[mydooris4]

Has anyone here un-warped plastic interior panels in their z? What technique did you use? I was thinking of trying to straighten my trim around the t-tops with a heat gun

 

[pilgrim]

Be careful with a heat gun. It's only a matter of one second to make the transition from "hot" to "melted and warped."

You might want to pick up some other discardable trim and practice with it. That T-top trim would be hard to replace.

 

[mydooris4]

If warming it up with a heat gun fixed the trim, do you think it would just bow again since it's in the sun?

 

[pilgrim]

I'm just hesitant to use a heat gun since they can overheat so fast. If a blow dryer could do it(?) then the margin for error would be greater since it wouldn't heat so fast.

I'm wondering how warped the panels are. Photos?

 

[johnlyons196051]

Maybe try s super hot towel? Rung out well, may be a more even heat? Idk

 

[pilgrim]

I'm not suggesting it won't work, but there is a decision to be made between how much improvement you might get vs. the risk or making them worse.

A random thought - if there are some good videos about this on YouTube, they would be worth watching first.

 

[Route66]

You might also consider the old plastic scale modeling technique of dipping the distorted areas in boiling water. You can keep lowering the affected areas into the water and safely/slowly bring them up to a pliable state. Its main benefit is not ruining details like edge shapes, molded in grain, etc. Get the material bendy enough and work it back into original shape by hand.

 

[mydooris4]

I don't have a picture of mine but that wouldn't really help in my situation, since the warped area is in the center. Mine are still straight except the circled part is also bowed out like in the picture

 

[Route66]

Are there supposed to be clips holding that bowed section to the car or is it just press fit? You might have to wait for summer on a good 90 degree day and then maybe weather strip glue them back into position or some of that shoe goo 2000 stuff. Tape them up with blue painters tape until the adhesive sets up.

 

[mydooris4]

That's a good idea. I don't know if there are clips, I haven't taken them off