Best door handle?

Pass. side door handle broke today. Whats the best brand aftermarket as far as replacement? I saw some cheap ones on Amazon for @ $10. Worth a shot?

Thanks

 

The cheap ones will last a few months then break again. Gotta go OEM with door handles

 

Another vote for OEM. They’re expensive but last. Cheap ones don’t. I’ve learned my lesson from experience. OEM handles operate much smoother as well

 

Another vote for OEM, my drivers side gave out after 15 years of continued use. Bought a drivers side, installed, and it fit like a glove and I don't worry about it. I bought a passenger side to match but haven't had the need to install just yet.

 

My original door handles are pushing 20 years. I put an aftermarket handle on my other truck that I barely drive and it broke within a month.

 

From what I understand the difference is a small groove in the plastic that holds grease for the mechanism. OEM has the patent for this groove. Once the grease disappears the handle breaks.
I made a groove in a cheap handle as an experiment. It's still working. I'll get some pictures of it if anyone is interested.

But I agree. Get and OEM one.

 

Make sure you spray white lithium grease all over the moving parts. It sticks and doesnt run like wd40. My eBay handles have been on my truck for over a year without issues

 

I have to play devil's advocate here...from January to April of this year I replaced my door handles nearly a half a dozen times on both sides because they kept breaking. Every time I replaced with an OEM handle it would break. I finally ordered a Dorman brand handle for ~$15 and looked closely at it compared to one of the failed $100 OEM ones and it looked exactly the same except that the Dorman one had a slightly bigger plastic lip inside of it (the part that pushes the metal clip inside the handle down and opens the door). That was the part on the OEM handles that kept failing on me and ever since putting the Dorman one in, I haven't had a failure yet. So +1 for Dorman handles. The overall quality of the handle parts may not be as good as OEM but the design is better IMO.

And yes, it is crucial that you spray some kind of lubricant on the inside of the handle and the latches while you have the door apart...over time dirt and grime gets in there and makes the handles have to work harder to operate which is what usually leads to the initial failure.

 

Wow OEM is pricey! Well I may just go Dorman just cause I am broke (and cheap and see how that works. If it fails I wont be surprised.....will keep an eye out for an OEM handle on sale or something.

Thanks for the help

 

I got my first couple OEM handles off of Amazon...way cheaper than going to the dealer. I think I got them for around $75 online versus the dealer that wanted $140 or so. And all of those handles failed within a few weeks. My Dorman ones have lasted almost 2 months now since I put them in.

 

Arent the chrome handles steel??? Maybe I will just get a cheap chrome handle if they are metal. hopefully it wont to too stupid with only chrome door handles and black everywhere else.

 

as far as I know they aren't any different than the black handles, they just have chrome plating on the outer part of the handle itself. They shouldn't be any stronger or weaker than the other versions.

 

OEM. Replacing them isn’t the hardest, but it’s enough of a PITA that unless you want to be doing it every couple months, just spring for the real deal.

 

Salvage?

 

So ive replaced my door handles a bunch and I've had the best luck with the crom plated cheepies. The black ones didn't last . Going strong 2 years now.

 

this is a 2 part issue... take the time and pull the latch assembly out of the door, clean it, re-lube it and re-install. You should be able to open the door with a 1 finger pull on the outside handle after that.

 

I avoided a smug reply to this thread that I always open my door carefully and don't yank on the handles and mine have lasted 20 years. Well, last week I noticed a hairline crack on my handle, which is really hard to see because of the reflective chrome coating.



So I purchased a new OEM replacement and installed it today. It really isn't too difficult if you take your time. I bought some replacement plastic clips for the door panel since I figured I would break some. Sure enough my first one I was too rough with it and it snapped. I had no problem with the remaining clips because I gently pried them with a screw driver.

I suspect what others in this thread have said about proper lubrication is correct. I'm including a photo of the mechanism on my old handle where the grease had dried out and then gummed up the works, making operation difficult and putting undue strain on the plastic handle. If anyone from the future is reading this thread I highly recommend you take apart your doors and clean and re-grease your handles if they become difficult to operate rather than waiting for them to break like I did.

 

Don’t do it man, I made the same mistake with a doorman handle as soon as I got my truck, didn’t last more than 2 months before it broke. Get a OEM one from Amazon

 

Look up a special spray grease made by Motorex it won't gum up at all and will make it slicker than soap, 15.00 a can though..

 

My door is already reassembled, but if it gets sticky again I'll look into Motorex. $15 is cheaper than $100.