Alignment guide for a door handle assembly

A door handle assembly comprising:

• an interior chassis mounted on an interior of a door including:
• an interior trim portion;
• an interior handle mount rotatably attached to the interior trim portion;
• and
• an interior spindle portion rotatable with the interior handle mount;
• an exterior chassis mounted on an exterior of the door including:
• an exterior trim portion;
• an exterior handle mount rotatably attached to the exterior trim portion;
• an exterior spindle portion rotatable with the exterior handle mount and axially aligned with the interior handle mount;
• and
• a mounting post extending toward the interior chassis from the exterior trim portion offset from the exterior spindle portion;
• an alignment guide removably attached to the interior chassis and formed of a resilient material, wherein the alignment guide includes a bore engagement surface and first and second extension portions extending from the bore engagement surface, and wherein a partially open channel is formed between the first and second extension portions and the bore engagement surface, the alignment guide extending toward the exterior chassis from the interior chassis and the partially open channel is aligned to receive the mounting post;
• and
• a latch positioned at least partially within a bore of the door and engageable by the interior spindle portion and the exterior spindle portion.

A method of installing a door handle assembly, the method comprising:

• positioning a latch assembly at least partially within a crossbore of a door;
• positioning an interior chassis at a borehole on an interior side of the door, the interior chassis comprising an interior trim portion, an interior handle mount rotatably attached to the interior trim portion, an interior spindle portion rotatable with the interior handle mount, and at least one alignment guide, the at least one alignment guide includes a bore engagement surface and first and second extension portions extending from the bore engagement surface, and a partially open channel is formed between the first and second extension portions and the bore engagement surface, the partially open channel is aligned to receive a mounting post, and the at least one alignment guide removably attached to the interior chassis and formed of a resilient material;
• positioning an exterior chassis at the borehole on an exterior side of the door, the exterior chassis comprising an exterior trim portion, an exterior handle mount rotatably attached to the exterior trim portion, an exterior spindle portion rotatable with the exterior handle mount and axially aligned with the interior handle mount, and at least one mounting post extending toward the interior chassis from the exterior trim portion offset from the exterior spindle portion;
• aligning the at least one mounting post within the partially open channel of the at least one alignment guide;
• and
• inserting and tightening at least one mounting screw into a corresponding mounting post that extends from the interior trim portion through the at least one alignment guide and the at least one mounting post to the exterior trim portion.