DIY: E36 Door Panel Fix

[kyleabaker]

This is a simple way to fix you sagging or lose door card. I spent about 10 min doing everything, the only catch is that you will need to let the adheasive cure or dry.

Removal: The pannel is fastened by clips and screws, there are 2 screws tucked behind the handle on the arm rest, simply pop the covers off and unscrew them, after that just pull the door card off and unplug the speakers, the speaker wires pull right out, don't be to aggresive though as you may damage them.

Things you'll need once the door pannel is off:
Pliers, and RTV silicone.

This is what it looked like before I took it off the car



This is what the repair did



Once I examined the door I found what the cause was. There is a plastic molding holding the door clips that was glued to the door card and had seperated itself due to many opening and closings.



Some of the clips were broken as well. I recomend purchasing new ones from the dealer, don't be a cheap wad. You should have these clips before the repair so that you can do everything at once. To remove the clips simply wist and pull them with pliers, they are notched and are designed to be done that way.





Remove the clips before you decide to apply the adheasive as this may cause some issues later on in the repair. To put new clips in, just twist them in with your fingers, it doesn't take much effort.



Next you simply apply the adheasive thoroughly. Cleaning shouldn't really be an issue, but if you decide to clean the area, use a mild soap and warm water. Push down on the plastic to spread the silicone around, you don't need to smooth it, let the plastic do the work for you, plus you don't get dirty.



Thats pretty much it for the repair, the next thing you'll want to do is apply pressure. I chose to use a piece of cylinder poly and laid my amp on it. You'll want to have adequate pressure to ensure a tight bond. When you add the weight, have the door pannel somewhere that will be out of ways harm. I chose the coffee table....





Let the RTV dry before you mount it back on the car. I let mine sit over night just to be safe. Simply reverse the removal process to re-attach the door pannel...and your finished
Hope this helps, it's super easy and cheap, it's not the most interesting thing in the world but I needed it fixed so I'm sure someone else does to. If you guys think I left somehting out then let me know but I think I covered everything.

Source: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showth ... p?t=114629

[superiorm3]

The plastic can also be glued using 2 step epoxy to speed up the process and ensure longevity of the bond. I have used it on many things, even on the back of a crack in my front bumper cover.