It's been 9 years...

[ILM1010]

It's been 9 years, and I'm just now getting annoyed with the little issues on my car....how in the world do you fix an armrest that is pulling apart? The screw is inside but I can't see anywhere on how to get in there. It seems like closed piece with no way in....very weird screw situation

[DrJeff]

If I remember correctly, you need to take that panel off to be able to get at that screw. The screw comes from the back of the panel side into the bolster piece.

[DMCMW Dave]

If I remember correctly, you need to take that panel off to be able to get at that screw. The screw comes from the back of the panel side into the bolster piece.

The screw is probably still there but pulls through the plastic. You need to take the whole side panel off, reinforce the area with some sheet metal, and then put the screw back in place.

Pull off the inner door seal and then carefully heat the vinyl with a hair dryer so the glue releases. DO NOT CUT THE PANEL OFF.

[DMC-81]

Hi there,

I just pulled both panels off to replace the rear speakers, so if it helps, here is a picture of the panel during the un-gluing/ re-glueing process, and some tips that I learned (I used a heat gun):

1) It works fast! You need wave the gun, and keep it 8-10 inches away from the plastic.
2) Move it away from the area being heated after 3-5 seconds.
3) Use the blade of the screwdriver as your guide on how much heat to apply.
4) Too little heat is better than too much. You can always apply more to get the plastic to move/release.
5) The plastic/ vinyl will continue to heat for a few seconds after removing the heat source.
6) You need to do a few inches at a time to roll the plastic up and over the fiberglass edge. If you try to do one small area, you can rip the plastic
6) Watch for plastic that becomes shiny or worse, forms bubbles. That is too hot.

I also referred to John Spanglers great instructions:
http://www.johnspangler.com/DMC/rearspeakers.html
image.jpg
Good luck,
Dana

[ILM1010]

darn, i should have done this when I put my speakers in a few years ago

[DMCMW Dave]

A hair dryer will get the vinyl hot enough, and is much less dangerous (although a bit slower) than using a real heat gun.