Loose interior door panels 93 318i

[chville57k]

I have 93 318i. The panels (tan on a red car) on the driver's side front door have come loose from the door frame. Many of the clips seem to be broken; some are missing. It won't quite line up correctly, as though it might have warped in the sun. A familiar 318 problem? Any tips?

[E36 Phantom]

Welcome to the Fest!

It wouldn't surprise me if being loose allowed it to warp a bit. Did you replace all the clips yet? That might be enough to get it tight against it and let it rewarp into the right shape. I doubt it warped far from normal.

[chville57k]

Thank you. I will try this simple approach first - makes perfect sense.

[E36youngster]

welcome bud

its pretty common for door panels to be sh!t on these things..in the process of trying to find some new ones myself. you're probably going to be alright after you replace the clips. if things are coming unglued, then its going to be more difficult, but from what you're describing, it just needs to be reattached. let us know how it turns out :thumbup:

[E36 Phantom]

Just an FYI.....expect to be surprised at how much those little plastic clips will cost....:wow:
Might give your local parts store a shot and see if they have matching BMW clips first.

[Ryawee]

I think they're like $0.25 for the clips at a dealership, might be $0.35. More then likely you'll need to re-glue them though.

here's a little diagram:
http://i41.tinypic.com/2zrkjz5.jpg
The clips break and the black plastic pieces come unglued too

[the_brouhaha]

Ahh door panels, my specialty, I dealt with my doorpanels about 5 times in a month and a half.

I have the best recipe.

You need:
1. New clips (ebay, 5 bucks)
2. PVC Glue
3. Carpet Glue or Engine Block silicon (both are intensely strong)
4.Patience.
5. All the wrenches and what not to take of the door panel.

Basically, remove everything. You don't want to just re-glue one part of the panel to find that in two weeks another piece is coming loose. Remove all the clips and replace them, it might take some time. Glue the panel with carpet glue/or engine glue. Rub that sh!t all over, then also put glue on the plastic parts inside the door panel. Apply. Put pressure on all the plastics, something heavy and leave it overnight. Come back in the morning, and shazam! Put them back on. I did this, and they don't even budge.

If they really are warped, then go buy new panels from the dealership or ebay.

Good luck!

[e36mike]

Ahh door panels, my specialty, I dealt with my doorpanels about 5 times in a month and a half.




ahahha tell me about.

[chville57k]

As a new member, I am really impressed with the thoughtfulness and helpfulness of the replies. Thank you, all!