DIY Recaro Door Panels

[kevinlopezzz]

where did u guys buy this fabric adhesive. i checked joanns and it was 22 bucks!

[DrZfInEsT]

Nice diy I'll be doing this before IA

[thaseint]

I was going to post a DIY for this myself; but found this thread and thought I'd add to it.

Total cost including recaro material, glue and screws ~$25.

Here are my panels. I went ahead and removed the plastic welds/rivets which hold the armrest to the panel. I used a dremel to remove the welds. This made the install 100x easier and cleaner IMO.

Here's a pic of the welds (there are 8 of these per panel):



I then used some screws and finishing washers to reattach the armrest.

Here's a pic of the screws and washers that I used:





I also used 3M Super 77 adhesive which is some pretty tacky stuff. The 3M stuff is pretty cool in that if it gets on your panel its pretty easy to clean with some interior spray detailer and a microfiber cloth.

I'd say the key to this DIY is patience. There were a few moments where I looked at my door panels and said "What the hell have I gotten myself into?!?" but I kept working with the panels and they came out great!

Another tip is to by some bondo spreaders which are bendable plastic pieces which are great for wedging the fabric into the panels, without tearing up the material or scratching the panels.

Also if you have access to them, use a model knife to help you cut the material. I found scissors didn't work all that great for the recaro mesh material.

And finally the finished product:

[PRODIUS]

Great idea to remove the armrest, that does look clean.
Any movement in it once re-bolted in, or good as stock?

[thaseint]

Great idea to remove the armrest, that does look clean.
Any movement in it once re-bolted in, or good as stock?

Nope. No movement and as good as stock...actually better than stock because if you ever wanted to change out the door panel fabric you'll just have to unscrew the panel and replace. No trying to wedge a pizza wheel in the arm rest.

One thing I will say about this is that if I had to do it over (which I may end up doing), I would use the Super 90 adhesive or the general interior trim spray adhesive that 3M sells.

The Super 77 is fine for the most part but I noticed that on a hot day some of the fabric came unstuck. I was able to push it down and rub it down and so far so good (no more lifting even on a hot day); but I have a feeling when summer hits it'll come up again.

[PRODIUS]

Good advice!

[lemonhead228]

Great DIY! I really want to do this now. It makes a big difference in the interior.

And you can use your credit card, license, id to tuck it.

[cvicep3]

Nice! I gotta do this mod. Do you have to remove the old cloth?

[thaseint]

Nice! I gotta do this mod. Do you have to remove the old cloth?

You could if you wanted; but the old stuff is on there pretty good.

I just left it...I figured it's probably better to have a fabric to fabric bond plus I didn't want to risk creating an uneven surface with any left over glue. The original fabric is fairly thin anyways so it wouldn't do a whole lot of good to waste your time removing it IMO.

[its a ivtec]

Question for everyone whos done this...wat are u guys using to tuck in the bottom part of the insert where the arm rest meets..ive tried flatheads and butter knife still wont tuck ..does this piece come off?