Front and Rear Door Trims

[Styria]

It has taken me in excess of twelve years of ownership to find out why rear door trims , and the padding behind, do not deteriorate to the same extent as the foam on the front door trims. I always used to put it down to the fact that both hot and cold air are channelled to the front by the heater and A/C system. Well, I was wrong.

The simple fact is that Mercedes Benz did not use foam on the rear units. Instead, they used a felt type material similar to that used between the rear bulkhead and the backseat itself and, naturally, that material does not crumble to dust like the foam used on the fronts, as well as on the heater flaps etc. You have to ask yourself why they did not use the felt material for the front door trims. Anyway, puzzle solved. Regards, Styria

 

[116Benz]

Thats interesting, what would be better as sound deadening? The foam or the felt? From what I remember, the foam padding on the front doors are only 1/4 inch thick?

 

[Styria]

Hi 116 Benz, definitely felt. Parks and I use foam a little thicker when we re-furbish the front door trims just to lend more body to it without affecting any other functions. I also use a thick form of Sisalation rather than the normal plastic in-between door trim and the door itself. Not sure what benefit I gain from it, but it certainly does no harm. Regards, Styria

 

[116Benz]

Another question while we're on that subject, the door trim on the front doors of my blue SE are all sunburnt and splitting on the top, on the white SEL, they are in much better condition. Thing is, what do I look for to dye the good green ones back to blue?

 

[BAR]

Hi

On the subject of recolouring, well I didn't use a dye at all.

A friend introduced me to automotive paint finishes, even metallic is possible, if you want.

SImply prepare the original surface well. Weld any cracks or tares etc. The clean thouroughly with Prepsol of other cleaning product.

Before applying the paint colour, use a plastic primer, to ensure the paint sticks to the plastic trim.

Having chosen the paint colour that matches [or get it made up at an automotive paint supplier] spray on.

I did this > 4years ago and hav had no problems.

It may not be the way it was finished at the factory, but when restoring, it is not always possible to do it fresh.

An alternative, but expensive process if to have the whole surface refinished, but applying [vacuum moulding] a new plastic / vinyl layer over the original.

 

[Styria]

Hi Bar and 116 Benz, the first matter to take into consideration is to decide between paint applied to vinyl as opposed to plastic. You will require different paint for those surfaces. I have my paints mixed by an Automotive paint shop, although one could use the pressure pack variety marketed by VHT. It is easy to use, there is no primer required (I believe it is a vinyl and not plastic paint) but the colour choice is somewhat limited. Hence, I prefer to get my colours mixed professionally.

In the case of 116's and 107's, I consider the moulded door trims to be vinyl, rather than plastic.Therefore, I use vinyl paint and the special thinner that is part of the process. Primer is not required. I merely clean the surfaces with sugar soap and wax and grease remover. Prior to painting, I obviously dismantle the door trims.

The cracks that Steve refers to are now becoming reasonably common and somewhat unsightly. Generally, I open up the cracks further and then fill them with Selleys Plastibond. Great product, dries as hard as nails and then sand to a smooth finish. Now, one can lose some of the grain that's embossed in the vinyl, but I would rather have a smooth syrface, freshly painted, rather than unsightly cracks. Hope this helps. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

Have a look at the page 78 story "Dangerous Sunburn" in the latest Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine (Coded 01 2008). The specifically mention not to use preserving products containing Silicon as "a dashboard saturated with Silicon feels unpleasantly greasy and permanently prevents any repair mastic or paint from bonding effectively".

 

[116Benz]

Is that the one with the white pagoda on it? If it is, that means that my copy is at the newsagents.

 

[Styria]

Hi JohnS, sugar soap, a fine scouring pad and prepsol will normally get rid of silicone. Plus, the vinyl paint has excellent sticking properties.

If properly prepared, all should be okay. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

For what it's worth Leatherique (USA) recommends a mix of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and cloudy ammonia to clean the surface before recoloring.

The previous Australian agent for Leatherique (John) recommended a mix of isopropyl alcohol and vinegar (acetic acid) as preparation for colouring leather as (he said) the acid is kinder to the leather than the ammonia.