Replace Peeling Driver Door Pull

Digitalinkartist · 08-14-2017, 10:21 AM

Background:
Everyone with e9x series car understands that over time, the interior soft touch coating is fragile and prone to peeling. Most live with the defect as the available fixes are costly or substandard.

Based on my research, fixes are limited to (1) complete door card replacement, (2) Plastic Dip respray and (3) peel-off completely and live with the imperfection.

This is a definitive DIY to replace the soft touch plastic door pull without needing to scrap the entire door card and integrated upholstery.

The steps below require doorcard removal. I used this diy. http://www.billswebspace.com/e92DoorPanelRemoval.htm

I recently acquired M3 door cards and noted peeling in the driver pull handle (Fig 1). A new OEM replacement door card is $1100 and many used panels are dented or damaged and not suitable for use. Since I had my original card with an undamaged interior door handle (Fig 2), I set to the challenge of swapping the handle. Upon inspection, I noted 2 heat welds bonding the hard plastic pull to the door card. (Fig 3).
I drilled these welds using progressively larger bits. It is important to take care in drilling just as much material is needed to break the weld. Drilling too deep could puncture the handle making it unusable. Excess weld material was cleaned up using a sharp chisel. Resulting effect (fig 4).

I inserted a scraper into the gap and with some gentle print the handle was free (fig 5).

Repeat the above steps for the donor panel.

Some light edge cleanup and some exterior mounting tape (I considered JB weld but didn't have any on hand) and the undamaged handle fit the m3 armrest like a glove (fig 6).

I then went about replacing the door card by reversing the steps in the above diy.

Sit back and enjoy the result (fig 7).

Pics to follow.

m_thompson · 08-16-2017, 11:51 AM

I bought a new handle, which was not too expensive. I didn't have a way of melting the mounting posts, so I cut them off flush with the back of the door card, drilled holes in the mounting posts, and installed sheet metal screws and big washers. Easy to do, and looks much better.

jwebb335xi · 08-27-2017, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_thompson

I bought a new handle, which was not too expensive. I didn't have a way of melting the mounting posts, so I cut them off flush with the back of the door card, drilled holes in the mounting posts, and installed sheet metal screws and big washers. Easy to do, and looks much better.

Is there any chance that you have details as to how you trimmed off the heat weld and how you used the sheet metal screw to attach new door pull. I've got this same issue with my 2008, which I'd like to revive just a bit..

Digitalinkartist · 08-28-2017, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwebb335xi

Is there any chance that you have details as to how you trimmed off the heat weld and how you used the sheet metal screw to attach new door pull. I've got this same issue with my 2008, which I'd like to revive just a bit..

I'll try to post pics tonight.

jwebb335xi · 08-28-2017, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digitalinkartist

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwebb335xi

Is there any chance that you have details as to how you trimmed off the heat weld and how you used the sheet metal screw to attach new door pull. I've got this same issue with my 2008, which I'd like to revive just a bit..

I'll try to post pics tonight.

No rush! Thanks for your response.

I'm replacing steering wheel trim and driver door arm rest. I'm also watching the news and feel blessed that my family is NOT being flooded out of our home!!

nerovega · 02-08-2018, 01:47 PM

So i recently did this for my girlfriend's e90. She has a 2011 328i. The door pull was very degraded and sticky and just all mangled from being picked at from whoever would sit there.

So i take of the door pull cover off and try to pull out the door pull and its stuck. I have to take the door panel off now. The door panel is held on by 4 long T-20 torx screws. One of the screws goes through to top of the door pull and the other three are along the arm rest. I remove the panel and check out the back of the panel. The top of the door pull also has two plastic post/pins on either side of the hole for the screw that attaches the door panel to the door. The bottom of the door pull also has two post/pins that go through the door panel. These 4 posts are melted into a rivet pretty much and hold the door pull to the panel.

To remove the door pull i pretty much just cut the rivet portion of the melted post with a pair of wire cutters. I didn't want to risk damaging the panel by drilling too big of a hole. It only took a few minutes to get all 4 posts cut off. Once you cut off the rivets the door pull easily separates from the panel.

BMW sells some locking nuts, screws and washers that can attach a new door pull without having to melt the post/pins. You have to cut the post and use these items to secure it. I don't have the exact procedure or part numbers but they are on another thread somewhere on this forum if that's the route you choose. I searched "e90 door pull replacement" on google and found a thread with this info on it.

I didn't know this going in so I did't have the retrofit washer/nut/screw on hand and my girlfriend really was excited to finally have it fixed. I didn't want to make her wait longer so I decided I was going to try to melt them down like they are from the factory.

I grabbed my 25 dollar soldering iron with the standard tip (comes to a point at the end).

I heated it to the max temp which is somewhere around 450°.

I then turned the panel over and with one hand made sure the door pull was pushed all the way into the panel

While pushing the door pull into the panel I took the tip of the soldering iron and stuck in into the hole at the end of the pins.

