Suggested DIY: Warped Door Panel Repair

My 2014 981 has warped door panels on the passenger side. Currently fixed by gluing the soft panel to the hard plastic underlayment then gluing the outer edge to the door. I know the plastic underlayment will further warp and then the drivers side will join the party at some time.

Pedro, please post in the DIY section of Pedrosgarage.com details of your repair as mentioned in the August 2019 Tech Q&A section of the Panorama. I get the general idea of replacing and bracing the offending curved plastic underlayment with a hand crafted new one, but would really like to see your skilled proven solution so I can execute a permanent fix myself.

Thank you,

Also, if we decided not to go the DIY route, can we ship our door panels to Pedro for repair.

... certainly!
I am fixing at least 6 sets of panels per month.
Happy Porsche'ing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Thanks for the info Pedro. I don't have the problem yet but now I know how to deal with it when it does occur.

It is great Pedro that you are fixing these panels at a reasonable cost. Please provide some details about how you fix these as given the proximity to the in door airbags we all have legitimate concerns about the safety of any fix. Your's is surely just fine, but I would like to at least see a picture of a repaired panel from an inside view. Not to steal your solution, but to understand it's safety. I'll gladly pay you to do the fix for me.

Thanks for all your contributions to the Boxster/Cayman world.

Depending on the particular door panel (987/997 or 981/991) the failure is different and so is the fix.
I use aluminum reinforcement where needed and or high-temp epoxies and adhesives and also re-form the deformed OEM parts.
My repair does not compromise in any way the operation or safety of the airbag, but in my opinion, this is not a DIY job hence my not posting it here or on the DIY pages of my website.
Many people have attempted to fix (I've seen the remnants of botched jobs) these panels but generally they delaminate again or warp even worse in a few months, especially during the summer.
It's not an extremely difficult job, but it requires materials knowledge and some specialized tools, fasteners and adhesives to make it permanent and safe.
Happy Porsche'ing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Thank you Pedro for the added detail. This is not a DIY for me if the plastic warps. I'll be in touch when things get worse.