Door card removal

[Manfred33]

So, I have seen a number of threads on here as well as other forums detailing fabric refurbishment of the door cards, and as good as those all are, I never have seen one regarding the actual REMOVAL of the door cards. I am not talking about removing the interior panels from the car, that I can do, I am talking about the removing the door cards from the panels themselves. There is mention of it, but I am wondering if anyone can be more specific about the process? Pictures perhaps? (I realize that might be a tall order) I am just wondering how difficult it is and what is required to be done. I have an '06 GTI and have replaced the fabric on the driver's side, but am really not happy with my work. I did not remove the door cards and I am also not necessarily happy with my fabric choice. I have bought different fabric and want to redo them, but I really want to remove the door cards when I do it.

SO, can anybody shed any light on this at all for me? Even just a brief description would be appreciated. I plan to try to take pictures when I do it and maybe make a tutorial myself....

Thanks.

 

[ROH ECHT]

Removing the door card might be easier to find by looking for a DIY for replacing the door latch/switch. It is a more common part being replaced and will include steps you may be looking for:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2749615

and...
https://www.pelicanparts.com/techar...s/96-BODY-Removing_Your_Front_Door_Panels.htm

 

[doc280]

Page 5 of my thread "GTI On The Cheap" describes how to remove and reattach the center door card panel.

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198287&page=5

 

[Manfred33]

Removing the door card might be easier to find by looking for a DIY for replacing the door latch/switch. It is a more common part being replaced and will include steps you may be looking for:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2749615

and...
https://www.pelicanparts.com/techar...s/96-BODY-Removing_Your_Front_Door_Panels.htm

While I do appreciate the answer as well as the links (can never get enough different DIYs!), I do have the panel removal part down. It is the removal of actual insert with the fabric that I have been searching for....

 

[Manfred33]

Page 5 of my thread "GTI On The Cheap" describes how to remove and reattach the center door card panel.

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198287&page=5

THIS is what I have been waiting on!! Awesome thread Doc.... I haven't read through it all yet, but I most definitely will!

Was a blow torch absolutely necessary for door card removal? I had read in another DIY that someone just cut through the tabs that keep the door card attached and then they somehow epoxied them back on... Thing is, I don't have a blow torch (not expensive I'm sure, but don't necessarily want to have to buy one) and I don't have a garage to work in and even outside spaces are limited where I live. But I really want to remove the cards because like i said in my OP, I redid the driver's side without taking them out and although I think I did a fair job for my first upholstery work, I am not happy with it and the material on the driver's door is starting to come off in places around the edge, since it was impossible to get the fabric glued enough onto the edge of the card.

I was also glad to see that you showed redoing your headliner.... Mine has been hanging for sometime now and it is really driving me crazy. I have wanted to try to do it myself, because I am a DIY kind of guy, but I know that redoing that headliner will be daunting... and again, lack of a good work space does not help. There is a shop nearby that will redo it for me, and I think that is the way that I am going to go.... Gonna save me a lot of frustration, although I would really love to have the satisfaction of doing it myself.

 

[doc280]

The center panels, from the factory, heat pressed. The material, at the press points, have a low melt point, so I had what I had on hand, but I would think a heat gun would work also.

I guess one could cut around the press point to separate it, but it will be more difficult to do. Heating the the press points are really the easy way to do this job.

 

[Manfred33]

The center panels, from the factory, heat pressed. The material, at the press points, have a low melt point, so I had what I had on hand, but I would think a heat gun would work also.

I guess one could cut around the press point to separate it, but it will be more difficult to do. Heating the the press points are really the easy way to do this job.

Nice, I can justify a heat gun. Definitely cheaper than a blow torch and would probably use it for other things. And I would tend to agree with you, that heating those press points would be easier than cutting and then figuring out how to reattach them. Besides, I don't have a Dremel or anything like that either to cut with so...

 

[Manfred33]

So doc, I have ordered a heat gun so that I can begin to tackle this project, since I am extremely tired of how my interior looks. Anyways, any tips on level of heat required to loosen those tabs for the cards? Did you use low heat to loosen them slowly or high heat? Just don't want to do any damage that I can avoid through prior experience....

Thanks!

 

[doc280]

So doc, I have ordered a heat gun so that I can begin to tackle this project, since I am extremely tired of how my interior looks. Anyways, any tips on level of heat required to loosen those tabs for the cards? Did you use low heat to loosen them slowly or high heat? Just don't want to do any damage that I can avoid through prior experience....

Thanks!

I inserted a plastic interior pry tool beside the heat pressed section and heated and pried, the panel until the section released and repeated for each section. I believe you will be Ok with heat gun, I had to blowout flame ups a few times, using the torch, and I still messed up nothing.

 

[Manfred33]

I inserted a plastic interior pry tool beside the heat pressed section and heated and pried, the panel until the section released and repeated for each section. I believe you will be Ok with heat gun, I had to blowout flame ups a few times, using the torch, and I still messed up nothing.

Ah that's right, I forgot you were using a blowtorch.... :biggrin: Well, that is good to know, that I should not be able to mess it up too easily. I have a set of pry tools too so I should be good to go. Thanks for that!

Now hopefully the new material I bought cooperates. It is the same material used for the seats- Interlagos. But I don't know how well it is going to stretch into corners, especially on the rear panel cards, with that armrest that is a major PITA because of the overall shape of it. I had to cut two pieces the first time I tried it, but I think if I heat the material up some (not with the heat gun) either by ironing it or putting it in the dryer a bit, that might help.

 

[Manfred33]

Ok, so i finally managed to do my passenger door, since I did the driver's side, but in different material and wanted at least to get the passenger door done with the new material. I tried using the heat gun to heat up one of the tabs on the door card, but totally mangled it trying to separate the tab from the door panel. So, I went back to the drawing board and came up with an alternate solution to separating the tabs. I took a utility knife and used the heat gun to heat up the blade nicely and then was able to merely cut through the tabs. Was not totally clean but it worked a heck of a lot better. And my idea was to heat them back up and reattach them that way, instead of epoxy... In any case, I think it turned out pretty good and it looks a heck of lot better than my previous attempts with the other panels since I actually took the card off and wrapped the material around the edges.

 

[GTI's]

Nice looks great

 

[Manfred33]

Thanks! PITA though.... I swear, I am so glad I don't do this for a living, I give those guys A LOT of credit. Between cutting the damn material the right size and then laying it on right so everything is covered, trying not to get spray adhesive everywhere (I ended up getting just a tad on the material just above the window lift, but I think I can get it off) and then having some damn bolts left over and the whole panel not going back on right for some reason, it was very trying....

 

[doc280]

A little "Goo Be Gone" will will clean up the adhesive. I had more trouble with the passenger side, so I think you did great.

 

[Manfred33]

A little "Goo Be Gone" will will clean up the adhesive. I had more trouble with the passenger side, so I think you did great.

Thanks! Well, I have something like that, not sure if it's the same thing or not, but it seems like it might be some harsh stuff for the material and not sure if it remove any color or not. Also, it stinks pretty bad... Is the Goo Be Gone safe to use and does it have a strong odor?

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