One of the highest priorities when I brought the XJS home was figuring out a temporary solution to the broken outside door handle. It’s not very suave to have to go around to the passenger side and lean through the car to open the drivers door! I removed the door panel (which has obviously been removed many times before) and inspected the mechanism. The little arm that lifts the rod thus disengaging the latch was broken. It doesn’t, on first glance, look very repairable but it’s hard to tell without completely removing the door handle.

Removing the door handle will entail first removing the window glass so I will wait for warmer weather before trying that. In the interim it seems like a simple temporary solution might be in order. The lever that actuates the latch has a convenient hole in it and after some minor contortions I was able to get a wire through it which I then led back up to the top and connected to a rubber washer. I attached a small bracket to keep it corralled and it ends up being fairly inconspicuous and simple to use. Simply grab the door handle with the left hand while pulling up on the washer with the right hand to release the latch.

Since the going rate for a used door handle seems to be around $150 I am reluctant to purchase one knowing that it could very well be on the verge of breaking too. Unless I can find a good deal on one I will probably attempt to repair the one I have. At least in the interim I can get in and out of the car without looking foolish.