Thank you everyone for your comments. The only negatives I have for this car is the door handles and the awfully noisy rattles inside the rear of the car. I have tried different new handles and the one that worked the best was make in Taiwan. But now I started having trouble with that. Never had trouble opening doors from inside, but I am concerned if someone needed to get into the car to save my life and they didn't know the secret to making the door open, it wouldn't open. I can solve the problem with noise by turning off my hearing aid.
I understand your frustration with the door handles, but that's really a setup and install problem.
The handles need to be installed so that they actuate the latch 100%, the finger 'tip' can be adjusted so that it contacts the latch at the earliest possible moment instead of the point when the handle is over half way through it's motion. I have seen gaps of at least 1/2" between the finger and the latch mechanism and that's a recipe for poor performance. In these situations it's hit or miss as to whether the latch will release or not.
The second problem is the cleanliness of the latch and lubrication. The latches tend to destroy the B4 door handles because the insides are gummy and don't want to move as easily. It's important to clean and lubricate the latches occasionally to make sure they aren't taxing the handle too much.
I'm still of the opinion that it's better to invest in what you know versus what you don't know, and you know the car you have despite the fact that it's been damaged somewhat.
At least your shop seems to want to work on it...that's a good start IMO.
Steve
