My door panel, the top of it has come off. I tried to explain it in writing, but I finally have a digital camera so the problem is much clearer to explain.

I guess there was a latch there, but it's not there now...so each time I shut the door, the panel seems to come off that much more. I push it back w/my hand each time I enter the car.

The dealer quoted me at 700bucks to replace the entire door panel. Anyone else know of a more workshop like quick fix?

 

Two words: epoxy resin.

I'd try using an industrial epoxy compound to seal up that cracked rim.

 

Go pick up a thick material, like a clothing patch at wally world. Take off the door panel, and use a strong glue to attach the material to the back side of the torn panel, and flatten the torn parts down with glue as well. Trim off the excess and the center of the hole with a hobby knife and reattach. You may need to take a tan patch and do the same to the top. With a little work, it should be pretty strong, stronger than stock. Kind of like the idea on tarps where they take a thick material and put the eye rivet through it so it is stronger. The patched area should tuck underneath the darker material.

 

I've used JB Weld to fix a friends car that did that. Jut take the pannel off, and the solution is obvious. You'll also see a bunch of other clips that can be fixed too once the pannel is off.

 

camshaft..what is wallyworld?

 

Walmart!

 

The closest walmart is 100miles away

 

A 100 miles away? I live in the bay as well and there's a Walmart two miles from me.

Epoxy is still the strongest adhesive in the world. Some thermaplastic variations can withstand over 32000psi of pressure. Prime Gel 2500 is a thick epoxy paste with a tensile strength of 5500psi and compression strength of 8200psi atm.

 

or just take it to an auto upholstry shop.....they are everywhere.....

wont be as cheap as wally world (hehe)....but much cheaper than the dealer...if your like me, sometimes you create more problems with these types of jobs, than you fix.....

 

Go to auto parts store in the help section and they should have the plastic anchors that you replace your old worn ones with to secure the door like factory. If you can't find them there go to a body shop or upholstery shop they should have them there. Might take yours out to match up the right size to be sure.

My opinoin don't glue or epoxy it, cause as soon as you do the door handle rod clip will break, or your speaker will blow out, or ....you get the point. You occansionaly need to get in the door for maintance. Hard to do with the panel attached permanently

 

I think you are totally misunderstanging the solution here. You remove the door pannel, flip it upside down, take a washer, and epoxy or JB weld it to underside the pannel as to re-create the guide hole which was torn, so that the guide pin will still slide into it. No one is saying to glue the pannel to the door, no offence, but only an idiot would do that.

This way, the door pannel functions normally, and you will never see the glue.

 

So did you get it fixed or what?

 

I went to my upholstery guy and he suggestd that the clips are too worn and the epoxy wouldn't work...so the cheapest solution would be to "DRILL" two screws into the tan plastic panel into the door to close th gap.

What do you thinK?????

 

JB WELD OWNZ

 

What does that mean? Sorry forgive my ignorance emerald.

Also how's your car doing? I love your interior