As the soldering tip heated the post/pin I applied minimal downward force toward the panel

It took about 5-7 seconds for the plastic to heat up enough so that with I was able to melt and push down the plastic pin into a rivet. You'll know when it gets to this point because the post/pin loses all resistance and collapses

Once it was melted all the way down to the panel I just pulled the tip up and was left with the perfect doughnut shaped rivet.

Performed a test pull to make sure there was no wiggle and there wasn't. Perfectly mounted just like stock. Was very pleased/impressed with the outcome.

Hope this helps

nerovega · 02-08-2018, 01:53 PM

So i recently did this for my girlfriend's e90. She has a 2011 328i. The door pull was very degraded and sticky and just all mangled from being picked at from whoever would sit there.

So i take of the door pull cover and try to pull out the door pull and its stuck. I have to take the door panel off now. The door panel is held on by 4 long T-20 torx screws. One of the screws goes through to top of the door pull and the other three are along the arm rest. I remove the panel and check out the back of the panel. The top of the door pull also has two plastic post/pins on either side of the hole for the screw that attaches the door panel to the door. The bottom of the door pull also has two post/pins that go through the door panel. These 4 posts are melted into a rivet pretty much and hold the door pull to the panel.

To remove the door pull i pretty much just cut the rivet portion of the melted post with a pair of wire cutters. I didn't want to risk damaging the panel by drilling to big of a hole. It only took a few minutes to get all 4 posts cut off. Once you cut off the rivets the door pull easily separates from the panel.

BMW sells some locking nuts, screws and washers that can attach a new door pull without having to melt the post/pins. You have to cut the post and use these items to secure it. I don't have the exact procedure or part numbers but they are on another thread somewhere on this forum if that's the route you choose. I searched "e90 door pull replacement" on google and found a thread with this info on it.

I didn't know this going in so I did't have the retrofit washer/nut/screw on hand and my girlfriend really was excited to finally have it fixed. I didn't want to make her wait longer so I decided I was going to try to melt them down like they are from the factory.

I grabbed my 25 dollar soldering iron with the standard tip (comes to a point at the end).

I heated it to the max temp which is somewhere around 450°.

I then turned the panel over and with one hand made sure the door pull was pushed all the way into the panel

While pushing the door pull into the panel I took the tip of the soldering iron and stuck in into the hole at the end of the pins.

As the soldering tip heated the post/pin I applied minimal downward force toward the panel

It took about 5-7 seconds for the plastic to heat up enough so that with I was able to melt and push down the plastic pin into a rivet. You'll know when it gets to this point because the post/pin loses all resistance and collapses

Once it was melted all the way down to the panel I just pulled the tip up and was left with the perfect doughnut shaped rivet.

Performed a test pull to make sure there was no wiggle and there wasn't. Perfectly mounted just like stock. Was very pleased/impressed with the outcome.

