Supplier for Plastic Interior Trim Parts?

[songzunhuang]

The interior of our 1998 V70 is starting to show it's age. Not a month goes by when some new piece of plastic just cracks, leaving an unsightly sign of wear and tear. I've been looking for a place that has a selection of parts to replace odd things like those little caps on the grab handles, or the upper trim of the tailgate. All the plastic on the top of the dash, especially the space near the windshield, has cracks in it. Where can I get new or repo parts? I don't want to get it from a salvage yard as those parts are as old as mine and probably just as brittle. Any recommendations on websites to figure out the part numbers and also places to actually get the parts? Thanks.

[scot850]

Have you seen the link for I think it is V-parts? They are making 3D printed parts and repair sections. They were on here somewhere.

Neil.

[bill d cat]

Many parts are NLA.

I've had occasional luck with Genuine Classic Parts (in Sweden). https://www.gcp.se/en

Otherwise, it's been eBay, and/or JB Weld (for plastic).

[hausmeister]

Cool, didn't know vparts yet, thanks. Though it does not seem like they have anything that would help songzunhuang

I know about the plasics, my s70 was rotting away inside. There just isn't anyhting you can do I think... One of the reasons I decided not to keep it. Maybe if you find one that has lived i n a garage or was not much in the sun you can use the parts.

[Clemens]

Is the x70 plastic of worse quality than the 850 plastic?

[scot850]

I would argue they are equally crap along with most plastic that is 25+ years old. It all goes brittle and it is russian roulette undoing any trim. Care is your best defense and don't go gorilla on parts. Vparts have some repair mounts for things like the 98- dash undertray screw mount on the driver's side tray. They are I'm sure looking for other opportunities. Let them know any suggestions and maybe they can help?

The main difference to me is the door panels which on 98- P80's were they have the 2 part panels and they used the rubbish environmental glue. Rebuilding them with decent adhesive is not too terrible. Still better than the 850 pad on the door panel that will either split or the trim clip breaks every time.

Dashboard mounts are equally likely to fail and need repaired.

I have a friend with a P3 that shudders every time he has to disassemble trim as it is guaranteed to break. Any you have to disassemble the regularly! They have owned the car from new, and I think they have had at least 3 tailgate latches.

Neil.

[Oro]

….
The main difference to me is the door panels which on 98- P80's were they have the 2 part panels and they used the rubbish environmental glue. Rebuilding them with decent adhesive is not too terrible. Still better than the 850 pad on the door panel that will either split or the trim clip breaks every time.

….

I learned my lesson finally on those door panels. I tried hot glue (easy but didn’t last), GM 77 (did not last). Finally I upped it to Gorilla Glue and they are rock-solid. Apply glue to one side, moist sponge to apply water activator to other. Clamp/weight and give it a few hours. Never coming apart again. At this point I have a visceral reaction when I see traces of the crap green eco-glue anywhere…

Next project is for the hatch lock. I figured out the part inside the hatch latch that breaks, triggering the const-on light and interfering with latching sometimes. You just need the plastic part and then epoxy it back on. I’d like to get someone or learn myself to 3D the tab a little better, so then instead of a $250 lock, people could print it and epoxy it in.

[scot850]

It is like that with many failure issues on many cars, where a small part fails junking the whole part. With the push from manufacturer's to make cars unrepairable, unless you replace half the car because a bulb burnt out, and only selling modules that are coded to your car, finding ways to get around and rebuild complex parts is good for the world and the wallet.

Door actuators are a good example. All that typically fails is a plastic part and the motor stops working as the thermo-resistor fails with age. Being able to sort both of those issues saves a lot of money, especially when one of the actuators is now NLA.

Neil.

[Oro]

It is like that with many failure issues on many cars, where a small part fails junking the whole part.…

The worst example I have seen, besides the hatch lock on the late P80, is something VAG did on late 00 into teens Audis. The air intake was a complex molded ABS part, with a flow sensor built right into it, non-removable. So when the inevitable $10 thermistor failed that would otherwise be a 10 minute replacement, you had to buy a $225 air intake assembly, which took two hours to install. This is why I got out of German cars in the 00s - I drove Audis in the 90s and 00s because it was the only real performance awd you could get. But once other options opened up - goodbye.

Part of my motivation for wanting to figure out or find someone to print the repair part for the P80 hatch lock. I want to spare others that kind of frustration, having to pay $250 because a poorly engineered plastic tab broke.

[hausmeister]

Is the x70 plastic of worse quality than the 850 plastic?

In my experience definitely worse. The soft touch stuff is just bad. Swiches/buttons get sticky and gummy. On my s70 the caps of the roof handles (that hide the screws) would just fall off, without them being touched.
Not to say the 850 is shining in plastic quality, but the interior holds up much better, even though the car has more than 2x the mileage than the s70 had. Doorpanels, vinyl seats tearing... etc.
But my sample size is just 2 cars.