Showing age: A-pillar fabric, driver door seal, radio LED, more...
 

My '98 ti (99K miles) is starting to show her age and I haven't found the information I need from searching. I'd like to fix this stuff myself, if possible. In no particular order...

* My A-pillar fabric is peeling off, from the windshield back. Is there a good glue (and gluing procedure) I can use?

* The main rubber seal around the driver's door is cracked and coming apart. How would I find the part number for this?

* The passenger seat release lever (on the door side of the seat) cracked a while ago and finally came off, so I have to use the inboard lever. I wonder about the part number (the piece that came off has no number...:), and if this is something I can do myself.

* The radio LED rarely lights up... is this replaceable at all?

* My steering wheel started creaking a week ago-- what's going on?! I guess the squeaky wheel should be greased, but I wonder what's going on in there.


Many thanks in advance!!!
-Jeff

best source for finding part numbers is www.realoem.com/bmw (you'll need the last 7 digits of your VIN). finding the right section/diagram can take awhile, but they should be in there. not sure about your other issues, haven't seen them yet (over 207k). you probably see a lot more sun/heat than i do :p

for the A Pillar panel, just use 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. Apply generously, and once you have the glue applied, give it a bit to get tacky, before pushing the fabric up against it. This is so that the glue won't seep through the fabric.

The glue can be found at Michaels, or any sort of crafts store.

-chris

My car also has cracks in some of the rubber seals around my door and windsheild. I bought it in Texas, go figure. I would love to know if it's an easy fix.

:chick: swits

I have cracks around my windsheild as well, but I don't think there is anything to do about it.

Oh and swits, where have you been? Seems like you dropped out for a number of months.....

-chris

I want to replace the fabric completely, the girl was a smoker and missed a few times leaving black ash marks, and it's peeling just like described by Jeff. I can't find the part number anywhere and don't know how the panel comes off, I don't want to break the plastic underneath! My Chilton manual does not cover this part.

Another 5 year old thread, lol. Hey it's better than starting a new one about the same topic so kudos for using the search button. As mentioned in post#2, realoem.com is your best source for finding part#'s. Since you did your part on searching the forum, I'll help you find the part number. Be back in a second.

Oh BTW, the pillars come with the fabric attached to them, so if you order new pillars, they'll be ready to install or you can simply have your old pillars recovered. The plastic often becomes brittle and the tabs break off anyway when you remove them, but if you're careful, I'm pretty sure that the top of the pillar pulls inward and the bottom pulls upward.

Part numbers for the A pillars vary depending on which side and color you need. If your interior is black, you'll want to order Anthrizit. If it's grey/tan, you'll want to order Sandgrau.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...70&hg=51&fg=40

Black Left-51438189191 $31.76@ getbmwparts.com
Black Right-51438189192 $31.76@ getbmwparts.com

Grey/tan Left-51438189189 $35.72@ getbmwparts.com
Grey/tan Right-51438189190 $35.72@ getbmwparts.com

Yep - the A-pillar trim pieces are relatively cheap from Tischer and easy to replace as described above. One thing to consider - if your headliner is needing replacement, you may want to simply have the A-pillar pieces recovered. I made the mistake of buying new pieces but we couldn't exactly match the OEM fabric with the replacement fabric so my headliner guy recovered them, even though they were new. The recovering only cost me $30 fortunately.

Just something to consider. Probably not as much an issue with black. I have sandgrau.

A-Pillar Replacement
 

That is awesome, thank you guys so much, there aren't many of these cars where I live and this one came from Indiana. I would have looked for days to find this info so it's much appreciated... My interior is tan so I will try to recover even though the headliner is fine, might have a problem finding fabric? Great site!!!

Thanks again,
Steven

No worries Steven, glad we can help. Welcome to the forum, you can find a lot of helpful articles in the "knowledge base" section:wink:

That worked out good, the dealer wanted $57/ea!

I just rewrapped my A pillars today and used 3m number 77 glue. Will post pics tomorrow of the process and completion of headliner.

A-Pillars
 

Mine had little burn marks from the dirty girl who owned it before me. :mad:I tried an automotive adhesive called "amazing" but it stopped adhering about 5 months later, better to buy new pillar covers in my case. 3M makes great adhesives, good luck. I just got the gray lower skirts painted on my white ti and it came out great but I still like the look of "all white" on this model. I also have the most basic of models, I guess. No sun-roof, no Fog lamps ( which looks cool as sh**) So many little projects to do on this 96, yours looks awesome!

Thanks and yes my fabric was horrbile too! ha and i am getting 3m 77 adhesive for the pillars and maybe some contact cement for the headliner so it can withstand heat. I have a base model too :D no sunroof or fog lights i just rewired everything to my liking and its been a pain ever since.