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Hey guys - I haven't had my GS for long and have done some searching around the forum, and haven't found anything on this. Maybe I'm not calling or describing it by the correct name.
The material on my drivers door is loose and starting to bunch up from where my arm rests as I'm driving. Has anyone else ran into this issue and is there a fix/resolution for it?
I have an idea to take the door panel off and see if I can remove this piece to possibly get some spray adhesive under the material, but I also want to side with caution on this and not ruin or make it worse than it is.
I'm guessing there is foam bonded to the outer material so don't know how that can be fixed.
Thank you I was thinking of seeing if this maybe comes off and using a small amount of spray adhesive, but not sure if that's a good idea. Hoping to get some feedback because I'm lost on this one :-)
So I've taken one of these armrests apart from a junkyard door panel. The synthetic leather on the door is very thin like fabric and adhered to foam. The only way to get adhesive behind it is to rip the entire thing off the foam at which point you would ruin the entire armrest. This will only get worse over time, now that part of it is already separated, unless you stop using the armrest.
The only fix is buying a used door panel and transferring just the armrest part or other way around your wood trim to the new panel or buying the same exact door panel. Or leave it alone, live with it, used car. My 2013 450h 117k+ miles doesn't have this issue, but then again I don't use the door armrest, rest my left hand on my thigh when I need an armrest.
So I've taken one of these armrests apart from a junkyard door panel. The synthetic leather on the door is very thin like fabric and adhered to foam. The only way to get adhesive behind it is to rip the entire thing off the foam at which point you would ruin the entire armrest. This will only get worse over time, now that part of it is already separated, unless you stop using the armrest.
The only fix is buying a used door panel and transferring just the armrest part or other way around your wood trim to the new panel or buying the same exact door panel. Or leave it alone, live with it, used car. My 2013 450h 117k+ miles doesn't have this issue, but then again I don't use the door armrest, rest my left hand on my thigh when I need an armrest.
Thank you for the suggestion. I found myself trying to keep my arm on my leg driving from Chicago to Cleveland yesterday, but not all the time. I'd catch myself.. It's a pretty comfortable spot, but I'm sure over time, I'll make it worse.
A family friend owns a junkyard near me, so I'm going to give that a shot, but I'm sure chances are low that I'll find one. I thought I'd give it a shot and see if anyone has tried to fix it.
Mine has that on both door panels also. I’m sure it might have come from resting arms on the arm rest and pulling on the leather, but both of my door panels weren’t installed correctly and were slightly bent in that area.
There is a reason why the 4GS (200T/300, 350, 450h) was routinely selling for over 15% off MSRP when brand new and why it was eventually discontinued. The only way to maintain this POS is to pay for the armrest and then rest your elbow on your thigh.
Last edited by bb700092; Jan 16, 2022 at 10:32 PM.
Door Panel Material Coming Off
I was thinking of seeing if this maybe comes off and using a small amount of spray adhesive, but not sure if that's a good idea. Hoping to get some feedback because I'm lost on this one :-)
I found myself trying to keep my arm on my leg driving from Chicago to Cleveland yesterday, but not all the time. I'd catch myself.. It's a pretty comfortable spot, but I'm sure over time, I'll make it worse.
