the trim you need to pull up on the door sill cover. Start at the rear and pull the snap out of the slot in the frame then rotate upwards, that hopefully will pull the front snap out. Make sure you check what is happening with the section in the footwell while doing this. Once the bottom front snap is free then you need to pull backwards to free the snap in the A pillar. Then you get to play with the plastic covering the B pillar. It pulls inwards but you have to free it from the upper inner quarter panels before you can get it out. Sometimes the snaps can be very snug. Some are mounted to plastic studs glued to the back of the panels. Be prepared to have the glue or stud break. Use epoxy to glue them back together.

Bill

jimnj72

Thank you for the instructions. I will try that later. I have no ordered any parts yet though. I had assumed based on my reading that it was the latch but I could be wrong. When I press the pad to open the door the window comes down a bit like the door will open but the door doesnt open. For a while it would sometimes open. How can I tell if it's the door module or latch for sure? Thanks for your help.

ScaryFast

Mine does something similar, I also would like to clarify which module could be causing the issue.

The window goes down then up, I move my fingers and it does the same thing. Sometimes the door tries to release and it will open for just long enough to release the primary latch, but then it catches on the secondary / mechanical latch.

Man it's frustrating. It's almost as bad as when she locks me in the car!

jimnj72

I received a door latch to put in my Corvette. It has the two cables attached to it. One that is for the pull lever in the trunk and another I'm not sure of just yet. Can someone tell me how I remove them from the latch?

I'd like to attach the cables already inside the car to the new door latch rather than trying to reroute these. I see there seems to be a lever above each of them that I can move back and forth. I have not tried to put too much force into it yet when I push the lever and try to pull on the cables as I figured I'd ask first.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

jimnj72

I figured out that I can just remove the two screws on the back and the top lifts off and I can disconnect the cables.

Huskerman

This whole thread was worthless without any pictures........come on man.......

Bill Dearborn

Not really. Open the door and look at what is in front of you and then read the various instructions. It will be obvious. Not a lot of people use cameras when doing these things. Even the FSM doesn't show many diagrams.

Bill

Rapid Fred

Resurrecting this because I am looking at it and it is NOT obvious to the non-mechanic...

1.) "...you need to pull up on the door sill cover. Start at the rear and pull the snap out of the slot in the frame then rotate upwards, that hopefully will pull the front snap out. Make sure you check what is happening with the section in the footwell while doing this." Well, how far is that "snap" from the back of the cover? Can you use a screwdriver or other tool to help gain leverage without breaking the snap or "stress-fracturing" the cover? Do you "rotate upwards" from the back, outside, or inside of the sill cover?

2.) Why is it necessary to pull the snap in the A pillar? It would seem that is much too far forward unless the trim piece goes all the way forward to the front. I guess you are saying it does.

3.) "Then you get to play with the plastic covering the B pillar. It pulls inwards but you have to free it from the upper inner quarter panels before you can get it out. Sometimes the snaps can be very snug. Some are mounted to plastic studs glued to the back of the panels. Be prepared to have the glue or stud break. Use epoxy to glue them back together." Again, not obvious. Same questions as in (1) above -- how many snaps and where are they? The idea should be to break as few as possible; with the right tools and a better knowledge of where to yank on it, breakage could be kept to a minimum.

I am not trying to give you a hard time; your posts are generally very informative. But to someone attempting this "r & r" for the first time, a bit more specificity and/or pix would be very helpful indeed. Could save a lot of money in broken parts as well as time...

Thanks...

schpenxel

No reason to mess with the A pillar.

B pillar and the trim piece that covers the roof bar thing do have to be removed to get access to the locking mechanism. It's not a very fun job to do due to the all the clips GM uses to hold those plastic panels on. In some spots on mine the clips were stronger than the plastic so I cracked the plastic in a few places.

Rapid Fred

Thanks. Any suggestions how NOT to crack the plastic? There is a video I found that shows how to get the back of the sill trim off without cracking anything, which is a start!

schpenxel

Not really. If you had a way to push the panels from behind right where the clips are it would be easier to not break anything, but I don't know that there's a way to do that. I'm planning on just replacing a few panels on mine; just haven't gotten around to it

Rapid Fred

Love this Forum --

Various threads on the door latch problem enabled me to conclude my problem was a dead latch (not the pad or module). Picked up a latch from a Forum member parting out a C6 and for $115 plus a few hours labor problem solved. Description in this thread helpful; here's a few pix to maybe make it even easier for the next guy...

First picture is the sill plate piece -- note the position of the two clips. I put tape on the painted part. At the rear, you can get at the clip between the sill piece and the rear panel. I used a paint scraper to separate and then a screwdriver to press in and release the clip. Loosening the forward clip made it easier to move the rear panel around.

Second picture is the rear door panel; noting where the clips are gives you an idea where to pull so as to avoid cracking the piece.

I believe other threads cover actual R&R of the latch mechanism. There is a great YouTube video as well; I just googled "C6 door latch" and found it within the first 10 or so hits...

Ike16

Thanks to Atomic Fred pix and words from others I was able to replace my latch with nothing broken, scratched, or requiring a band-aid. Hardest part was lifting the sticky plastic from the B pillar. Also got the old latch where I could see what it was supposed to look like and decided rather than put on the new cover I would re-use the old #10 Torx screws and keep the old cover. Saved having to re-connect the trunk and emergency driver escape cable. Works like a charm. BIG SMILE! 30 minutes and $123 well spent. Besides it was raining outside.

CurtMo

Ike, where did you purchase the latch? I'm looking to get a new one myself...

Ike16

Got parts from 2 sources, Amazon and www.westcoastcorvette.com/
Works like a charm. All I need now is wings because the C6 can fly!