Description

Did you know that you can rebuild your car door check? On most older cars, there are just a few plastic pieces that wear out over time. Newer cars use rollers that last a lot longer. Of course, the dealers don't sell the parts for you to rebuild it. They would rather have you spend over $100 for each door check. On older vehicles, the parts are no longer available. I have reverse engineered these parts and 3d printed them for you. This kit will repair all four (4) doors for a fraction of the price of one (1) door check from your local auto parts store or dealer. I wish I could offer it for less, but shipping and fees are really expensive now. These were made to fit the door checks for the following vehicle(s): 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner PARTS INCLUDED: Eight (8) plastic latches/catches/fixators NOT INCLUDED: Complete door catch shown in pictures, shown for illustration purposes only. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS (search the Tube "Toyota Door Checker Repair" for video instructions): Locate spot welds on the door check housing plates. Drill out spot welds until the plates separate; no need to drill all the way through. Use progressively larger drill bits, since the spot welds are larger than the spot you can see. A 7/32" drill bit worked for me in most cases. You might need a 1/4" for stubborn ones, or just pry it apart. Don't worry if you bend the plate, it is just pot metal and easy to straighten back out. Remove rubber springs and plastic latches (2 for each door check). Note how the parts are installed. Lubricate sliding plastic parts with a graphite/teflon dry lube or other equivalent lubricant. DO NOT use a petroleum based lubricant. It will break down the rubber spring and the plastic latches. Reinstall the old rubber springs with the new plastic latches. Note that it is easier to install when you line it up with one of the cutouts or "valleys" in the door check arm. If your old rubber springs are not putting enough pressure on the latches, add spacers behind the rubber springs to increase the pressure on the latches (shouldn't be necessary, I have already compensated for wear in the latch design for these older cars) . It should be relatively tough to install the new latches and rubber springs into the housing. Don't make it too tight, or it will squeak and be hard to close the door. Reinstall in car. The bolts will hold the housing plates together once installed in car. You don't need to spot weld the housing plates before reinstalling. GUARANTEE: I guarantee the parts to be free from manufacturing defects for 30 days from the date of sale. Just contact me, describe the failure, send some pictures, and I will send replacements. In my testing, I found that it lasts longer if lubricated. If yours wear too quickly because you did not use lubricant, or the lubricant you used caused it to break down, just contact me. We can work something out to send you a new set at a discount. If you don't want to do the work, send me a message and we can work something out where you can send me your old door checks and I will rebuild them for you. If you have a different car, send me your old, worn door check plastic latches and I will reverse engineer and 3d print it for you. If it is one that I have not yet designed, I will send you the first set for $1 per latch plus shipping, since you sent me the part to be designed. MATERIAL: Some people have asked what material I use. I initially tried ABS or ASA, but found it too hard and abrasive. Note that I think the original was ABS. If you look closely at your door check arm, it is also plastic and supposed to be highly textured. Over the years, the latches smoothed out the door check arm due to the wear, which is another reason why they don't hold as well anymore. If the arm was metal, I could easily use carbon fiber reinforced plastic so it will last a long time. However, in order to save the arm, which is not easily replaceable, I tried softer plastics. Nylon and PETG worked great and basically lubricate as they wear, but were too soft and wore out quickly. I decided on a high temp PLA+ that gave a nice balance of hardness and smooth operation. It is softer than the arm so it won't wear out the arm as much anymore, but hard enough to last longer than nylon. It will not last as long as the original ABS latches, but they are cheap enough and easy to replace again in 3-5 years after you have already drilled out the spot welds. It's a balance.