Finally a real fix for the A-Pillar Cloth trim pieces that peel? Topic is solved

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 14 Apr 2016, 20:36

I have been racking my brain on how to fix these. Apparently the only "true" fix is to take them off and to an upholstery shop and let them recover them- or you could get the earlier plastic pieces from a donor car. At least that's what I had been told. But I think I found the fix. And it's not that hard. First you have to buy a roll of this stuff. https://www.amazon.com/Duck-240200-Doubl ... ge_o01_s00

If you've never removed the a-pillar trim pieces it's a piece of cake- Make sure your car is turned off and the key is out of the ignition. There are airbag curtains under the a-pillars. Now, just pull from the top of the pieces towards the middle of the car and they come lose. Just be aware that there is a plastic strap about 5-6 inches down from the top that you'll need to retain...it twists 180 degrees to release from the metal slot that it attaches to on the body of the car. Putting it back is the same as the removal, just in reverse. The strap is there to keep the a-pillar trim from hitting you if/when the air curtain deploys.

Next, you remove your a-pillar pieces and actually peel back the material so they are even in the amount of material that is loose from the pieces that they are glued to. Next, you peel off a length of the double sided duct tape to match your loose material and attach the tape to the pillar piece so that at least an inch hangs over the side of the a-pillar trim. Next, you peel off the blue paper cover of the tape and then stretch the material over the sticky part of the tape and make sure it's secure and without any wrinkles. Stretch it as much as possible- it is fine if it protrudes beyond the edge of the trim piece...in fact, that would be nice if they did. After this, roll the tape over the edge and under the pillar piece and attach it securely. Last of all, get your iron and ironing board out and gently iron the material (no steam) so that it is perfectly adhered to the tape. Don't over-do this last step- you'll see when the material starts to change shape. What we're trying to do here at the same time as get the material to really adhere to the tape is to get rid of any lines that the tape might have created under the material. You might have a faint line left but that's okay...it's a trade-off for this repair and still beats the heck out of the flappy material that you had before. I think that this tape is sticky enough (really sticky) and adheres so well that the material is not going to be coming off of it ever again- I guess time will tell. Next, re-attach the A-pillar trim pieces with the fixed cloth and enjoy!!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 Apr 2016, 09:19

I can't believe no one has commented on this!?!??

Post by **matthew1** » 17 Apr 2016, 09:46

I'll comment: h3ll yea! I missed this when you posted it 3 days ago. I'll add it to the VRD shortly MIJ! Very creative.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 Apr 2016, 18:48

Thank you- thank you very much (in an Elvis voice)...

Stine · Post by **Stine** » 09 Oct 2016, 10:13

Thank you, MadeInJapan!

Question: is this repair still holding up after 6 months? I am going to do this today!

Best,

Stine

Post by **JRL** » 09 Oct 2016, 15:27

Cheap fix, let's see how long it lasts.
You may have a winner or........

fixer333 · Post by **fixer333** » 09 Oct 2016, 19:56

Thanks for this , my car looks great except for these.

Post by **vtl** » 10 Oct 2016, 19:32

Is it an engineered floor?

Stine · Post by **Stine** » 11 Oct 2016, 19:25

I did the whole procedure myself and documented it in a more detailed way.

it worked great! Thank you again.

One suggested additional step: Rubbing off any remaining yellow foam before attaching the tape will provide better adhesion.

Hope this is useful. The attached pictures detail the steps. Message me or reply for more advice.

: The removed pillar. Twist the head of the black clip 90 deg to make it pop out.

: Peeled back fabric with foam residue on pillar.

: foam residue removed. You might want to cut the fabric at the ends to be able to completely peel it back.

: Tape attached.

: ironing the tape to make the glue adhere better, as suggested by MadeInJapan.

: The finished product from the outside. No more unsightly peeling. let's see how long it lasts. I also picked up a set of plastic pilalrs for $25 on ebay, just in case.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 13 Oct 2016, 20:55

You guys asked how long my repair lasted... LOL. My son found some plastic ones at the pull-a-part and wanted nothing to do with the ones I repaired, so the truth is, I don't know- they sit in my garage!