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I recently took apart my door and noticed the interior upper window trim just disintegrated with multiple cracks including the classic middle of the window leather rack. The plastic just crumbled away around the clip areas too. Seems like Toyota used the wrong materials for this part. Used parts aren't in much better condition so i'm looking to buy new pieces (yes it'll be expensive).
"Oak" (brown/tan), "Greige" (darker brown/tan), "Black" (black), "Gray" (Gray) and "Spruce" (an odd bluish gray) are the major interior colors.
The materials used for these trim pieces were not as well thought out as they could be. I have used a few different types of glues to stabilize the broken down plastic in my door trim surrounds. If there is a break in the middle some structural repair with mesh or plastic reinforcement way be needed in addition to strong adhesive. An upholstery shop can usually correct and mend a break in the lower center of these trim parts.
This is a design defect that affects all SC's and Z30 Soarers just like the plastic center vents cracking due to being housed inside of real wood... both of which have different expansion and contraction qualities when exposed to cold A/C in a blazing hot interior on a summer day or hot heater air in a freezing cold winter day. Although there is a fix out there for the center vents now.
The best bet other than finding a much better condition used replacement is to reinforce and repair your affected cosmetic door surrounds trim parts.
If you find a good used set, and especially if you open up the wallet for a new set, I recommend filling the backside with expanding foam and carving it to the shape of the door panel. The elbow cracks form between the thin vertical ribs, where it's just a big, unsupported void. A new trim will eventually fail there, too, so best to be preemptive.
Likewise, you can help the screw hole tabs immensely by wrapping them thoroughly with aluminum foil tape, then puncture the holes for use. Do that before spray foaming and you can reinforce the whole thing nicely.
I think we... SC owners are coming to a crisis. I bet all of us have a problem with this piece and some may not know it. It looks like a factory defective plastic that just decomposes while still installed in the car. I took it off to fix a door latch and now I can't put it back in because it's broken all over the place including all the screw clips.
Looking at all the used parts, they all have the same problems with broken clips and multiple cracks across the whole piece just like mine. A good sign of this is the crack in the leather at middle of the bottom of the trim. It's actually not a problem with the leather, it means the plastic piece is simply done.
I tried to locate a new piece and looks like the oak version was superseded by the black version and it's super expensive. I called Lexus about this but without a doubt they'll just say the car is too old when they'll get back to me.
I think what needs to happen is someone needs to make a whole new plastic piece and either transfer or wrap it with new leather. Anyone know who can create custom plastic molds?
I think we... SC owners are coming to a crisis. I bet all of us have a problem with this piece and some may not know it. It looks like a factory defective plastic that just decomposes while still installed in the car. I took it off to fix a door latch and now I can't put it back in because it's broken all over the place including all the screw clips.
Looking at all the used parts, they all have the same problems with broken clips and multiple cracks across the whole piece just like mine. A good sign of this is the crack in the leather at middle of the bottom of the trim. It's actually not a problem with the leather, it means the plastic piece is simply done.
I tried to locate a new piece and looks like the oak version was superseded by the black version and it's super expensive. I called Lexus about this but without a doubt they'll just say the car is too old when they'll get back to me.
I think what needs to happen is someone needs to make a whole new plastic piece and either transfer or wrap it with new leather. Anyone know who can create custom plastic molds?
I’ve been wondering about this as well. A new piece is expensive and just as flimsy as what he have in our cars. I’m hoping someone creates a custom replacement window trim and OEM style door panels as well.
The trim is is so expensive through the dealership. I considered ordering new parts back when I worked for Lexus but the parts are still high even at employee prices. I’m curious as to how difficult it would be to make a mold of the window trim.
I kept some notes and contact info on a UK based reproduction parts company a couple of years back. They were the only company that I could find who were flexible enough on the number of orders they would require for whichever part you’d want them to reverse engineer and copy.
I don’t have the information in front of me but I’ll try to get back to this thread soon to add it in.
I was thinking of them for rubber seals but this would be something to hit them up for.
There is also the prospect of copying an original trim piece that is intact with a laser scanner and remaking it on a large scale 3D printer.
I kept some notes and contact info on a UK based reproduction parts company a couple of years back. They were the only company that I could find who were flexible enough on the number of orders they would require for whichever part you’d want them to reverse engineer and copy.
I don’t have the information in front of me but I’ll try to get back to this thread soon to add it in.
I was thinking of them for rubber seals but this would be something to hit them up for.
There is also the prospect of copying an original trim piece that is intact with a laser scanner and remaking it on a large scale 3D printer.
I'm going to reach out to a few companies here in USA about this. They make parts for older domestic cars.
Also, I thought there is a lot of sun exposure on the lower end of the trim, which is most likely why it's so brittle. Potentially getting window tint would help.
I kept some notes and contact info on a UK based reproduction parts company a couple of years back. They were the only company that I could find who were flexible enough on the number of orders they would require for whichever part you’d want them to reverse engineer and copy.
I don’t have the information in front of me but I’ll try to get back to this thread soon to add it in.
I was thinking of them for rubber seals but this would be something to hit them up for.
There is also the prospect of copying an original trim piece that is intact with a laser scanner and remaking it on a large scale 3D printer.
That would be awesome if you could get in contact with them. I was curious about using a giant 3D printer. I have a friend who 3D prints his own smaller car parts. He might have some information on this.
Originally Posted by DIrEctQL
I'm going to reach out to a few companies here in USA about this. They make parts for older domestic cars.
Also, I thought there is a lot of sun exposure on the lower end of the trim, which is most likely why it's so brittle. Potentially getting window tint would help.
That would be great! Hopefully they make us a new trim. I would love to get better built door panels made but I imagine it would be costly.
Sun exposure definitely does a lot of damage. My car didn’t have any tint when I bought it and my front seats were dried out. The window trim looked fine back then but they started falling apart years later despite me never touching them or taking them off.
That would be awesome if you could get in contact with them. I was curious about using a giant 3D printer. I have a friend who 3D prints his own smaller car parts. He might have some information on this.
Forget 3D printing. It's much better to do injection or fiberglass moulding. That said, the piece doesn't have to be perfect because ideally it would be covered by leather eventually.
I built my own large format 3D printers so I know a bit about it.
Forget 3D printing. It's much better to do injection or fiberglass moulding. That said, the piece doesn't have to be perfect because ideally it would be covered by leather eventually.
I built my own large format 3D printers so I know a bit about it.
I’ve never considered fiberglass. I’m sure it would be stronger than plastic.
How difficult do you think it would be to get them made? I wouldn’t know where to start for a project like this.
I’ve never considered fiberglass. I’m sure it would be stronger than plastic.
How difficult do you think it would be to get them made? I wouldn’t know where to start for a project like this.
There is good and bad news there. The trim plastic is one sided, as in it's not a tube where you would have to split it in half and make two side seperatly. The bad part is that ridges need to be added for better strength. I think here is the process:
There is good and bad news there. The trim plastic is one sided, as in it's not a tube where you would have to split it in half and make two side seperatly. The bad part is that ridges need to be added for better strength. I think here is the process:
I agree that injection molding or custom carbon fiber or fiberglass reproductions of these trim pieces are probably going to be superior to a 3D printed example. I have one good spare RH and one pretty terrible spare LH example in storage. I figured at some point one of them or the ones on the car would need to be used as a template for such a process.
10-14-21, 11:57 AM
Interior window trim colors
