A Pillar Restoration

[nsk040]

With 115k miles on my car, the felt on the A Pillars was starting to sag a bit towards the bottom. The consensus seemed to be that it was better to just buy new ones but I gave the 3M Super 77 Adhesive spray a try. Worked out great. First pic is the "After".

Tips:
-Don't get the spray anywhere you don't want it; it's a mess if you do
-Practice how you will lay the felt down a few times before you do it with spray
-The spray seems to dry in ~10 seconds so work in smaller areas
-I'd recommend spraying the adhesive on piece of cardboard and then applying with a Q-tip or thin paint brush. The spray from the can isn't very precise
-Wash your hands frequently so spray on your hand doesn't touch something by accident3271732718

[fredo]

Good job, sir. I paid $71 for each side two years ago. BTW, these are the part numbers for sedan:

51437902933 left side
51437902934 right side

[theothersawyer]

I wish that was still the price for both sides!

[Stu]

I tried doing this like 3 times because I suck at gluing :P

[papa_g]

I am gonna have to do this very soon. Did you have to buy new clips when you removed the pillar? I heard they are prone to breaking when removed. Also, did you have to unplug the battery, what with potentially touches the airbags and what not?

[Reasoned1]

I wrapped mine with 3M adhesive-backed vinyl with very good results (got to sand them real good, and be careful not to crack or break the corners).

[Sockethead]

I wrapped mine with 3M adhesive-backed vinyl with very good results (got to sand them real good, and be careful not to crack or break the corners).

hmmm... got any pics of that?

My car is full ghetto with the A & C pillars flapping in the breeze

[Reasoned1]

Here ya go... I did my C pillars too. My B pillars are in good shape, and I was too lazy to do them merely for consistency--not even I notice it. Note that I replaced the screw cover strip with factory.

32936

[Sockethead]

That looks pretty good! 3M vinyl product similar to DiNoc?

[ZHPizza]

hmmm... got any pics of that?

My car is full ghetto with the A & C pillars flapping in the breeze

Mine was like that until I just pulled the fabric off. The base material is like a black felt, so it blends good enough with the headliner that I don't even notice, and surely no one else does.

[Reasoned1]

That looks pretty good! 3M vinyl product similar to DiNoc?

I'm not sure, but i'm a big fan of 3M products. I think I remember reading that the DiNoc stuff is heavier. I went with flat black to minimize the possibility of surface irregularities showing through, but you have your choice of many colors and surface types. Beats me why BMW doesn't go this route to begin with--looks better IMO.

[Sockethead]

I'm not sure, but i'm a big fan of 3M products. I think I remember reading that the DiNoc stuff is heavier. I went with flat black to minimize the possibility of surface irregularities showing through, but you have your choice of many colors and surface types. Beats me why BMW doesn't go this route to begin with--looks better IMO.

Another reason to stay with a flat color is that you don't want the sun reflecting off the pillars and onto the windshield or into your eyes.


Mine was like that until I just pulled the fabric off. The base material is like a black felt, so it blends good enough with the headliner that I don't even notice, and surely no one else does.

I know a lot of people have done that but I want to fix them right plus, the wife says she will help me :)

[Mannydog]

I was staring at my floppy A-pillars for most of a 3 hour drive yesterday (well, I did look at the road some, :) ).
I got to wondering if thin, sticky, double sided tape would be a good alternative to gluing.
Has anyone tried it or heard of anyone trying it?

Also, any tip to getting the bolt cover strip of without breaking it?
I managed to break the drivers side when I started investigating. :(

[Reasoned1]

I believe the consensus is that getting them off without breaking them is impossible, and I can attest to that.

[papa_g]

^that sux...

[slater]

I believe the consensus is that getting them off without breaking them is impossible, and I can attest to that.

my success rate is about 75%. i've done about 10 or so. patience is key, and use a small pick tool or flathead machine screwdriver to get under the end.

[Sockethead]

I didn't know they were that fragile but my car was only three years old last time I removed them

[papa_g]

I just bought a bunch of tabs/clips for the rest of the pillars for when I tackle this project. I am going to get my windows re-tinted first. Maybe I'll just ask the guys to leave those pillars off, making less work for everyone :)

[papa_g]

Scheduled my tint appointment and apparently they do not remove any panels in the process? I am a little skeptical, so I will confirm again when I am there...
But I had my B-pillar off recently, and decided to touch it up with some adhesive spray. The spray leaked through the fabric, making it look like i spread my seed all over it. I got rid of it for the most part with adhesive remover spray. Any tips on how to avoid the adhesive bleeding through the fabric?

[ZHPizza]

Scheduled my tint appointment and apparently they do not remove any panels in the process? I am a little skeptical, so I will confirm again when I am there...
But I had my B-pillar off recently, and decided to touch it up with some adhesive spray. The spray leaked through the fabric, making it look like i spread my seed all over it. I got rid of it for the most part with adhesive remover spray. Any tips on how to avoid the adhesive bleeding through the fabric?Ahh sorry bruh I meant to respond when I saw your post a few days ago that they definitely would not pull any of the pillars to install tint. It's not even a little bit necessary.

I haven't done the recovering myself but I think the best defense against bleed through is [obviously] going light on the adhesive and giving it a few minutes to talk up before laying the fabric over it.

[papa_g]

Thanks for the advice. The instructions say to spray both bonding surfaces, but i guess i should probably avoid that.

[John in VA]

Thanks for the advice. The instructions say to spray both bonding surfaces, but i guess i should probably avoid that.
That's how contact cement works - glue sticks to glue. I've had problems with bleed-through - maybe waiting longer will help avoid that.

[papa_g]

I am gonna try just putting less on. I think i put too much the first time. If it still bleeds through with all precautions, I think I will order some thicker material to replace the current stuff. Maybe some alcantara :)