E36 Door Pieces

**GreenEggsAndM** · 09-13-2016, 10:29 AM

Hey everyone - recently, the leather door panel in my E36 M3 has been falling off. Is there any kind of glue I could use or other method of keeping it on? On a side note, the plastic door cards around the handles keep falling out, even after I've bought a new set. Is there some kind of remedy for this as well?

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**MarcoZandrini** · 09-14-2016, 08:08 AM

Make sure the plastic clips, etc., that hold the cards in place are in good shape. Go to www.realoem.com and enter the last 7 characters of the car's VIN. Hit enter and bookmark the page. Check vehicle trim for card parts.

**CaptainStark** · 09-17-2016, 03:07 AM

If its just the card coming loose from the door frame, its likely broken attach pins. You need to get all of them attached and in their holes or the stress on the others will crack them. The older style pins would go in once. About 50% of the time, they would shatter coming out but they were cheap to replace prior to re-install. Take one down to your dealer and get the right ones -and a couple extra, just in case.

Don't glue your card to the door! But, if the leather is coming loose from the card, try contact adhesive.

Contact adhesive works well on leather and formed Masonite (the cardboard inner door card). Spray a coat on each and let them dry a couple minutes. Then make damned sure you line them up before making contact because it will be permanent on contact. https://www.amazon.com/3M-Super-Mult...GNCV7P76AY5NP4

My '96 525 rear cards were covered in some kind of vacuum-formed Naugahyde that looked great until it started reverting back to flat in the heat. Never could resolve that problem. You think they would know how to make door cards after all these years...

**MarcoZandrini** · 09-17-2016, 09:08 AM

Yeah, the E36 had card made of recycled wood products. Not bmw's most shining moment.

**CaptainStark** · 09-17-2016, 03:31 PM

The funny part (now that I have sold it!) was the really nice plastic vacu-formed onto the door didn't even stick to their factory adhesive! You could stop the rotation of the planets around the sun easier than trying to keep your rear door cards from turning into a flat plastic sheet with a door handle stuck in the middle. Really schlocky testing on that one. Its like heat caused the plastic to exude some anti-glue spooge that broke the bond and stayed oily forever after.'

Oh well. I sold that to a good buddy after I got my 528 and he drove it for a couple years and then gave it to his son in High School. The kid made an illegal U-turn and got T-boned by a pick-up and they totaled the car. Fast forward four years and the kid was a senior in college so his dad buys him a tricked out Tacoma as a graduation present. With 134 miles on the clock, he gets distracted and wanders off the road and totals it.

For all you folks with kids out there... NOTE TO SELF.