E36: How to reattach leather covered insert on inner door panel?

My 1994 325is has leather that covers the handle and center part of the
inner door panel. On both doors, the leather has contracted and pulled
away from the door (probably due to the extreme summer heat here in TX).
Is there any way to fix this?

I was told by an auto upholstery shop that they wouldn't do the work,
since the center panel that's leather covered would have to be popped
out of the main door panel and they had no reliable way to reattach it.

Might a leather relaxer restore the leather to its proper dimension?

That done, how would I reattach the leather unless I too tear apart the
door panel to remove the center insert, fully detach and reglue the
leather, and then reattach the center insert, presumably with a
catalyzed (marine?) glue?

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Randy

"Randy" > wrote in message
...
> My 1994 325is has leather that covers the handle and center part of the
> inner door panel. On both doors, the leather has contracted and pulled
> away from the door (probably due to the extreme summer heat here in TX).
> Is there any way to fix this?
>

This is a very common complaint among E36 owners. The leatherette bubbles
away from the backing. There is no fix that I can make work very well on my
car. I haven't tried using a heat gun to melt and then stretch the material
back. I also haven't figured out how to reattach the material to the
backing, once I get it stretched back into shape.



> I was told by an auto upholstery shop that they wouldn't do the work,
> since the center panel that's leather covered would have to be popped
> out of the main door panel and they had no reliable way to reattach it.
>

This is more or less true. The center panel is not available as a separate
part, one has to order the entire door panel. The center section is
welded -- in a manner of speaking -- into the main panel. It is not intended
to come apart. If it has come apart -- the welds have broken -- then your
only recourse is to use hot glue or other such product to glue it back in
place. this will only reattach the center section to the main panel, you'll
still have problems with the leatherette coming off.



> Might a leather relaxer restore the leather to its proper dimension?
>
> That done, how would I reattach the leather unless I too tear apart the
> door panel to remove the center insert, fully detach and reglue the
> leather, and then reattach the center insert, presumably with a
> catalyzed (marine?) glue?
>

If you figure out an answer to this question, be sure to post here.

I have EXACTLY the same issue on a 1994 325i convertible I have just
purchased. Given there is no real structural requirements of this part
of the door (and I haven't yet had mine off to look), what would stop
you popping the panel, taking the leather off, regluing the leather up,
THEN gluing the panel back into the door...

I presume from the previous posts I am missing something if it was this
easy

Ged

I have EXACTLY the same issue on a 1994 325i convertible I have just
purchased. Given there is no real structural requirements of this part
of the door (and I haven't yet had mine off to look), what would stop
you popping the panel, taking the leather off, regluing the leather up,
THEN gluing the panel back into the door...

I presume from the previous posts I am missing something if it was this
easy

Ged

Try this link..Seems to have worked for him

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...light=bubbling

P.S Sorry about the double post

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I have EXACTLY the same issue on a 1994 325i convertible I have just
> purchased. Given there is no real structural requirements of this part
> of the door (and I haven't yet had mine off to look), what would stop
> you popping the panel, taking the leather off, regluing the leather up,
> THEN gluing the panel back into the door...
>
> I presume from the previous posts I am missing something if it was this
> easy
>


If it was easy, I'd have told you by now. I took my door panels off
specifically to fix the bubbles, and to fix the panels because the previous
owner apparently tried to fix the bubbles too, and made the situation even
worse.

The inner panel is attached by melting some pins after they are inserted
through the outer panel. In my car, somebody phisically broke the glue
joints between the panel itself and the metal parts that hold the nylon
do-hickies that hold the dor to the car -- the result was that the door
panels were not secured to the doors. Anyway, I was able to secure the
panels to the doors, but I was not able to reattach the leatherette to the
panels. I did the best I could on the map pockets on the doors, and elected
to not tackle the panels in the back seat that are bubbled in the same
manner.

The inner panel houses the door handles, but the handles can be easily
removed and they have metal braces inside that secure them directly to the
door. The inner panel -- if secured properly and well -- can not be
separated from the outer panel without destroying the integrity of the
method of securing it. If you do manage to remove the inner panel, you'll
need an array of clamps and a hot-glue gun or equivelent to put the panel
bacck on. It's somewhat of a pain, and if you don't have a problem with the
inner panel flapping around now, I'd not take the panels apart to fix the
bubbles.

The nylon do-hickies that hold the door panel to the door can be purchased
at your BMW Parts Department for about $ 0.75 each. I get them in packs of
ten, and all ten are used on one door.