Lower Steering Column Cover

[Davidbouff]

I have a 2008 convertible with a red and black interior. The lower cover on the steering column started to fall apart (the vinyl upholstery started to peel away at the concave portion near the right knee). I replaced the cover with a new one and after about 18 months, it’s happening again! Has anyone else had this problem and if so, any advice on how to keep it from happening in the first place?

 

[MoparMap]

I'm seeing the same issue on my 04. I think the problem is probably heat is softening the adhesive and the curve of the panel doesn't do it any favors since you have to stretch the fabric into the corner. I'd see about talking to an upholstery shop about it. As you found, a new panel doesn't really fix the problem, just makes it look nice until it heats up again. A shop should be able to reglue what's already there or maybe cut a new piece of material that isn't stretched as tight to fit in the corner.

 

[Davidbouff]

The first time it happened, I took it to an upholstery shop and they couldn’t help. Their glue didn’t hold either. They said that the part must’ve been vacuum formed and they were out of ideas also. It’s frustrating because I keep my viper in a garage, so it’s mostly out of the heat. My next part is on the way, so hopefully I get lucky and get one that lasts.

 

[MoparMap]

Huh, that's odd. I wonder if the material just likes to shrink with heat cycles and that's what pulls it away from the corners. I know I first noticed mine when it got cold out, but it may have been there for a while without me knowing about it since I wasn't looking. I had taken it off to work on something and I think that was the first time it caught my attention. I would think if you cut a piece so that it didn't have to stretch near as much to fit in the corner it would work better, but maybe it's just the material.

 

[SA HEAT]

Mine did the same thing. I had it recovered at an upholstery shop about three years ago. So far, so good.

 

[Davidbouff]

I guess I need to find a better upholstery shop. I took mine in the first time and their glue wouldn't stick. Did your shop just re-glue it or completely replace the vinyl? I tried to find matching vinyl or leather to match the red color and never found a good match.

 

[SA HEAT]

I guess I need to find a better upholstery shop. I took mine in the first time and their glue wouldn't stick. Did your shop just re-glue it or completely replace the vinyl? I tried to find matching vinyl or leather to match the red color and never found a good match.

They had to completely strip the old stuff off down to the plastic and recover it to include the padding underneath. They couldn't get the original vinyl to stick no matter what they tried. They had a good match for the red too. It's the shop in San Antonio here.... https://dealersourceltd.com/