Hi,

I have a 1996 Cherokee Country that has some cracks on the inside molding of the driver's side door panel. The cracks are only on the tan piece of the turtle shell upper trim as shown in the picture. I bought a replacement part that has not only the tan molding, but the surrounding turtle shell plastic as well (I have pictures of that piece posted).

This is my question: Can I just remove the cracked tan molding piece, while leaving the surrounding turtle shell plastic part of the molding in place?

I really don't want to replace the turtle shell plastic on my door because it is in better condition than the replacement part I bought, only the tan molding part is in better condition.

If I can just pull off the tan molding and replace only that part, what would you advise me to use to secure it in place in the plastic turtle shell trim area? Is there a proper adhesive or brand name I should use?

Thanks for your help, Keith.

 

Since I received no responses to my question, I went ahead and did what I thought was best:

I carefully removed the tan molding from out of the plastic turtle shell piece on my Cherokee door and reattached the tan molding from the replacement part using 3M molding tape. It appears to be holding fine. If I have any problems I will use clear epoxy to attach the tan molding into its turtle shell surrounding plastic, unless there is a better alternative.

Keith

 

Obviously this is late, but yeah I'd recommend a clear epoxy of some sort, specifically labeled for plastics. Anything high strength should create a pretty good bond, just be sure it's rated for extreme temperature changes. The interior as you know, can get well above the outside temperature, and well below zero depending on the location, all of which can affect some adhesives.

In any case good luck, and it looks like you have a nice interior! I have the same color in my '93, and I love it. Any suggestions on where I might find the faux woodgrain dash bezel?

 

how did you remove that panel i'm wanting to paint all the wood trim and i don't want to break it off

 

kidso,

Revisiting your picture, I'd like to wager that the cracks in your tan molding were caused by your elbow? I have the same cracks that are starting to grow...

I'm considering applying some clear epoxy inside and over the cracks, and smoothing it just so it stops digging into my skin. Thoughts?