“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!” ~ Henry Ford

Between WD40, duct tape and YouTube videos, I’m fairly certain there are few car repairs that cannot be made by the average Joe. With a power sliding door that at first wouldn’t open on the minivan, it then proceeded to not latch at the rear, draining the battery and creating extra road noise as well as a possibility of sliding open while driving down the highway.

Having done the research online, I located the most likely part for less than $50. The estimate from the Honda dealership was between $400 – 750 for the repair, depending on what was involved. Even at $400 for the low end, with a part that costs $50, I was all about fixing it myself. So, I ordered the part.

When ordering parts online for your vehicle, it is very important to note exactly from what store’s website you ordered. I cannot stress how very important this will be when picking up your part. Going to Auto Zone to pick up a part you ordered from Advanced Auto is not a good idea (in case you were wondering.)

Looking at all the angles, I had to come up with worst-case scenarios and quick fixes.

• what if I couldn’t get the bolts and screws off – have WD40 on standby as well as making sure the appropriate sized tools were available
• What if I couldn’t get the part off or get the new part on – watch the YouTube video again and have some faith
• What if I got old part off and couldn’t get the new part on – watch the YouTube video again and keep trying
• What if I got the old part off and STILL couldn’t get the new part on – phone a friend (probably Dave the mower)

My point is that I had all these WHAT IF’s in my mind and none of them were WHAT IF it all goes wonderfully well with no problems and the door works as designed and latches at the rear?

After changing my way of thinking and resetting my perspective, the anxious thoughts of failure disappeared. I watched the video in entirety and then went back to the start. With each step I watched it and went outside to performed it. Inside to watch the next step and outside to perform it. Not only did this break the repair down into manageable bite-size steps, it gave me a break from the heat and a chance to sit down in the cool AC.

The door is repaired and latches well. Instead of opening and coming to a sudden stop with a jerk, the door slides effortlessly across the side of the van with a precise smoothness that has long been missing. There may have been a little dance with a squeal at the conclusion of the repair. (Maybe.)

I was right! We did it!!