window interior trim crack repair

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Feb 5, 2015 | 12:44 PM
  #1  
I am going to fill this crack with siliconized caulk and take off my front tweeter grill (same color) and let the paint store match it latex, eggshell sheen.

My other side is a lot worse than this though, it is completely cracked in half and I need something to repair it, I think it needs some kind of fiber tape or rod, epoxy, maybe of the above to hold it back structurally. Does anyone know.

I tried to find used one multiple times without luck so I'm just going to make it look a bit better and less noticeable now.

window interior trim crack repair-img_2021.jpeg  

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Feb 5, 2015 | 12:54 PM
  #2  
This crack in particularly isn't too bad, after you fill in and have it re-spray you should re-enforce the backing underneath. This will help you if you ever rest your arms out the window?
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Feb 5, 2015 | 02:12 PM
  #3  
Definitely brace it from behind. I've used Gorilla Glue and Epoxy with mixed luck on ABS plastics. They'll sort of fill the crack but won't hold strong unless supported by other stuff. Some foil tape underneath should work well for that. Then to address the reason for the cracks...

When you take the window trim off, you'll see how poorly it was designed. There's a thin plastic brace every few inches and that's supposed to support all the weight of elbows and such. Not surprisingly, the cracks develop in between those supports. I'm not sure an engineer could be dumb enough to not see that one coming and still be certified, so I can only assume they intentionally designed it to fail. Then again, Toyota plastics are the worst quality of any car I've ever owned, so maybe they really were that inept in the 90s? (Fortunately, their metal bits are also of unmatched quality...in the good direction.)

My solution was to spray the back side of the window trim with expanding foam, then carve it out to match the contour of the door frame. Now the window trim is evenly supported along its full length. Too bad a previous owner hadn't thought to do so before cracks developed in the first place.
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Feb 5, 2015 | 03:06 PM
  #4  
Yeah, new ones are like $550.00 and up. Both of mine are cracked, the drivers side all the way through. Until someone comes up with a good replacement part, will keep looking.
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Feb 6, 2015 | 07:19 AM
  #5  
Mine aren't 'broken' yet or carcked on the surface but you can see on both sides where the window trim body has given way and the gap show a very faint indentation on the surface. I don't wanna mess with it right now in the Md. cold. Any suggestions for when I do tackle this to keep it in tact?
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Feb 6, 2015 | 10:13 AM
  #6  
1JZPWRD has a tutorial on using things like liquid nail and a few other things for repairing our plastics. I believe it was in his huge, awesome interior rebuild thread. If I find it soon I'll link to it.
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Feb 7, 2015 | 01:17 PM
  #7  
I was lucky to find a professional repair person for the tear I had. It was expensive but came out a lot better than I could have ever done....

He completely rebuilt both door panels and window trim pieces where he applied re-enforcing to the key anchor points and the places where the plastic panels were deteriorating. He has done many SC door panels over the years. He is in Santa Clara, CA.

Took all day.
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Feb 7, 2015 | 07:06 PM
  #8  
I recommend very fast drying epoxy, and a great work station to hold the piece in place. Once you set it correctly with the fast set epoxy, switch to the stronger stuff that takes longer to cure. Also... if you can it helps to mark up the plastic, scratch it, perhaps if you're careful enough take a small drill bit to it and make some tiny divots, this way the glue has something to hold onto to keep it in place over time.

SEM paint match it, shouldn't be hard.

Also...any upholstery/interior repair place can do this job for you. I believe I was quoted $80 each to make them perfect...
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Feb 9, 2015 | 10:39 AM
  #9  
Anything can be accomplished when you have the right tools and patient. Liquid does work, but it does require like a full 24 hours to fully cure, at least it did on Jay's car.
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Feb 15, 2015 | 05:52 PM
  #10  
I have this same problem on my driver side annoys the hell out of me how ever I want to paint mine black so I'll have to try these repairs
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