Warning if popping panels on '09 Pilot

We found out the hard way the other day. In tinting the 2 front doors, we popped the panels but didn't unplug anything, we were able to hang them right there with a hook. After we put everything back together and when the customer came to pick up she couldn't open either front door. They wouldn't open from outsdie or from inside. We had to take it to the dealer and one day later they said that the cables for the door handles had popped loose when we had the panels off. This design is absurd, the inside cable for the handle is somehow tied in with the outside handle. They had to remove the door panel with the door closed somehow and hook the cable up. I've had a cable come undone before but never does it affect the outside handle operation. Stupid design.
Well $250.00 later and it's all good. Check the cables really good before putting the panels back on people. The other thing is that they must come off real easy because we didn't have that panel more than 2 inches away from the door.

just did one yesterday....just don't let the cables unclip from behind the handles. if they do it's no big deal....just clip them back into place.

did plenty but never had the problem. good looking out though. i will warn all of our guys about this.

Thanks for the heads up

How about leaving the panels on?I am tired of seeing so many installers taking off panels.Yeah I can understand some panels need popping but it seems too many of you just do not know how to install the film on the simplest of doors.

I had this problem when removing Acura RL door panels.. And Honda does not see the clips seperate from door handle. Hav to buy full assembly.. That is what they did.. Lucky work at the dealer..

Ditto!

I dont pull panels on...well, I cant think of a car I do pull panels on...except when I did a Volvo 850 and Lexus IS 250 about a year ago. I do pull gaskets on Bugs, many Saturns, sometimes on Malibu's and Impalas, Taurus's....and thats about it.


What the deal with honda/acura making so many ugly models now?? The Pilot front looks similar to a TSX/TL which is just God aweful ugly. I used to think Honda/Acura made great looking vehicles. What happened?

Listen, people who don't pop panels are gonna say you shouldn't 'cause stuff can break and people who do pop panels
are going to say that bending a molding backwards can damage it. I get it, that's not the point of the post. That's why I
wrote "if popping panels" in the title. We haven't had to pay for a problem related to panel removal in many years so I thought it was worth a mention. Happy Tinting.

if i remember correcty you can just pop the rubbers out of the new pilots. so that can avoid that problem. i think thats why we never ran into that. the last model of the accords always popped or broke the door cables, but we know how to fix that. if you run into that pm me.

and just so you guys know, we pull everything on every car. unless you can just pop the rubber out, or pop the top back. but you never know about that until you pop the panel off. or unless i or someone else tells you guys. which i usually do.

ive ran into this and never had the problem with it not opening from the out side! its great having knowlegde to fix your own mistakes. i remember several cars going to this style with the little green slide clips. these clips have been broke at my shop on a accord. i was slammed one day add had a co-worker remove the pannels so that i could skin the gaskets. he broke it and the clip can not be replace, it is part of the cable. as i said i was slammed at the shop, so the only choice i had is to hot glue it back together. there was enough clip left on one side to repair it this way. this was last summer and the repair has held up. thank god!

true that! i real professional can tint windows without removing anything at all on almost any car!

yep same here,i check them on every panel before replacing

so how do you skin a weather strip with the panel still on the door?

I have had that happen on a Accord also.

ill post up a pic of the quick repair that we do on the accords. gotta wait till one comes in though.

Except for a very few cars (IS 350, Lancer come to mind) I never pull panels. And I don't bend rubber seals either. Long fingernails and a Conquistador, that's all folks..

This obnoxious criticism of pulling panels reminds me of people who say it's better to use a computer cut system so that "no sharp blades come in contact with the car."

I used to tint all vehicles without pulling panels and now I pull a lot of them. I deal with A LOT less problems as a result and I'm glad I made the transition. It doesn't make a person more or less professional, but my installations are top quality and the result is what counts.

Toyota and Nissan can pop loose as well. I would have asked them to bring it back to me first to check it. Amazing what the dealer will charge for a 5 min fix.