How tough is it to replace the door handles?

I was out with some friends tonight and someone broke into my truck. The new stereo, my son's ipad, my wife's purse, and my favorite pocket knife were all stolen.

In order to get in, they broke the plastic surrounding the lock on the driver's side, so I need to have the door handle replaced... But if it's not too difficult I can do it myself and save some money. So... Anyone got any pointers and/or advice for preventing this particular sort of break in for the future?

 

They are not very hard to replace, just removal of the door panel and working in a tight space, there are a couple of nuts, and the linkages.

Consider something like the Jimmi Jammers to prevent future issues.

Jimmi' Jammer Products - Riffraff Diesel Performance

 

Not to hard to do here is a link to help you.

 

Some people add Jimmi Jammers, which are small pre formed metal plates that attach behind the plastic handles. Other people feel that Jimmi Jammers simply make the repair more expensive after break in, because instead of the damage being isolated to just the plastic paddle handle bezel, it now involves a bodyshop visit to have the sheet metal repaired and repainted... adding SUBSTANTIALLY to the cost and loss sustained from the break in.

Some people replace the front driver's door handle assembly with a rear crew cab door handle that doesn't have any lock cylinder hole.... and they pray their batteries never die, relying solely on the key fob button to chirp them in.

You can easily replace the door handle yourself. I replaced all my door handles with Excursion ones, because I wanted the smooth pre painted look, instead of the greying, fading, textured plastic that originally came on my truck. It involves removing the interior door panel, peeling back the moisture barrier, poking out a rubber grommet, loosening a couple of nuts, and undoing a couple of rod clips. If you retain your original lock cylinder, then you'll have to swap that over... and that will be self evident how with the parts in hand.

I don't know the best way to make the doors REALLY secure. They make inflatable air pillows that are flat, slip in between the clamshell door and body, squeeze pump with a manual inflator the size of a small hand grenade, and that makes enough of a gap to stick a stick in to hit the unlock switch. Or they can just break the glass. Or use one of the new RFID code crackers. There really is no security on these trucks.

I have a fancy top of the line alarm system that sometimes gets mad at me for entering my own truck with a key. I don't keep valuables inside. And I don't have an aftermarket radio. Yet I still expect to be broken into any and every day.

 

I'm sorry guy's if these creeps want in they will get in, we use the air bladder system here at the shop, because the drivers know it all and never lock the keys in the truck, 3 a week at last count. the only thing I can think of is an alarm system that actually works. Iv'e seen the best thousand dollars and I've seen the cheapest garbage, they all suck. After all these years all these tiny I phones ect, know one put time into a decent alarm for a vechicle. I have no answer, Y2K is right you add the door jammers and now you have body and paint, which will never match with ford's paint problems. You got me stumped. Look around the world today, can I go back to the 80's, I dont care I will grow a mullet again. It just seemed so different then.

 

In my opinion ....an alarm is worthless if the thief does not know it's there.

I had my drivers door lock popped twice, installed a cheap code alarm with a nice bright LED that flashes when it is armed. The LED is mounted on the same panel as the headlight switch gently pulses the whole cab red when active.