help me with this door part?

[moonroof]

So the other morning I opened the driver side rear door of my Avalon and noticed that it was frozen a bit and needed a tug.

As the door opened, it groaned and I noticed a black plastic part fall onto the carpet.

The door is now making squeaking sound at the lower hinge when opened fully. The following video shows what is happening:
http://youtu.be/5R6FZIQJCOI

The plastic part in question is shown in the following video:
http://youtu.be/Ju1-k7vgyvY

On my first examination, I cannot notice anything broken. I haven't opened the panel of the door yet.

Can somebody explain what part is that broke off? Can I just ignore that squeaking? If not, how do I go about repairing it (what part do I need to order)?

Thanks.

EDIT: This is a 2000 Avalon XLS.

[buchaja]

Looks to me to be a guide for the sliding arm of the hinge. And it appears to go into the door side.

I'll take a look at mine later today and see if I can spot anything obvious. In the mean time, have you looked at the other doors?

I'll also take a look at my Hayne's manual for you.

[moonroof]

I examined the other rear door and couldn't really make out anything different than the driver side rear door, at least not from the outside.

I could, of course, be missing something obvious, however, could it be that the plastic part got pulled out from inside the door due to it being frozen with the hinge?

Your guess of it being a guide appears to be reasonable.

Thanks.

[buchaja]

Well, I wish I could be more helpful, but I saw nothing resembling that piece on my doors. The hayne's manual was also unhelpful. I think it must be an internal part, but don't know how it got outside the door if it is.

You may have to remove the door panel to see if came from there.

Oh, by the way. Hayne's says to grease the hinges every 3,000 miles! I'm just a little behind on that maintenance. Ha!

[moonroof]

I appreciate your efforts. I also wasn't able to notice anything amiss while comparing both the sides from external examination. My suspicion was indeed that the part may have been extracted from the inside since appeared to be stuck with the hinge.

I also noticed some drawing on line while searching for the parts related to the lower hinge, but they were also not of any help.

When I get a bit of time I'll try opening the door panel. It is not tough to take it apart and reassemble it, is it?

Thanks.

[ChiTDI]

I can't tell for sure, but that may be a seat belt guide.
If the rubber door insulation (weatherstripping) is sticking, you need to lubricate it.
Best stuff I've found is a Porsche/Audi product called Gummi Pfege Stift. Goes on like liquid shoe polish and works great. The freezing wind driven sleet and ice doesn't penetrate the moulding and the doors open like summertime.

[buchaja]

Originally Posted by moonroof

When I get a bit of time I'll try opening the door panel. It is not tough to take it apart and reassemble it, is it?

I haven't done it on the Avalon. I did remove the panels on my truck when I was putting new speakers in, and according to the Hayne's it's the same procedure.

In a nutshell, you have to remove all the screws and then pull the panel up off of the clips holding it on the door. There should be a screw under the bezel on the handle. You have to pry that up to get to it. Then disconnect all the electrical connectors before removing all the other screws.

A trim tool would be handy. In fact, step 5 says: "Remove the door trim panel retaining screws, then carefully pry the panel out until the clips disengage. Work slowly and carefully around the outer edge of the trim panel until it's free. Most of the screws on the door panel are covered by small plastic discs, which must be pried out before removing the screws."

Once it's loose, you pull up to remove. Then you unplug wiring harnesses and disconnect the door handle cable.

Guess it isn't too easy.

One last thing. Be careful of sharp metal edges if you have to dig around in the door. Gloves recommended.