Minnesota Focus Owners Club

it was 10 below and freezing and then my friend yanked the door handle hard to try to open the door and now it's broken. I've never opened the door panel before but i know it has 2 screws on each side and probably couple latches. is it that simple to open? I need to check the door mechanism when its getting warmer outside.

the door panel is 8-11 screws. then pull it out on the bottom, then slide it up and off.
if you've got manual windows, you'll have a blast trying to remove the c-clip and pulling the crank off.
the first time it might take you 10 minutes to figure out how it latches and stuff.
I've done it a few times and I'm confident I could pull the off in under 4 minutes/side.

screw locations:

4 on the bottom
two on each side (maybe three)
one in the door handle plastic (with a little cover over it, it pops off)
two inside the armrest handle (the grip pops off with a little force)
remove the panel where the door handle / lock is. after the screw is out, pull the door lever and slide it out.

you'll also have to remove the piece adjacent to the side mirrors. it pulls off pretty easily, no screws.

once it's off, you'll have to remove the weather barrier. I suggest reattaching it using a heat-gun as the adhesive is asphalt based.

hope that helps.

best pic I had to work with

thanks for the tips. yours is an 07 so i dont know if the design still the same with the 00. thanks again

Its pretty easy. The screws around the edge are torq. You pull the door handle cover off from underneath, if you look up underneath, you'll see a hole, just stick a screwdriver up there and pry it off. Then there should be two bolts inide.