Re: Delaminarting / warping door panels... |  |  |
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| Delaminarting / warping door panels... Pedro (Odessa, FL) - 3 years ago |
... are the latest hot topic with Porsche vehicles.
Recently, I've had a bunch of PMs and e-mails asking me about the issue and I decided to try to explain it all here.
About 10 years ago we started noticing the issue.
The back end of the door panel would start to curve upwards ...
... and then the top of the panel would start to unglue itself from the frame making an unsightly curve.
This was happening on 991s. After some months, we started seeing it also on 981s, then 992s and 718s, now also on Macans and Cayennes.
As usual, when it happens it's generally just out of warranty and Porsche only offers a replacement at $1,400 - $2,600 per panel plus labor.
The issue is not Porsche's fault. Back in 2010 a new regulation went into effect in Germany that doesn't allow car makers to use solvent-based adhesives.
So, they had to switch to water-based which doesn't do as well in hot environments such as the inside of a car, especially the dark colored ones.
Some people say, OK just use the strongest cement available and that's it. Not so fast, because these cars have side-impact airbags in the doors.
The door panels are designed so that the top part folds down and allows the airbag to deploy completely, so in any repair this has to be considered.
We have been looking at the issue since it started an some years ago developed a way to mechanically fasten the panel while allowing the airbag to deploy.
Through those years we've refined the repair and we're now doing a lot of work for dealerships and individuals throughout North America who ship the panels to us for repair.
If you have a delaminating panel and have questions, feel free to contact me, or check our website: [pedrosgarage.com].
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
Recently, I've had a bunch of PMs and e-mails asking me about the issue and I decided to try to explain it all here.
About 10 years ago we started noticing the issue.
The back end of the door panel would start to curve upwards ...
... and then the top of the panel would start to unglue itself from the frame making an unsightly curve.
This was happening on 991s. After some months, we started seeing it also on 981s, then 992s and 718s, now also on Macans and Cayennes.
As usual, when it happens it's generally just out of warranty and Porsche only offers a replacement at $1,400 - $2,600 per panel plus labor.
The issue is not Porsche's fault. Back in 2010 a new regulation went into effect in Germany that doesn't allow car makers to use solvent-based adhesives.
So, they had to switch to water-based which doesn't do as well in hot environments such as the inside of a car, especially the dark colored ones.
Some people say, OK just use the strongest cement available and that's it. Not so fast, because these cars have side-impact airbags in the doors.
The door panels are designed so that the top part folds down and allows the airbag to deploy completely, so in any repair this has to be considered.
We have been looking at the issue since it started an some years ago developed a way to mechanically fasten the panel while allowing the airbag to deploy.
Through those years we've refined the repair and we're now doing a lot of work for dealerships and individuals throughout North America who ship the panels to us for repair.
If you have a delaminating panel and have questions, feel free to contact me, or check our website: [pedrosgarage.com].
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
| Re: Delaminarting / warping door panels... SMILIN - 3 years ago |
CarreraLicious - 3 years ago |
This is a great service you offer. I have a friend who has a 991S that has seen this happen on. I was going to suggest he send the panels to you but then he traded his car for a 991.2 GTS. Probably will see that happen on that car too eventually. Funny thing is I read that the delamination doesn’t seem to happen on the cars with full leather. Wonder why the full leather door panels are not affected. Don’t they use the same water based glue?
| Re: Delaminarting / warping door panels... Pedro (Odessa, FL) - 3 years ago |
It happens with the full leather as well, but it is not as noticeable.
Once the adhesive has lost it's "grabbing power" it starts to release the foam.
(Both leather and leatherette are mounted on a foam base which is them glued onto the panel).
When this foam has released, the leather which really isn't physically altered with differences in temps tends to stay put.
The leatherette will shrink and curl and pulls up the foam from the door frame so it becomes obvious.
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
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2020 09:52AM by Pedro (Odessa, FL). (view changes)
Once the adhesive has lost it's "grabbing power" it starts to release the foam.
(Both leather and leatherette are mounted on a foam base which is them glued onto the panel).
When this foam has released, the leather which really isn't physically altered with differences in temps tends to stay put.
The leatherette will shrink and curl and pulls up the foam from the door frame so it becomes obvious.
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
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2020 09:52AM by Pedro (Odessa, FL). (view changes)
| Re: Delaminarting / warping door panels... Michael SYS Driver - 3 years ago |
| The delamnination / warping issue is not a problem on the 986/987/996/997 models ... Pedro (Odessa, FL) - 3 years ago |
... because the architecture of the doors and panels are completely different.
If you have a 986/996/987/997 with a problem on the door panel it's probably the leather that's started to shrink after water damage.
If wet leather is allowed to dry quickly it will shrink quite a bit, so if it's gotten wet, put a damp towel over it and allow it to dry away from the sun over a matter of days.
By re-wetting the leather it becomes playable and my be able to be stretched again, but it's a long and tedious process.
That problem can be easily repaired by an upholsterer replacing the damaged patch, since it doesn't require additional attention to deployment of airbags which is non-existing in the doors hose models (integrated into the seats).
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
If you have a 986/996/987/997 with a problem on the door panel it's probably the leather that's started to shrink after water damage.
If wet leather is allowed to dry quickly it will shrink quite a bit, so if it's gotten wet, put a damp towel over it and allow it to dry away from the sun over a matter of days.
By re-wetting the leather it becomes playable and my be able to be stretched again, but it's a long and tedious process.
That problem can be easily repaired by an upholsterer replacing the damaged patch, since it doesn't require additional attention to deployment of airbags which is non-existing in the doors hose models (integrated into the seats).
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
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