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Fixing aluminium door trim

6.1K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  voxmagna  
If you want to stick anything on a car with tape, the only thing I've found that works are the double sided 3M pads sold to fix mirrors, which you can get on small rolls. The problem with anything like this is it can come loose when the cabin gets hot.

Do you think this trim is aluminium or chrome on ABS plastic? I never had much success in the past with plastics but recently I've done some good small area repairs with a soldering iron set at the right temperature to replace tabs that have broken. I've even found thicker parts on a plastic trim and inserted a hot wire, sewing pin, or stainless weld wire, let it cool and used the new wire as an anchor point If you don't have a digital soldering iron you can switch it on and plastic weld quickly as it warms up. V.W usually mark the plastic type for recycling and you can buy short lengths of different type plastic filler sticks. Plastics welding only works using the correct filler rod and temperature. I've also tried using hot air, but it's less controllable than a hot iron and you can easily end up with a molten mess!
 
The part is made of PA6 GF (Polymide).
Not much is a chemical bond for that except industrial superglue and 2 part polyurethanes? When I'm stuck as a last resort I try silicone. It doesn't chemically bond, but has a lot of surface stick if there's a reasonable area of contact and you can peel it off. I used it on my door card cappings at the top and they are still stuck after 4 years. V.W used a hot melt glue which was useless. It seems everywhere they use hot melt, my EOS parts fall off. I don't think hot melt glues like heat and damp (on door cards). Hot melt doesn't seem to be best product choice for the automobile environment.
 
I think we are saying the trim is made of chromed fake plastic (not ali!) with tabs that stick through slots into the back of the door card where they are flattened with a hot iron, like all their black rivets etc? If replacements are OE I'd expect them to come with tabs to be melted at the back, unless the tabs are hidden under a layer you can't get to?

I've tried all the glues mentioned here and others and the only glue I now use that bonds to most things is single part air curing 5 minute Poly Urethane wood glue. Use small amounts and allow for it expanding about 20% after curing. I work with it wearing latex gloves.