rear door rattle help

the panel at the very top of the door where it meets the glass has come loose (circled in red pic 1). It can be pulled a bit out toward the interior of the vehicle (pic 2).

The other rear door panel doesn't pull away from the glass at all so I'm wondering how I can latch/pop it back in. I've tried both and it's not obvious. If someone can tell me how to pull it out so I can look at it, that would work too. RealOEM shows all the parts but I'm not sure how it latches. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...33&hg=51&fg=50

Removal and installation of cladding left or right rear door

thanks - now I need to figure out how these "clips" actually work...

http://res.bmwcats.com/tis/1120586.png
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/r/x/277.png (#3 or #4)

Just be brave and pull hard.

The clips release by pulling hard as mentioned. Might need to insert a plastic spatula in between door and panel to get them started. The top clips which are loose in your car, snap in downward if I recall correctly. Start with those first and then snap the plastic ones in with a good punch with the palm of your hand.

Originally Posted by tony(topaz,SMG)

The clips release by pulling hard as mentioned. Might need to insert a plastic spatula in between door and panel to get them started. The top clips which are loose in your car, snap in downward if I recall correctly. Start with those first and then snap the plastic ones in with a good punch with the palm of your hand.

I can see 2 of the clips - the one closest to the door lock looks like it is dislodged altogether (base clip is off and the rivet thing is attached to it) and the one further across looks like it just needs to be punched back in, which I can't seem to accomplish.

I am trying to avoid pulling the entire thing out first since it reads like some of the other clips need to be replaced once out. And I don't have a tool to pull that leather handle out which is a prereq of the whole project to begin with.

Originally Posted by rh71

I can see 2 of the clips - the one closest to the door lock looks like it is dislodged altogether (base clip is off and the rivet thing is attached to it) and the one further across looks like it just needs to be punched back in, which I can't seem to accomplish.

I am trying to avoid pulling the entire thing out first since it reads like some of the other clips need to be replaced once out. And I don't have a tool to pull that leather handle out which is a prereq of the whole project to begin with.

Usually the clips can be reused without a problem. If you break one, you can even get them at Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts. You'll probably need to get the whole panel off to fix the issue, since the top needs to go in before the rest of panel goes in.

At the risk of stating the obvious, if it's still under warranty, just take it in. Many of us want to just do things ourselves. (Saving hassle of taking to the dealer, etc.) But, if something goes wrong, the hassle-free factor is gone.

Joel