Recover Your Windlace - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

running-snail · #1 08-12-2007, 07:12 PM

I was tired of looking at my tattered windlace so decided a change was in order.

After searching and searching for tips and tricks, I decided I was on my own. I’ve seen recommendations to simply pull the old material off and go with the black rubber underneath; this will be my fall back if time doesn’t treat my results well.

Another alternative is to purchase from the dealer. If I was looking to “restore” my vehicle, and had the money to throw around, this would be a great alternative. I’ve seen postings showing the windlace for a W124 costing something around $40-$50 per door. The dealer I checked was charging $90 - $110 per door for my W123 and that was with a MBCA discount. Not an acceptable use of funds.

I purchased:
2 1/3 yard of ultrasuede-type material. ($7.00 on sale).
5 yards of round elastic cord ($0.89 per yard) – buy some extra for your seat-back nets if you haven’t done those yet.
1 can of 3M General Trim Adhesive (#08088) – do not use Super Trim Adhesive (#08090) as this will bleed through the material ($13.00)

I also used some 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (#08001) that I had on hand.
The B pillar material will require a sewing machine to enclose the elastic, or perhaps some iron on fusing material. My wife helped me with this portion.

See the two attachments below for a view of the drivers A pillar and the passenger front B pillar.

running-snail · #2 08-12-2007, 07:14 PM

Remove and recover one piece at a time, initially, so you can refer to the existing installed material as a reference.

Start by removing the two Phillips head screws at the base of the b-pillar, shown in the first picture below.

After removing screws, pull the b-pillar away at the base and then pull down to remove and expose the windlace material glued to the front and back of the pillar. There is no need to unbolt the seatbelt – just let the pillar cover dangle behind the seat. 2nd picture.

Remove the plastic cover at the base of the door. I was worried about breaking this piece, but it turned out to be fairly durable. I’ve never had it off before. I used a large flat-bladed screwdriver inserted from the exterior side and under to the rocker joint. Then pry upward to pull the clip free from the rocker joint. 3rd picture shows the clips and their relative location. Work from one end to the other (don’t start in the middle).

running-snail · #3 08-12-2007, 07:16 PM

Now you’re ready to remove the windlace from the car. If you have a digital camera, it may be helpful to take several pictures so you remember which piece was tucked around which, and how far the windlace extends under the door mouldings.

1st picture below shows the removal of windlace from the rear drivers side door, starting at the bottom. This material simply pulls straight outward from the vehicle.

After pulling the windlace, remove the covering material. Mine pulled off quite simply. This is where you may notice the need for the 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive. The windlace is made of two rubber pieces that are glued together. On the drivers door, the rubber tubing facing the exterior of the vehicle had separated from the portion that grips the vehicle. This should be glued together again before proceeding.

Measure the width of your old windlace material and cut a sample piece from you new material to check your measurement. You need to wrap from the first notch to around the front and back to the flat part of the back. See 2nd picture below for a side view. Please note this “sample” piece excludes the rubber tubing portion of the windlace.

Use a string or some other method to approximate the length of the material needed.

Cut your material for the rubber enclosure. You’ll need 4 pieces of equal width based upon experimenting with the small piece referred to above. Mine was 2 ¾ inches wide.

running-snail · #4 08-12-2007, 07:20 PM

Now the fun starts:

You’ll need to apply the adhesive to the first channel on the molding, but you should probably keep it out of the second (exposed) portion. Take a look at the molding after you take it off the car. I used masking tape to cover the portion I didn’t want glued.

Spray a small portion of one edge of the material that will fit along the grove. DO NOT spray the entire width of the material, only ½ inch along the length of the material.

After giving the glue a chance to set on both the molding and the cloth, start fitting the cloth into the grove. BE SURE TO EXTEND THE CLOTH an inch or so beyond the molding.

The first picture below shows how the material should be located. (Note the next few pictures were samples I tried and do not include the rubber tubing portion of the molding.)

The 2nd picture below shows the molding at cloth attached from the first step, the sprayed with adhesive on both the molding and the cloth. I’m just waiting for the adhesive to set before rolling the cloth onto the molding. Note that the adhesive is not sprayed all the way to the edge of the material. That will be the next step.

The 3rd picture below shows the material wrapped along the back of the molding. You can spray the adhesive onto the cloth and molding at the same time for this step. Again, wait for the adhesive to set up before proceeding the attach the cloth to the molding.

running-snail · #5 08-12-2007, 07:22 PM

The top portion of the molding will have the material cut even with the edge on the back side then extending out from the molding to allow enough material to wrap the end. The bottom of the molding just has the material folding onto itself and hidden under the door trim.

I have no pictures of the old b-pillar trim being removed. I pulled the material off, measured its width and cut new material to match. My wife was kind enough to sew the elastic into the material. I sprayed the adhesive over the existing remaining adhesive on the b-pillar and also onto the back of the material. Start at the top, tuck the tubing under the existing molding and apply it so it is even with the edge of the door frame. (You should study the existing position before removing.)

Reattach the rocker covers, the b-pillar cover and your ready to go. See the last two pictures below.

If I had to do this again I would:

1. Purchase a material that has some elasticity in both directions, if possible. I believe this would eliminate some of the wrinkles I ended up with due to the bends in the molding. The material I used had an almost vinyl-like backing that had no movement in any direction.

2. Try to match the interior color a little better, the material I used is too light – but still much better than the torn up existing material; or black.

Hope this helps someone!

pmari · #6 08-13-2007, 11:50 PM

Nice write up and job. You can spray it with SEM or custom blended dupont product to match it up. There are also fabric/textile paints that can be brushed or sprayed.

JPMOSE · #7 08-15-2007, 12:07 PM

Great write-up! i just replaced mine on my 300D and used the following from World Upholstry:

http://www.worlduph.com/windlacemb.htm

It was an exact match as far as color and pattern.

KAdams4458 · #8 08-19-2007, 09:12 PM

Great write-up! I'm actually going to be doing this soon, since I just stripped the complete interior from my car in order to do a complete cleaning. The driver front door of my car has already survived one repair attempt by a PO that used pieces of chamois to recover the strip, but that definitely gets dirty too easily, and seems to be prone to mildew growth.