I hate the interior door handles! what can I do?

[gasupraman]

I have a 2011 Evora with 4K miles. Both interior door handles have broken clips that I had to fix but I really hate how cheap they look. Anyone wrapped or covered them with something like suede? One of my few gripes. Any thoughts?

[Plackslayer]

They have been done before - the 2012 also come in black I think if you want to get them from a dealer.

I am thinking about wrapping mine in glossy black (3M 1080 Scotchprint) to match my interior.

[tbd_Evora]

The MY 2012 leather trimmed handles cost about 200$ the pair. A plug-and-play replacement..

[XHILR8N!]

I just got a set of 2012+ handles from my dealer. But over $450!

Have not installed yet, just received the other day.

[Chhirowolf]

suede tex. caost me about $100 when I did my headliner

[Ron Avery]

I had mine upholstered by my interior shop. It was $75.00 for both. You will still have the problem of the way they mount to the door handle. It is a bad design. If you crush the clips with a needle nose, it will work for a while. I have also added some glue from my hot glue gun, to the clips before I press them on. You can still remove them if you need to down the road.
Ron

[invictusmaneo]

quick tip for the door handles (can't claim this-Craig the tech from lotus of Orlando came up with it!) is to put a bead/glob of RTV or urethane sealant/glue on either side of the plastic where the clips grab and let it set up and dry. Then when you put the door handles back on, the metal prongs and barb grab the rubberized glue and it hold it firmly in place without vibration, and it doesn't come loose.

You have to reapply every time you remove the door pull, but the old glob comes off easily enough and it is a cheap and simple solution.

He did this to mine last time (my clips and the plastic on the door pull were shredded) when he was doing lock service. Worked like a charm and held up super tight-the door pulls had never been so snug and solid.

[Plackslayer]

invictus - can you show a picture of where you are talking about?

Thanks

[invictusmaneo]

not without pulling off the door pull and ruining the glob

next time I have to take the handles off I'll post up a picture. Really just think of it as adding a bit of rubber where the teeth on the metal clip (they have the pointy thing on either side where it grabs the plastic-but unfortunately that same sharp bit is what slowly digs away at the plastic on the backside and makes it impossible for it to grab, in addition to the metal being bent out) would grab. Hypothetically you could use any glue-type substance that will grip to the plastic while being soft enough for the teeth to grab. Then when you replace just cut the old stuff away with a razor and add a new blob.

[gasupraman]

Originally Posted by Chhirowolf

suede tex. caost me about $100 when I did my headliner

Attachment 199341

Attachment 199342

Thanks for all the input guys. I like the look of the suede. I will start checking with some local upholstery shops

[XHILR8N!]

So now that I've set a record on price Could someone direct me to instructions for removing these?

[invictusmaneo]

pull firmly lol



to replace you'll probably have to bend the clips back into form a bit, then push on.

[West-of-Hethel]

Originally Posted by invictusmaneo

pull firmly lol

No, don't!! You will be even more embarrassed about how much you paid.



Hey, not to be obtuse, but why pay an upholstery shop to glue on some leather/suede/whatever? Go to the hobby store, buy a small piece of leather and a glue stick, and in ten minutes you're done. Do you guys not have girlfriends to tell you about this kind of thing?

[me73]

Originally Posted by invictusmaneo

quick tip for the door handles (can't claim this-Craig the tech from lotus of Orlando came up with it!) is to put a bead/glob of RTV or urethane sealant/glue on either side of the plastic where the clips grab and let it set up and dry. Then when you put the door handles back on, the metal prongs and barb grab the rubberized glue and it hold it firmly in place without vibration, and it doesn't come loose.

You have to reapply every time you remove the door pull, but the old glob comes off easily enough and it is a cheap and simple solution.

He did this to mine last time (my clips and the plastic on the door pull were shredded) when he was doing lock service. Worked like a charm and held up super tight-the door pulls had never been so snug and solid.

Just FYI, He didn't invent that method, it's the way Lotus holds the soft top finishing panels to the window rails on the Elise.

[XHILR8N!]

And I was hoping to buy a $100 special tool that only Elven hands could operate
Gotta love Lotus technology. Really.

[Ron Avery]

Hey, not to be obtuse, but why pay an upholstery shop to glue on some leather/suede/whatever? Go to the hobby store, buy a small piece of leather and a glue stick, and in ten minutes you're done. Do you guys not have girlfriends to tell you about this kind of thing?[/QUOTE]

It is more than just glue and some leather, It was time-consuming to find the correct grain and finish of leather to match the Evora's. There is also some thin foam padding under the leather as well. And lastly, you con't just wrap the leather over the edge of the plastic handle. Because it would be to thick. It has to be skived (thinned down).
Ron

[abechen]

I got rid of the clips on my problem handle and just used a glue gun. The door handle is the worst part of the whole car