Malibu310

My rear leather quarter Panels have pulled away over 1 1/2" from the side windows, and is currently the only visible flaw on my 87 S4. Is there a quick easy fix a non-mechanically inclined person can do, or do I need to take it to an interior shop?

Fishy928S4

I will be looking at this thread with interest as the panels in my 88 warped from the heat.

tammons

My car did the same thing.

Porsche made some really bad decisions when they built these cars, like rear leather quarters, under that greenhouse of a back and the leather dash. There is only one short place you have to sew. Everything else is just glue work.

Otherwise its the upholstery shop.

I would recommend trying to find some early fiberglass shells though. The cardboard shells warp.

Voytek

I had to redo the panels. You may try this very good leather softener: http://www.carcareonline.com/detail....oduct_id=11951
After some time of soaking, You should be able to re-wrap the leather around the edges. Problem is that unless You have plastic rear panel, that paper cardboard will keep deforming under shrining leather force. It can be reinforced with some metal angles and rivets. I have changed my "paper" panels to plastic. My old leather cracked when upholstery shop tried to wrap it around stronger but heavier plastic panels. So, I had to get new leather, and that is not cheap. At least I have no end speaker holes anymore and new panels look very clean! So, use a lot of that softener and make sure You will not crack that old leather.

HerrSchnell

Some good recent info here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/170223-bending-warped-rear-quarter-panels-vinyl-replacement.html

Added: I tried to bend it back myself, but had no luck. Perhaps it was too far gone? Anyway, I'm installing new vinyl panels now.

Seth W

I have experience with this. there is no quick fix. I think the most cost effective way to deal with this is REMOVE them yourself (I think the nichols site has good info on this--just do a search) and then have a shop add vinyl and straighten the panels and then install them. You save a few hours of labor taking them off yourself and taking them out is really not that hard, it putting them back in.

Of course, while they are out you can add dynamat, do a stereo upgrade etc. etc.

docmirror

I went extremely low tech, low cost. My upholstry shop made up two tubes of foam, covered by black vinyl that is about the size of a rolling pin, but slightly longer. I then stuffed the tubes down in the panel gap and although it sticks up slightly, it looks mighty nice for a 10 minute fix, with ten dollar materials.

Shame on me, it's not stock, but the shop warned me that if repaired correctly, it will shrink again in summer. No permanent fix is available, and the whole fleet has the same problem. I chose the cheater way out. Most who see it, like it but it's not OEM!

Chris

When I had my panels recovered I had them do it in vinyl, my 91 had vinyl quarters and they looked mint.

Chris

heinrich

Once leather has shrunk in that spot particularly (LOTS of sun) it is irrecoverable. You can bring the flared cardboard back nicely (see Tony's fix) but the leather has had it. If you're lucky, there may be enough stock to allow the leather to be folded at a farther point, but it isn't likely. I've thrown quarters away before and will do so again soon. Softener like Leatherique's stuff is miraculous, but once the leather is crusty, it cannot be revived. I saw this in a panel I got sometime ago. Looked excellent. Went to recolour it (part of the process is vigorous rubbing with a solvent) and <POOF> .... holes.

MikeN

Pull the panels, then glue/bond a strip of wood similar to a yardstick in strength and size on the back side of the panels to straighten them out. If you can make the original leather pliable again you may be able to re-attach it to the frame again. If not, take it to a good upholstry shop and get quotes on both vinyl and leather......now it's just a matter on how much you want to pay to make it look right again. If you go leather make sure you continually condition it to keep it looking good, or use vinyl and never look back.

James-man

What is underneath to provide shape? Fiberboard?

Cannot one just trim a good 1/2 inch off the fiberboard so that the orginal surface, vinyl or leather, will fit again? Probably not easy work getting it all apart but it sounds possible?

Probably better to just re-cover.

MikeN

Fiberboard / Masonite type material about 1/8" thick.

The leather not only shrinks up but also out.......so in other words trimming the fiberboard back would not be much help......you would still need the leather very pliable to bring it back down to the fiberboard.......that's the hard part, getting the leather pliable again if possible.