Remove the lock rod. Remove the plastic covering the door latch and the automatic door lock motor, (single unit).

         Remove the three Torx screws holding the latch assembly, you may need a " drive ratchet to break them loose.
Remove the Torx screw below the latch, it holds a plastic support inside the door. When it's loose it makes it easier to get the assembly out.

         No more easy or fun stuff. Pull up and free the cable. Release the automatic door lock connector. Now you need to wiggle the latch past the plastic part next to the latch, it looks impossible but just take your time and play with the latch, it will come out without breaking anything. Watch out for sharp edges. Unless you have a red Volvo, the blood will match nicely.

         Pull up hard, or pry with a screwdriver the plastic clip and remove the cable from the latch.

         For the ones that can afford the assembly, get the new one out of the box and install in reverse procedure. Should you need more pain, or are unable or unwilling to be defeated by a machine or unwilling to pay lots of mula for the Red Evil Plastic Lever (REPL), continue on. At your own risk. Now we get to do some damage, use a small file and file the pressed in pin (exposed part) all the way around, you can see where I did all the filing. The pin holds the REPL in place, no way around.

         Remove the only screw in the latch (Pointing arrow, the screw is already removed). This is one of your chances to get even with the REPL and with Volvo. Hammer the pin into the assembly, NO WIMPY blow, hit it hard only one time, otherwise you will deform the pin or the latch. One good blow and the pin will go in or at least flush. You cannot separate the metal piece from the plastic motor, I didn't do it, it looked too risky.

         Sorry for the bad picture. But if you are doing the actual job you will make sense of the picture and instructions. Looking at the latch from the connector side pull apart as much as possible the metal from the plastic section, you must be able to pull the parts away and to one side enough for the pin to come out. It may need one more blow with a round chiesel to completely come loose. Once the pin is out, the REPL moves around. Disconnect the REPL from the black lever at the bottom, don't attempt to disconnect from the white lever yet. Pull the metal and plastic pieces away and pass the REPL in between. Once the REPL is out of the latch it will allow you to disconnect from the white lever, this is also an Evil Lever, careful.

         Assumming you didn't throw the latch as far away as you can in desperation or destroyed it in the process. You should have the infamus Red Evil Plastic Lever in your hand.

Easy turbo!!! we're not even half way yet.

         Now, a picture of the REPL. The top connects to the black lever and the bottom to the white lever. What is missing is a very small section that I was not able to find, but looking at another one I was able to determine the size and function. The arrow points to a cotter pin that bend and heated with a small torch and slowly pushed into the plastic. The location and dimensions are not extremely critical, you can make adjustments later. I roughned the part of the cotter pin that went into the plastic to provide better adhesion. The part of the pin that is bent up (1) is where the electric motor lever applies the movement to open the lock, looking at the picture the movement is applied to the left of the pin.

         Take the pin that holds the REPL in place and put it in the chuck of a drill, the purpose is to remove some material so the pin goes back in with no effort, a loose fit is OK, the pin will be floating between the metal and the plastic pieces. Sorry, no picture.

         Are you still with me? You want to actually finish the job? Installation process. Install the REPL by connecting it to the white plastic lever outside the latch. Separate the metal and plastic sections of the latch and slide the REPL and the white lever into the latch, this should be no problem. Connect the REPL to the black plastic lever. Make sure the pin of the white plastic lever is in the motor plastic guide, at this point if all the plastic parts are inserted in their correct locations, the hole of the REPL will be correctly lined up with the hole of the metal part. Take the metal pin with the reduced diameter pointing down, hold it with long needle nose pliers and carefully drop it in the hole of the REPL. You may need a second set of hands to keep the plastic and metal sections of the latch separated. This was the hardest part of my operation. I ended up removing and installing the REPL 4 times to make sure everything worked fine. You may avoid all the work I did by looking at the finished piece and judging the measurements. Once the part is inside you can make minor adjustments by bending the pin.

         Activate the latch with your hand (rotating the plastic guide attached to the motor), make sure the latch is in the "Door closed" position , otherwise the lock will not lock.

         Try it a few times, install the screw and backtrack all the procedure to install the latch in the door.

Good Luck