Hope this helps

08-14-2017, 10:21 AM	#1
Digitalinkartist MrSixSpeed 40 Rep 920 Posts Drives: e92 Garage Queen Join Date: May 2007 Location: ATL iTrader: (4)	Replace Peeling Driver Door Pull Background: Everyone with e9x series car understands that over time, the interior soft touch coating is fragile and prone to peeling. Most live with the defect as the available fixes are costly or substandard. Based on my research, fixes are limited to (1) complete door card replacement, (2) Plastic Dip respray and (3) peel-off completely and live with the imperfection. This is a definitive DIY to replace the soft touch plastic door pull without needing to scrap the entire door card and integrated upholstery. The steps below require doorcard removal. I used this diy. http://www.billswebspace.com/e92DoorPanelRemoval.htm I recently acquired M3 door cards and noted peeling in the driver pull handle (Fig 1). A new OEM replacement door card is $1100 and many used panels are dented or damaged and not suitable for use. Since I had my original card with an undamaged interior door handle (Fig 2), I set to the challenge of swapping the handle. Upon inspection, I noted 2 heat welds bonding the hard plastic pull to the door card. (Fig 3). I drilled these welds using progressively larger bits. It is important to take care in drilling just as much material is needed to break the weld. Drilling too deep could puncture the handle making it unusable. Excess weld material was cleaned up using a sharp chisel. Resulting effect (fig 4). I inserted a scraper into the gap and with some gentle print the handle was free (fig 5). Repeat the above steps for the donor panel. Some light edge cleanup and some exterior mounting tape (I considered JB weld but didn't have any on hand) and the undamaged handle fit the m3 armrest like a glove (fig 6). I then went about replacing the door card by reversing the steps in the above diy. Sit back and enjoy the result (fig 7). Pics to follow. __________________ Recent polling data indicates that 100% of manual transmission drivers can operate a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission.
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08-16-2017, 11:51 AM	#2
m_thompson Major 133 Rep 1,416 Posts Drives: M-Sport 128i, 328xi, 3.0CS Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: New England, USA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 128i [0.00] 1972 3.0CS [10.00]	I bought a new handle, which was not too expensive. I didn't have a way of melting the mounting posts, so I cut them off flush with the back of the door card, drilled holes in the mounting posts, and installed sheet metal screws and big washers. Easy to do, and looks much better. __________________ '09 128i - Black Sapphire Metallic\Coral Red\Glacier Silver\N51 DISA\6MT\Navigation\Premium\M-Sport\Heated seats\Xenon\Headlights\iPod\Smartphone\Euro Delivery
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02-08-2018, 01:47 PM	#6
nerovega Private 38 Rep 95 Posts Drives: 07 328i E90 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Richmond, Tx iTrader: (1)	plastic pin melting option So i recently did this for my girlfriend's e90. She has a 2011 328i. The door pull was very degraded and sticky and just all mangled from being picked at from whoever would sit there. So i take of the door pull cover off and try to pull out the door pull and its stuck. I have to take the door panel off now. The door panel is held on by 4 long T-20 torx screws. One of the screws goes through to top of the door pull and the other three are along the arm rest. I remove the panel and check out the back of the panel. The top of the door pull also has two plastic post/pins on either side of the hole for the screw that attaches the door panel to the door. The bottom of the door pull also has two post/pins that go through the door panel. These 4 posts are melted into a rivet pretty much and hold the door pull to the panel. To remove the door pull i pretty much just cut the rivet portion of the melted post with a pair of wire cutters. I didn't want to risk damaging the panel by drilling too big of a hole. It only took a few minutes to get all 4 posts cut off. Once you cut off the rivets the door pull easily separates from the panel. BMW sells some locking nuts, screws and washers that can attach a new door pull without having to melt the post/pins. You have to cut the post and use these items to secure it. I don't have the exact procedure or part numbers but they are on another thread somewhere on this forum if that's the route you choose. I searched "e90 door pull replacement" on google and found a thread with this info on it. I didn't know this going in so I did't have the retrofit washer/nut/screw on hand and my girlfriend really was excited to finally have it fixed. I didn't want to make her wait longer so I decided I was going to try to melt them down like they are from the factory. I grabbed my 25 dollar soldering iron with the standard tip (comes to a point at the end). I heated it to the max temp which is somewhere around 450°. I then turned the panel over and with one hand made sure the door pull was pushed all the way into the panel While pushing the door pull into the panel I took the tip of the soldering iron and stuck in into the hole at the end of the pins. As the soldering tip heated the post/pin I applied minimal downward force toward the panel It took about 5-7 seconds for the plastic to heat up enough so that with I was able to melt and push down the plastic pin into a rivet. You'll know when it gets to this point because the post/pin loses all resistance and collapses Once it was melted all the way down to the panel I just pulled the tip up and was left with the perfect doughnut shaped rivet. Performed a test pull to make sure there was no wiggle and there wasn't. Perfectly mounted just like stock. Was very pleased/impressed with the outcome. Hope this helps
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02-08-2018, 01:53 PM	#7
nerovega Private 38 Rep 95 Posts Drives: 07 328i E90 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Richmond, Tx iTrader: (1)	plastic pin melting option So i recently did this for my girlfriend's e90. She has a 2011 328i. The door pull was very degraded and sticky and just all mangled from being picked at from whoever would sit there. So i take of the door pull cover and try to pull out the door pull and its stuck. I have to take the door panel off now. The door panel is held on by 4 long T-20 torx screws. One of the screws goes through to top of the door pull and the other three are along the arm rest. I remove the panel and check out the back of the panel. The top of the door pull also has two plastic post/pins on either side of the hole for the screw that attaches the door panel to the door. The bottom of the door pull also has two post/pins that go through the door panel. These 4 posts are melted into a rivet pretty much and hold the door pull to the panel. To remove the door pull i pretty much just cut the rivet portion of the melted post with a pair of wire cutters. I didn't want to risk damaging the panel by drilling to big of a hole. It only took a few minutes to get all 4 posts cut off. Once you cut off the rivets the door pull easily separates from the panel. BMW sells some locking nuts, screws and washers that can attach a new door pull without having to melt the post/pins. You have to cut the post and use these items to secure it. I don't have the exact procedure or part numbers but they are on another thread somewhere on this forum if that's the route you choose. I searched "e90 door pull replacement" on google and found a thread with this info on it. I didn't know this going in so I did't have the retrofit washer/nut/screw on hand and my girlfriend really was excited to finally have it fixed. I didn't want to make her wait longer so I decided I was going to try to melt them down like they are from the factory. I grabbed my 25 dollar soldering iron with the standard tip (comes to a point at the end). I heated it to the max temp which is somewhere around 450°. I then turned the panel over and with one hand made sure the door pull was pushed all the way into the panel While pushing the door pull into the panel I took the tip of the soldering iron and stuck in into the hole at the end of the pins. As the soldering tip heated the post/pin I applied minimal downward force toward the panel It took about 5-7 seconds for the plastic to heat up enough so that with I was able to melt and push down the plastic pin into a rivet. You'll know when it gets to this point because the post/pin loses all resistance and collapses Once it was melted all the way down to the panel I just pulled the tip up and was left with the perfect doughnut shaped rivet. Performed a test pull to make sure there was no wiggle and there wasn't. Perfectly mounted just like stock. Was very pleased/impressed with the outcome. Hope this helps
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