Trunk handle lid: how to separate?

[Chanman1029]

Hey all,

i am looking to fix my trunk handle, simce it has become loose from the broken plastic. I have seen a few old threads talking about separating the painted cover from the inner workings, but I cannot figure out how this is even possible, the whole thing seems glued together and nearly impossible to separate without breaking.

I went to the junkyard to practice on a few, and both ended up break upon any reasonable amount of force required to pull the halves apart.

All the old threads have zero/dead pictures, can any shead light on which parts I’m supposed to pry on? This one has me completely stuck smh

[PetrolM3]

I just dealt with this. My original handle stopped working, first one lamp then the other (rusted through from salt) and finally the trunk button failed too.

I ordered a brand new handle but it comes with black unpainted cover which I didn’t want to paint.

I had to use a dremel tool to cut the old handle and remove the painted cover without damaging it. There are several tabs and it’s also glued from the inside but I managed to remove it without breaking anything other than the non-working handle.

I then used the same tool to cut and remove the black unpainted cover from the new handle. I cut around the tabs making sure I don’t cut into the handle part but only the cover. This worked too..

I then installed the painted cover from the old handle onto the new one - tabs were enough to hold it in place so I didn’t bother with any glue.

I didn’t take any photos but I’m sure you can find some online to figure out where to cut.

hope that helps! Cheers

[lemoose]

Do as above. I broke several tabs on mine and I do think its rather impossible not to by hand and simple leverage. Fortunately though, the remaining tabs and provided adhesive foam keep things so tight i cant even tell any tabs were broken.

Some day when i order new door mouldings and other painted trim parts however Ill take advantage of the lifetime replacement and get the kit reordered and done 100% right lol

[Chanman1029]

Thanks for that insight! I was actually just thinking about using a cutting wheel to cut the inner handle out. I saw a couple posts about people somehow getting it off by prying but that seemed extremely difficult lol.

I definitely will be cutting up the old handle, seems easier that way🤙🏼