the way around the door handle, between the handle, & the door? If so, yes I took that off too. It actually comes off really easy. There's 7 or 8 pins inside the door handle, that the black plastic piece fits into. So it's easy to take off & put back on. As soon as you take your handles off, you will see what I mean. You won't need to worry about having to replace it. It's pretty sturdy.