Manfred

Anyone seen the center console develop this crack before? Any ideas on a fix. It's not really a big issue, only noticeable when the cigarette lighter door is open but it still bothers me. I have the console out to repair the HVAC--waiting for parts at the time being so I thought maybe I could get this fixed in the meantime. I think it must've been cracked when the PO stuffed a bunch of stereo cables under the edges. It takes quite a bit of force to push the edges back together and the contact surface is very small. I considered a vise and super-glue but I doubt it will hold. Any other suggestions other than replacing the whole console or receiving counseling for my OCD? Maybe a strip of metal across the back that's superglued to the plastic...






Also, should I be worried about the condition of the foam liner behind the center air vent? Can this be replaced with generic cut to fit stuff or can it be ordered from one of the vendors?



Thanks, Dan.

KenRudd

Only one thing you can do........

Pull that analog clock and send it to the first member who yells "DIBS"....

"DIBS!"

cold_beer839

Yes, my GTS has it worse than that. I believe someone got happy with the 1st - 2nd shift and broke that piece.

I made an aluminum brace, drilled some small holes, and pop-riveted it behind there and then painted the rivet heads.

Put some glue in the crack before you rivet it in place.

It can not be noticed now.

Angel84-928

The PO of my car had hacked the ash tray to fit the head of a remote Radar Detector. I used this stuff to build it back up : Plast-aid
Its been very useful in repairing all kinds of plastics in the car such as the side tabs for the center console.

Manfred

David--Ouch! Nice repair job. I tend to smash the back part when going from 2nd to 3rd; I'm wondering when I put it back together if I might be able to shift it back just 1mm to 2 to give myself some space.



Angel--Thanks for the plast-aid tip--I might just give that a try! Didn't realize so many people had this same problem...
Dan

Manfred

Thanks for the advice--the stuff certainly looks promising: http://www.levineautoparts.com/3m04247.html

3M Duramix Super Fast Repair Adhesive 200 mL.
3M Duramix Super Fast Repair Adhesive 200 mL.
Item# 4247
Regular price: $51.25
Levine Price: $32.99
Product Description
3M Duramix Super Fast Repair Adhesive, 04247, 200 mL. 20-second set urethane adhesive that replaces cyanoacrylates. Will not crack or become brittle like cyanoacrylates. Bonds to virtually any substrate and has excellent gap-filling capabilities for bonding small parts. Excellent for rebuilding cracked eyelets and broken tabs.

borland

That probably won't be strong enough and looks too expensive. I've repaired a few of these consoles. What worked best for me was to....

Repair the crack using model airplane fiberglass cloth and thin CA adhesive, both available from any local hobby store. Use an accelerator to promote fast drying of the CA glue.

Then sand the front side of the crack smooth and cover with a wide strip of black vinyl electrical tape.

On the foam seal, Home Depot sells self-adhesive foam weatherseal stripping in 3/8" wide x 7/16" thick. Comes in a 10 foot roll. Fits perfectly. Cut the ends with a razor blade and glue the ends together with CA glue. It will look like the factory foam.

Koenig-Specials 928

Dan I broke mine a year ago and I cut a thin strip of metal (I cut my strip from the cover of a can of beans the wife had just opened and tossed in the recycle bin) to fit in the groove on the backside, to overlap the cut by about 1/2 to 1 inch. When glued with superglue and the edges pushed together, you cannot find the break anymore and the metal strip provided the strength to prevent breakage at that same point.

Manfred

Thanks Hessank--that was my original thinking acutally. Maybe I'll try that as the first attempt since it actually restores the original shape to the console rather than just filling the gap.

Thanks! I was hoping someone would chime in on that.

Manfred

OK--so turns out I avoided glue/resin/epoxy altogether...
Here's the front:


And here's the back:


...wired the posts together; I'd 've superglued the edges too but I didn't have any on hand and really, the wire is all that it needs...

heinrich

That will flex. You should glue it AND do that bracing. I have repaired a few ... I usually will use strong epoxy and then brace the back with a thin metal strip. I've seen one that had additional screws through the ends of a metal strip to hold it. VERY COMMON BREAK!

Manfred

Ended up getting some super glue while out today and added that in before throwing back on the car. Probably should do a strip of metal backing as well--that'll be the plan if this fails.