How Long Does It Take to Replace a Car Door?
2 Answers
If all the necessary parts are available, replacing a car door generally takes about three hours. Here is some extended information about door replacement: 1. If you are replacing the door with an aftermarket part, there may be differences in precision compared to the original manufacturer's door. The materials may also differ, leading to variations in rigidity. Typically, aftermarket doors have slightly thinner sheet metal, and some anti-corrosion processes may not meet the original manufacturer's standards, which could lead to issues later on. 2. Since car doors are not considered wear-and-tear parts, any replacement can reasonably raise suspicions that the vehicle has been involved in a collision, potentially classifying it as an accident vehicle. This can significantly reduce the car's resale value. 3. Additionally, a replacement door will never be as good as the original. Some owners have reported issues such as large gaps, noise, and possible looseness after replacing a door, which can also affect the overall rigidity of the vehicle body.
As someone who frequently works on my own car repairs, replacing a door once was quite time-consuming. That time my old car door got scratched, so I decided to DIY a replacement. When removing the old door, I had to be careful with rusted screws, which took over an hour to loosen; installing the new door required repeated alignment adjustments, and even with power tools it wasn't perfectly precise. The whole process took nearly 4 hours, leaving me with sore hands and an aching back. If the parts are brand new and properly packaged it's manageable, but with used doors or mismatched paint jobs, you might need an extra hour or two for corrections. Honestly, unless you're professionally trained, I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself - if the door doesn't seal properly or has large gaps, you'll deal with wind noise and drafts at highway speeds. Professional shops are far more efficient, equipped with specialized lifts and pneumatic wrenches that make quick work of it, usually wrapping up in just an hour or two. You'll save half the time with guaranteed safety and peace of mind.
