2012 kia soul door panels pain!

[mi1stormilst]

Hey guys and gals I am new here and have already searched the forums and found a couple of semi useful posts about replacing speakers and removing door panels. Unfortunately none of them actually spell out how to properly remove the door panels without scratching stuff up and breaking the clips. I bought a door panel tool from Auto Zone and it does not fit right in what appear to be the clip heads. I did find the hidden panels for the screws, but that does not loosen the door at all. I really need someone who has done it without damaging plastic to show close up video/step by step photos of how they removed the panels and what tool they purchased. I would really appreciate the help. My wife is not going to let me pry on anything without knowing the exact order things need to happen in :-) Also if you are interested in coming over and helping out I am located in South Gilbert, AZ and will happily buy you a 12 pack.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

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UPDATE - It appears only the center of these little screw covers come out. Little poking and prying with a thin non-metal tool will pop them right off. I unscrewed all the screws and still can't figure out what is holding the doors on so tight...ugh.

UPDATE 2 - Okay so I referred back to the other post with pictures and guessed the best I could where the poppers are and nailed it. I will post my own pictures later.

UPDATE 3 - The back door speakers are in! I actually removed the factory speakers and modified the speaker housing (cut out the speaker) to accept my new Infinity speakers, screwed them down and soldered the wiring to the existing connector on the factory housing so I can use the factory wiring clip. Purchased some 5/16 - 3/4" alan bolts and metal door clips to remount the housing. Drilled out the existing door mount holes and everything is snug and tight. I am very happy with the results and have placed the door panels back on. I am going to clean up and post pics in the morning and then tackle the fronts :-)

HERE ARE THE PICS: 2012 Kia Soul pictures by mi1stormilst - Photobucket

[Blackbeard]

Welcome Aboard, Shipmate!

Not sure if the 2010's & 2011's remove the same as the 2012's, but here's the closest link I could find on the web. Hope it helps some!

Avoid damaging electronics when removing interior door panels?

Best of Luck!

Cheers!

BB

[mi1stormilst]

It sounds easy, but I messed around with them for 15 mins and those little plugs don't come out with any amount of reasonable force. Tried the over-sized popper tool and two flat heads and fingers ... no go ... only manage to scratch up my door panel some )-:

[mi1stormilst]

Turns out the little things that look like they should pop off are misleading and could cause you to easily break them. Only the center of these screw covers need to pop off to get to the screw. See the original post for an update.

[mi1stormilst]

Okay got a back door panel off will post pictures later. Looks like the speaker housing is as described and you can peal off the plastic and unbolt the metal plate for the entire door and maybe there is a screw head on the other side, but I am just going to drill them out.

[mi1stormilst]

Back door speakers are in and I managed to use the existing factory speaker to mount my new 6 1/2" Infinity's. Will post some pics in the morning.

[mi1stormilst]

Originally Posted by Blackbeard

Welcome Aboard, Shipmate!

Not sure if the 2010's & 2011's remove the same as the 2012's, but here's the closest link I could find on the web. Hope it helps some!

Avoid damaging electronics when removing interior door panels?

Best of Luck!

Cheers!

BB

Thanks for this link ... it did help some :-)

[mi1stormilst]

Added pics to help out other fellow 2012 Kia Soul owners!

2012 Kia Soul pictures by mi1stormilst - Photobucket